Phoenix Suns Offseason Plans Part 1: The Draft

To Ball, or not to Ball – That is the Million Dollar question.

We still have five weeks, or so, before the May 16 Draft Lottery when the Valley of the Suns will officially know where Phoenix will be selecting in June 22nd’s NBA Draft. The Suns are set now to have the best odds at the number two pick overall, with a legitimate shot at one, although still as significant a chance at the absolutely terrible notion of slipping back as far as number five overall.

Wherever they pick, however, the obvious ultimate questions surround who is Ryan McDonough targeting at the top of his board, and then where do the rest lineup? Is Markele Fultz, the presumptive number one in most mock drafts, at the top of his list? Do the Suns at this point even have Lonzo Ball on their board due to the bevy of his Father’s (and now his own) comments? With T.J. Warren showing nothing by growth each year of his career thus far, is drafting Josh Jackson worth potentially trading Warren who is already proving that he can be a 20 points per game scorer and is only three years older than Jackson? And then, if they slip out of the top-three, is their intention to take whoever is remaining at number four or five, or is the most value possible at that point found in a trade of that pick?

For Ryan McDonough this draft is without a doubt the most important of his career thus far. Having not intentionally tanked prior to this season under his guidance, in years past the Suns have been in a position to simply draft whoever their average regular season record placed them – the 2016 draft being the only top-5 pick following a roster he built (I worded in that way because while the 2013 draft was his, the roster was not).

Presumably the 2017 tank was entirely his brainchild and therefore completely under his control. Thus, regardless of their draft location, the fact that he intentionally worked the roster to the bone to give him as close to the number one pick overall all but mandates that he hits a home run to justify all the intentional losing – and hurt feelings.

Often in drafts such as this in which there is no surefire superstar at the top, the discussion of whether or not a team wants the first or second pick is discussed as a GM would presumably rather pick second in case the number one pick does not pan out. Fortunately that likely isn’t the case this season for McDonough as there are three entirely different kinds of players at the top of most draft boards who, whether or not they pan out, could justifiably be selected number one overall. However, the fact that any one of three names could conceivably go number one does make the notion that there isn’t a surefire superstar up top blindingly obvious.