T.J. Warren: 2014-15 Phoenix Suns Player Grades
Grade: B
For a team in the middle of a sad, playoff-less season — and for a depressed fan base trying to talk each other down from the ledge — Warren represented one of the few bright spots through it all. Is he a franchise player? No. Does he show the same limitless ceiling as other youngsters like Anthony Davis or Giannis Antetokounmpo? No.
But Warren averaged nearly eight points per game on 55 percent shooting over the last two months of the season and the intelligent manner in which he scored was telling; if he can fine-tune his perimeter shot, he’ll have no problem scoring in this league because of the way he moves without the ball and finds the open spot under the basket.
He still has areas where he can prove, as all rookies do. But as he becomes more familiar with the team’s defensive concepts, he’ll become a more well-rounded player that Hornacek will be able to trust late in games. As his career goes along, he’ll need to develop a three-point shot, but it’s hard to fault him too much right now since he’s so efficient in the paint and midrange.
Perhaps this is more indicative of how depressing the Suns’ 2014-15 season was, but Warren was consistently one of this team’s silver linings over the last few months. His minutes may have been limited early on, and he still has a ways to go, but once T.J. Warren started getting minutes he made the most of them in a lost season.
More 2014-15 Phoenix Suns Player Grades:
Jerel McNeal
Danny Granger
Brandan Wright
Earl Barron
Marcus Thornton
Next: Phoenix Suns: 10 Takeaways From The 2014-15 Season (Part 2)