Cliff Alexander: Phoenix Suns 2015 Draft Profile

Potential Fit

Pros

I have to say that I love what Alexander could bring for the Suns in general, but he could be an absolutely crucial pick if the front office goes “best player available” with the 13th overall pick and takes a guy like Cameron Payne or Kelly Oubre Jr. or any other non-big man.

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I think we all can agree that the Suns lack depth at the big men position, and getting a player like Alexander who could play the four (or small-ball five) would be welcomed by many. Alexander would provide an interior physicality that the team doesn’t really have, and he would definitely help the bench unit as a whole with his energy.

Earlier this year, I also wrote about Boston being a place Alexander should want to go, because I think he could really benefit from a patient, laid back coach in Brad Stevens, compared to what he dealt with at the University of Kansas. Bill Self is considered by pretty much everyone to be a top-five college coach, and he’s probably even top-three, but his more aggressive style didn’t seem to mesh well with Alexander, who was still learning a lot on the fly.

Jeff Hornacek isn’t the most laid back coach in the world, but he put up with a lot from quite a few Phoenix players this year, and I think he would be able to manage Alexander a lot more effectively. And I’m certainly not the only one who felt that way, as far as Alexander’s relationship with Self is concerned. A simple Google search will bring up a bunch of articles talking about his role, and if you didn’t follow college basketball closely last year, it’s definitely something worth reading up on.

Cons

Alexander has a long way to go as far as basketball IQ is concerned, and he might struggle to figure out all the intricacies of the Suns’ schemes. That in of itself could be a big problem for the team, as they’re starting to get to the point where the playoffs are the goal, whether it’s next season or the season after that.

Additionally, until his jumper improves, Alexander wouldn’t bring any spacing to the floor, which would only continue to hurt the Suns in the way they want to play. The Suns have two slashing guards on the roster now, and really they have a core of slashers (Eric Bledsoe, Brandon Knight, Archie Goodwin, T.J. Warren), so it’s pretty important that the Suns get a four that can space the floor.

However

If the Suns don’t use their first round pick on a big, it may not matter. Alexander may be the best big man left on the board, and if the Suns don’t take one earlier, there really may not be much of a choice.

Additionally, if the plan is to bring Alexander off the bench, spacing won’t be as much of an issue, because the Suns can (and should) add shooters to come off the bench, which is a staple of many playoff and championship teams.

Basically, if you compare Alexander to Frank Kaminsky or Myles Turner, then sure, he’s not going to match up very well. However, if it comes down to the Suns getting someone in the second round, or even trading to get into the end of the first round, the talent doesn’t really stack up. Cliff Alexander will win out in most cases, unless someone slips.

Next: Conclusion