Grade: C
Truth be told, McNeal’s impact on the Suns’ season was entirely negligible. He hardly played, he joined the team at a time when they were virtually eliminated from the playoff hunt and despite all his accomplishments in the D-League, his ceiling at this point feels like a third string point guard or summer trade chip.
Still, that’s not really McNeal’s fault. He did the best with the situation he was given and things are looking up for him personally. He made his NBA season debut, and even with that disappointing roster screwup, his name is out there now. Even if he doesn’t have a future in Phoenix, teams always need third string point guard in emergency situations.
McNeal probably doesn’t have a long-term future with the Suns, but he’ll have a chance to prove himself this offseason running the point guard for Phoenix’s Summer League team.
His terrible numbers in limited minutes shouldn’t be the determining factor in assessing his value, but they do have to figure into our grade here. McNeal earns a passing grade due to small sample size and the underdog factor in a lost season that made it easy to wish the best for him.
Next: Phoenix Suns: 10 Takeaways From The 2014-15 Season (Part 2)
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