Robert Upshaw: Phoenix Suns 2015 Draft Profile

By Gerald Bourguet | May 22, 2015

Jan 15, 2015; Seattle, WA, USA; Washington Huskies center Robert Upshaw (24) rebounds against Oregon State Beavers forward Jamal Reid (32) during the first half at Alaska Airlines Arena. Mandatory Credit: Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports /

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Robert Upshaw

November 28, 2014; Fullerton, CA, USA; Washington Huskies head coach Lorenzo Romar speaks with center Robert Upshaw (24) during a stoppage in play in the first half at Titan Gym. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports /

Potential Fit:

Now that we know that Upshaw is a tremendous talent with potential off-the-court issues, where does he fit in with the Phoenix Suns? If we’re being completely honest, that description sounds right at home for this team. But that also means the Suns might want to stay away from him because of it.

I won’t pretend to know the first thing about addiction, but what I can tell you is that the NBA doesn’t have a great history when it comes to players turning their lives around so they can focus solely on playing basketball. It’s simple math that in most cases, if you give a guy with an addiction millions of dollars, it’s going to be pretty tempting for him to use it on feeding that addiction.

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Perhaps that’s a vast overstatement, but for a team with a mostly painful draft history, is that any reason to feel comfortable about a guy who’s said all the right things in the past and still had the same old problems in the end?

Upshaw has a family to provide for and mentioned at the combine that it’s all about putting food on the table. But what happens when he gets to the NBA, starts playing well, earns everyone’s praise and makes millions of dollars? Isn’t it reasonable to wonder what happens to his current sacrificial mentality at that point?

Personally, I hope Upshaw proves me wrong. I would love nothing more than to see him get drafted, work his butt off to prove everyone wrong and become a serviceable center in this league, no matter what team he’s playing for. But from the Suns’ perspective, the last thing they need to do with their lottery pick is use it on an unstable personality.

From a basketball perspective, the Suns already have Alex Len at center, and Len made great strides in his second season once Jeff Hornacek promoted him to the starting lineup. It’s far too early to give up on the 21-year-old Len, who has the potential to become a defensive anchor on one end and a stretch-five on the other.

For another thing, this team already has an attitude problem as well. Even if the Morris twins are found innocent/can agree to a plea bargain with their current felony aggravated assault charges, we can’t forget that Markieff Morris was stirring the pot of discontent and bad tempers all season long by racking up the second most technical fouls in the NBA and calling out the fan support at US Airways Center.

This is a team coming off a brutally disappointing season trying to build something positive for the future. With their 13th overall pick the Suns should stay far away from Robert Upshaw.

Next: Conclusion