Frank Kaminsky: Phoenix Suns 2015 Draft Profile

Strengths

Kaminsky may come off as a goofy guy off the court, but when he’s playing, he should be taken seriously. His elite skill set made him one of the toughest players in the country to defend. Not only did he spread the floor with a three-point shot (41.6 percent on 2.6 attempts per game), but he was effective from pretty much everywhere on the court. The guy can flat out stroke the ball from anywhere.

Frank the Tank shot 54.7 percent from the field in his final collegiate season, averaging 18.8 points, 8.2 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 1.5 blocks per game in the process. This is not one seven-footer you need to worry about when he gets to the free throw line (78 percent) and when defenders rush out to guard him on the perimeter, he’s capable of taking them off the dribble and making a move to create his own offense.

There really aren’t many seven-footers capable of making moves off the dribble like that:

Kaminsky has a high basketball IQ, his footwork in the post is excellent and he’s the kind of intelligent role player that could really help a team once he gets acclimated to the speed of the NBA. Kaminsky will never be a star like he was in college, but he’s certainly capable of helping a team if he’s drafted into the right situation.

If you’re not sold on his versatility, consider he’s just one of three NCAA players to EVER record at least 700 points, 300 rebounds, 100 three-point attempts and 50 blocks in a season, with the other two being Kevin Durant and Juan Mendez (per Sports-Reference.com).

That sample size is perfect: one player is an NBA superstar, the other has never played in the league, leaving us with Kaminsky somewhere in the middle. Still, he’s extremely smart, he can dribble, he knows how to use his size to block shots and when he put it all together, he was a pretty devastating force for the Badgers:

Although this shouldn’t be the primary reason for drafting a player, we have to acknowledge that Kaminsky would be a joy to have in Phoenix if only because it’d be a nice change of pace to have such an overwhelmingly positive personality in the locker room.

It was nothing but doom and gloom for the Suns last season and Kaminsky’s goofy persona would be a welcome departure from the kind of negativity and off-court problems that have seeped through this roster.

Next: Weaknesses