Phoenix Suns: Top 5 Roster Moves of 2016 (So Far)
When the Phoenix Suns used the 34th overall pick on Tyler Ulis, Suns fans understandably may have shouted, “another Kentucky guard?!”
However, once the shock of adding a fifth Kentucky guard to the Suns passed, it set in that Ulis was a great player at Kentucky. The guard was just the second player to win Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year in the same season in the SEC, joining Anthony Davis in the 2011-12 season.
So how did the Suns get Ulis at #34? Well, there is one little issue with Ulis: he is short. For an NBA player, you could call him extremely short. 5 foot 8.75 inches tall to be exact.
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Will that prevent Ulis from translating his game to the pros? The guy was certainly short in college, so he is use to defending more physical players. The question is, can Ulis handle the leap in physicality from the college to the pro game.
In the Las Vegas Summer League, he showed he was going to fight and scrap to be a good defender in the NBA. So far, Ulis has done what he has needed to do, even getting a second team All-Summer League spot.
Adding Ulis may mean the end of the Archie Goodwin’s time in Phoenix. Ulis provides good upside while still having three years left on his rookie contract after the 2016-17.
Goodwin is on his last year of his rookie contract. Even if he doesn’t excel this season, his price after the 2016-17 season will be significantly higher.
Tyler Ulis played well with Devin Booker in the first two games, including 10 points, 5 assists, and 0 turnovers in the win over the Boston Celtics, but got even more of an opportunity to lead the team after Booker stopped playing with the summer Suns.
Ulis showed the defensive skills that made him the SEC Defensive Player of the Year in 2015-16. He had 5 steals against the Miami Heat and finished the Summer League with 2.8 steals per game – tied for the 4th highest in the league.
Ulis also had a deep game winning three pointer for the summer Suns. In case you missed it:
That is a good way to win over teammates.
Next: #3: Keeping P.J. Tucker another year - for now