The Phoenix Suns kick off 2015 NBA Summer League action today against the Washington Wizards at 3 P.M in Las Vegas. With a host of unfamiliar names and a couple of recognizable ones sprinkled throughout the roster, Suns fans who will be tuning in may have very different expectations for this year’s Summer Suns.
Fortunately, even with so many former NBA and NCAA names on the 12-man team, there will be quite a few younger players to look forward to watching who will actually wind up on the Suns’ regular season roster. Since Phoenix is so skewed toward youth, roughly one-third of the Summer League roster (and maybe more) will be suiting up for the Suns next season.
Between the relatively unknowns and the recognizable young guns, which players should Suns fans be watching intently? Here’s a look at the top five Phoenix Suns players to watch during NBA Summer League action.
Honorable Mention: Jerel McNeal
Next: No. 5
5. Alec Brown
A second round pick in the 2014 NBA Draft, Alec Brown is a 7’1″ power forward/center from Green Bay who may be able to earn a training camp invite depending on how well he performs in Summer League. Brown played for the Summer Suns last season, but he injured his shoulder in the last game and had to have surgery, sidelining him for 3-4 months.
Brown never worked his way onto the Suns’ roster, but he wound up playing for their D-League affiliate, the Bakersfield Jam. In 17 appearances with the Jam, he averaged an underwhelming 6.8 points and 3.4 rebounds in 18.4 minutes per game. He also shot 34.1 percent from three-point range on 2.6 attempts per game.
Since the former head coach of the Jam, Nate Bjorkgren, is familiar with Brown during his time in the D-League, that’s good news for the seven-footer’s chances of earning significant minutes. If he’s able to spread the floor and knock down the three-ball at an efficient clip as he’s been consistently pegged over the last year, he could be a third-string big that fits the stretch-5 role the Suns covet.
"You'll see some nice things out of him." - Coach Bjorkgren on Alec Brown's shooting and shot blocking #SummerSuns
— Phoenix Suns (@Suns) July 7, 2015
Next: No. 4
4. Alex Len
The oldest player among the quartet of Suns players that will definitely be on the roster and log consistent minutes next season, Alex Len will be looking to have his first positive Summer League experience this year. Despite this being his third NBA season, Len has played a grand total of 25 Summer League minutes so far in his career.
Heading into his rookie season, Len was still rehabbing from his ankle surgeries. Heading into his second season, Len fractured his pinky finger in his first Summer League contest, exiting the game with six points and six rebounds. This time around, Phoenix’s 7’1″, 260-pound center will be looking to finally put this developmental experience to good use.
Jeff Hornacek just said on @foxsports910 "he doesn't want to let the secret out" but they might let Alex Len shoot some threes next season.
— sreekar (@sreekyshooter) June 29, 2015
The reports about Alex Len’s expanded range into three-point territory, not to mention the flashes of brilliant rim protection we saw from him as a starter last season, should have plenty of people excited to see what he’s capable of against lesser competition.
But the reason Len isn’t higher on the list is we know exactly where he stands in the rotation. With the arrival of Tyson Chandler to the Valley, there will still be opportunity for growth, but it will come in a bench role under Chandler’s tutelage. The pressure’s off to continue growing at a rapid rate. Big things should be expected of Len, but they’ll more than likely come by learning from Chandler, not during his third Summer League try.
Next: No. 3
3. Devin Booker
This might be a surprisingly low ranking for Devin Booker, since rookies are almost always the most exciting part of watching Summer League games (unless you have some random fetish for undrafted prospects who have been playing overseas or something).
Booker is also a tantalizing rookie and the front office believes he’s NBA-ready due to his pure three-point shooting stroke. At 18 years old, Booker is a 6’6″ shooting guard who’s probably not done growing and can spread the floor for the Suns’ (and the Summer Suns’) penetrators.
Per Bjorkgren, Booker hit a couple "big shots" today. Alec Brown said he expects to see a lot of good shooting from this year's #SummerSuns
— Matt Petersen (@TheMattPetersen) July 8, 2015
However, Booker also falls to No. 3 because he’s only 18 years old. If he’s unable to crack the rotation as a rookie, it won’t be the end of the world for such a young player. Rookies fail to get on the court in their first NBA season all the time. Until he proves himself, Archie Goodwin should be ahead of Booker in the pecking order for backup shooting guard.
Studying Booker’s smooth shooting stroke and seeing how well he defends, how he sees the floor and how he attacks opponents off the dribble will make these games fascinating to watch. This will be the first time Suns fans see their young new rook in action, but given his (likely) limited role heading into the 2015-16 season, he actually might not be the player who draws the most attention.
Next: No. 2
2. Archie Goodwin
Goodwin should be ahead of Booker in the rotation right now, but that could easily change depending on what happens in Summer League and training camp. At age 20, Goodwin is still incredibly young. Even better, he’s heading into his third NBA season already. But with the arrival of a three-point sniper like Booker, the pressure is on for Goodwin to keep his minutes.
Phoenix has seen plenty of flashes of brilliance in Goodwin’s first two seasons. There was his regular season finale in 2013-14, when he put up 29 points on 11-of-13 shooting. There was the time he baptized Jonas Valanciunas. And there was that clutch performance that kept Phoenix’s playoff hopes on life support when he scored five huge crunch-time points in a big home win over the Dallas Mavericks.
But consistency has been a problem for Goodwin, even if his minutes have similarly fluctuated all over the map. His defense and his perimeter shot still need work, and from most people’s perspective, Goodwin still seems like a raw player who has definite areas where he needs to improve, much like he did two years ago when he was still a rookie.
Goodwin lit it up in nine appearances for Bakersfield this season, averaging 22.7 points and 6.2 rebounds per game. But other than that, Goodwin hasn’t gotten his opportunity to show the world what he can do. With Booker hot on his heels for minutes, this is Archie’s best chance to prove he’s ready for a breakthrough season. It starts in Summer League.
Next: No. 1
1. T.J. Warren
Other than Len, the young Sun that most fans are really excited about is T.J. Warren. As a rookie last season, Warren only averaged 6.1 points per game. But he shot nearly 53 percent from the floor and at times, looked like the most intelligent Suns player on the offensive end of the floor.
Warren just has that feel for the game you can’t teach. He cuts to the open spots on the floor to convert easy looks at the rim, and even when they aren’t easy, he’s adept at finishing anyway. He doesn’t have a consistent perimeter shot yet, but his floater and his nose for the basket have a lot of people excited about his potential at the age of 21.
Lot of wing minutes now available after @Suns trade. Warren a candidate to earn them. @NBASummerLeague will be a start to doing so.
— Matt Petersen (@TheMattPetersen) July 9, 2015
So why does Warren take the top spot on our list? Well, because he has the best mix of potential, current skill and chance to seriously crack the rotation in 2015-16. Len will get his minutes off the bench, of course, but with Booker, Goodwin and maybe even Sonny Weems competing for minutes at the 2, Warren has the best benefit of playing the 3.
After the Suns made their trade with the Detroit Pistons to ship away Marcus Morris and Danny Granger, the logjam at the small forward spot was cleared out. Warren probably won’t start over P.J. Tucker, but he could work his way there with time and at the very least, he’ll be getting considerable time off the bench.
A breakout year for Len, Goodwin AND Warren would be ideal, but of those three, it seems like Warren has the best odds of actually doing so. After averaging 26.8 points and 7.0 rebounds per game in the D-League this year and impressing the heck out of everyone in Summer League last year, this year’s Summer Suns team is a platform built for Warren to thrill once again.
Next: Suns Column: Ryan McDonough's Plan Unorthodox, But Trustworthy