ROY: T.J. Warren
Honorable Mentions: Tyler Ennis, Zoran Dragic
This may seem like a no-brainer, but the Suns actually have three rookies on the roster between T.J. Warren, Tyler Ennis and Zoran Dragic. A quick look at their limited minutes suggests that Warren is currently the most NBA-ready:
| Rk | Player | Season | Age | G | MP | FG% | 3P% | FT% | TRB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Zoran Dragic | 2014-15 | 25 | 3 | 2.0 | .250 | .000 | 1.000 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1.0 |
| 2 | Tyler Ennis | 2014-15 | 20 | 7 | 7.9 | .450 | .333 | 1.000 | 1.0 | 1.6 | 0.0 | 0.3 | 1.1 | 3.1 |
| 3 | T.J. Warren | 2014-15 | 21 | 12 | 10.2 | .455 | .400 | 1.000 | 1.1 | 0.3 | 0.4 | 0.1 | 0.7 | 4.0 |
Provided by Basketball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 1/14/2015.
Aside from the fact that he’s played twice as many minutes (122) as his two fellow Suns rookies combined (61), Warren has been the most efficient shooter of the bunch, he’s made four of his 10 three-point attempts and his ability to score in bursts off the bench projects to be far more valuable to this team that’s already stacked in the backcourt.
Basically, if Archie Goodwin can’t even crack the rotation after doing this to Jonas Valanciunas, I seriously doubt unpolished rookies like Zoki and Ennis are going to have much of a shot:
With the addition of Brandan Wright, it’s unlikely that Warren takes on any of the vacant minutes that were available with Anthony Tolliver‘s departure. Marcus Morris has been doing a fine job off the bench as a backup to P.J. Tucker at small forward, so unless the Suns are dealing with major foul trouble or it’s late in a blowout game, don’t expect to see Warren on the floor at either forward position.
Still, we had to give someone the award, so it makes sense to give it to the guy who’s been the most impressive in limited minutes, a guy who figures to be a good fit for this team long-term.
Next: Suns Sixth Man Of The Year