Myles Turner: Phoenix Suns 2015 Draft Profile
By Scott Chasen
Conclusion
I think it’d definitely be a risk for the Suns to take a chance and draft Myles Turner, considering he may never progress as a shooter or as a power forward. However, at the moment, I’d rather them take that risk with Turner than some of the other prospects on the board, who have even greater red flags in my opinion. And I’d certainly be happier with them taking Turner than drafting another backcourt player (or swingman), unless that player’s name was Russell, Mudiay or Winslow.
With that being said, I’d be far more confident in drafting Turner if it was a given that he’d become a four at the NBA level, but given his lack of mobility, he may have to settle for being an NBA five. If that were the case, the Suns would be in an unfortunate situation, with two young centers on the rosters, both of whom they’re trying to develop. That’s pretty much the main concern right now for me.
However, it may be a lot more simple than it appears right now. There are about four of five big man prospects that have a chance to be on the board when the Suns pick (so that’s with Towns, Okafor, Cauley-Stein and Porzingis gone), but if things pan out a certain way, the Suns may not have much of a choice.
Several analysts have Indiana, Miami and Utah, who pick 10-12, taking a big man, which could make the choice a lot simpler for the Suns.
It may be a case of picking either Turner or say, Bobby Portis from Arkansas or Kevon Looney from UCLA, at which point Turner is pretty much decisively the better prospect (at least according to writers from ESPN, DraftExpress, Sports Illustrated, NBA.com and CBS Sports, even if the fit of a guy like Portis definitely offers some promise).
Or, it may be a case where Turner, Frank Kaminsky and/or Trey Lyles are still on the board, and the Suns have a pretty tough decision to make. However, with all that being said, I think the upside of Turner is too good to pass up with the 13th pick in the NBA Draft, and if it is his name called by the commissioner, I think Suns fans will definitely have something to look forward to.
Next: Frank Kaminsky: Draft Profile