A flurry of offseason moves have dominated the news cycle for the Phoenix Suns over the last few weeks. From drafting Devin Booker to signing Tyson Chandler out of nowhere to pursuing LaMarcus Aldridge to re-signing Brandon Knight, there have been plenty of angles to examine when asking the question of how good this Suns team will be next season.
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But amid all these other more important acquisitions, stretch-big Jon Leuer has — somewhat characteristically — gotten lost in the shuffle.
Coming off his fourth NBA season, the 26-year-old Leuer is a 6’10” power forward who once fit in perfectly with Bo Ryan’s Wisconsin teams as a versatile big who could spread the floor with a three-point shot. He hasn’t quite found the same stride in the pros, but the Suns traded for him on draft night all the same.
Shipping away their second round pick at No. 44, the Suns traded Aaron Harrison for the more established Leuer. But for those unfamiliar with Leuer’s game, what can fans expect from the stretch-big in Phoenix?
Though he may struggle to crack the rotation, Valley of the Suns got a hold of Christian Dudley of Beale Street Bears, FanSided’s Memphis Grizzlies website. Here’s the insight he had to offer on what to expect from Jon Leuer now that he is a Phoenix Sun:
1) In helping Suns fans get to know Jon Leuer, what would you say is the greatest strength and weakness of his game?
Christian Dudley: Jon Leuer’s greatest strength is that he is very athletic for his size. Shooting comes with his size, too. Leuer is a 6’10” forward that can surprisingly play some small forward minutes as well as his predominant position of power forward.
His combination of athleticism and shooting ability will of course make for some mismatches when he is on the floor. He shot 36.8 percent from beyond the arc for his college career at Wisconsin and he has carried his long-range shooting to the NBA by owning a 36.7 percent average from deep.
For Leuer’s weaknesses, it begins with consistency. This can be seen on his stat sheet. He fell from shooting nearly 47 percent from three-point range in 2013-14 to nailing just 24.1 percent in 2014-15. “Jonny Badger” would surprise every once in a while with a 20-point game, perhaps with about 10 or so rebounds additionally, too, but those performances were few and far between. He was not often a game-changer when he saw regular minutes.
Another reason or his fall from the Memphis Grizzlies’ rotation is his defensive deficiencies. The Grizz pride themselves on their grit-n-grind defense and Jon could not defend as well as Kosta Koufos, Jeff Green, and others, so he saw fewer minutes after the NBA All-Star break in 2015.
2) Leuer is pegged as a stretch-big, but most people don’t know much about him outside of that. What else does Leuer bring to the table?
Dudley: Aside from being a shooter with size, Jon Leuer ALWAYS stays ready. He could see no playing time in 10 straight games and he will be ready to check in when that most unexpected injury happens or when foul trouble arises to players ahead of him in the rotation. He stays in game shape and you can depend on him to be able to play hard, give 110 percent, and leave it all on the floor. Plus, he is a total class act off of the floor. You will never hear his name come up in off-the-court troubles.
3) One of the Grizzlies’ biggest needs over the last few years has been three-point shooting. Since Leuer only played 13 minutes per game last year, is his reputation as a stretch-big a tad inflated? Or was his lack of playing time simply a product of Memphis’ deep frontcourt?
Dudley: Jon Leuer fell out of the rotation in Memphis mostly due to his defensive deficiencies. It really came down to that. With the addition of Jeff Green, that really took away the bulk of the minutes away from Leuer at both forward positions.
The emergence of JaMychal Green nearly ended Leuer’s chances of seeing any floor time. It became a numbers game and there were too many forwards on the roster — all deserving of time — but not enough minutes to go around in a game. Jarnell Stokes also commanded attention.
Being a stretch-4 might have hurt Leuer’s chances at seeing regular minutes in a sense because Memphis wants to primarily find offense by attacking the rim and looking to score in the painted area.
Their Plan B is the exact same as their Plan A. Scoring from outside falls around Plan C for the Memphis Grizzlies. It really is true that the Grizzlies play inside-out, whereas Jon Leuer does not look to camp in the lane much at all.
4) Memphis wasn’t the right fit for Leuer, but based on what you know of his game, is there reason to be optimistic about how he’ll fit in Phoenix?
Dudley: I believe the trade sending Jon Leuer to the Phoenix Suns will be a great move for “Jonny Badger.” The Suns run an offense suited for Leuer’s game: fast-paced, free-flowing, with lots of outside shots. His size will be a nice addition to their roster, which, on paper, could use the extra height and length.
Jon will be hustling and keeping pace with the offense, but he will also bring some veteran experience that is a result of being with a contending Memphis Grizzlies squad for the past three seasons. Phoenix will love Jon Leuer and assuming he sticks, he will become a fan favorite there, too.
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