The Draft
At the time of the draft, the Suns had a number of options with the 13th overall pick. Most fans recognized the team’s need for an upgrade at the power forward position, and even with guys like Myles Turner and Frank Kaminsky already off the board, other stretch-4s like Bobby Portis and Montrezl Harrell were still available.
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Instead, the Suns decided to address another area of need: three-point shooting.
By taking Kentucky freshman Devin Booker, Phoenix added a 6’6″ 18-year-old who’s been frequently compared to Klay Thompson. Some fans lamented letting Portis slide all the way to the Chicago Bulls at No. 22, but Booker was a fine pick at the time and is one that’s looked better the more we’ve learned about him.
As the Wildcats’ sixth man last season, Booker averaged 10.0 points per game while shooting 47 percent from the field, 41.1 percent from three-point territory and 82.8 percent from the free throw line. Simply put, this kid can stroke the ball — a skill he showed off at NBA Summer League once he got warmed up.
After a quiet first two games, Booker wound up averaging 15.3 points and 4.9 rebounds per game in Las Vegas. Despite starting Summer League 0-for-8 from three-point territory, Booker still drilled 40 percent of his threes when all was said and done. At times, he looked more poised than Archie Goodwin out there, and of course you know his three-point stroke was a thing of beauty.
More importantly, Booker represents the front office’s commitment to bringing high quality character to the locker room as well. Despite being the second-youngest player in this year’s draft class, Booker carries himself like a true professional and has spent the summer in Phoenix, working with kids in the community while also working out regularly at the Suns’ practice facility.
That might not seem like much, but considering how much team chemistry played a factor in last season’s unraveling, adding high quality individuals is a good way to build this franchise back into something special.
That’s not all the Suns accomplished in the draft, however. With the 44th pick, Phoenix nearly sent its fan base into hysteria by drafting ANOTHER Kentucky guard, Andrew Harrison. Harrison didn’t stick around for long, however, as he was immediately shipped off to the Memphis Grizzlies for stretch-4 Jon Leuer.
At the time, the move was completely overlooked. Leuer never got his chance in Memphis, being buried in the rotation among a loaded frontcourt. In a more up-tempo offense that needs three-point shooting, Leuer will get more of a chance, but most people saw him as nothing more than a third-string insurance policy.
With Markieff Morris looking more and more like a possible liability, that insurance policy might be needed sooner rather than later. According to the Arizona Republic’s Paul Coro, Leuer has impressed during voluntary workouts and quite often finds himself on the winning team by doing all the little things.
Leuer will not change Phoenix’s fate if this Markieff Morris situation blow up, but for a player that was seen as an afterthought, Leuer’s value has skyrocketed from where it was just a few months ago.
Grade: A-
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