Phoenix Suns Offseason Plans Part 1: The Draft
By Adam Maynes
Who is McDonough Eyeing Number One through Five?
Even with all of Lonzo Ball’s hype, Markelle Fultz, averaging 23.2 points per game at Washington, has consistently been placed in mock drafts ahead of the UCLA star. His game is far more individually offensive than Ball’s, although his assist average of 5.9 is nothing to balk at. Comparing Fultz’ college stats to Kevin Johnson’s, who averaged 14.0 points and 4.4 assists over four seasons, if selected by the Suns, does still give hope that he can develop into a 20 and 10+ point guard in the Association, sufficient to lead Phoenix in their championship aspirations.
Lonzo is far more of a star-studded distributor than Fultz, and already shows the qualities of a Jason Kidd-like player, a possible regular triple-double threat who will rarely lead the team in scoring. Of course, while that kind of player best fits into the overall makeup of the Suns’ roster, Ball’s baggage could fit into the Grand Canyon, and his Father’s would overflow Valles Marineris (see Mars).
Josh Jackson has seen comparisons from Andre Iguadala to Kawhi Leonard. To which direction will he develop, no one can know for sure. What is widely accepted though is that he has the talent to become a star in the NBA, and one that is possibly the best can’t miss two-way player in this draft. With Jackson however, questions facing the Suns center around whether or not he is an upgrade over T.J. Warren, especially between 2017 and 2020, and if so, will the Suns receive fair and worthwhile compensation for Warren in his presumed trade from Phoenix to make room for Jackson. Certainly Suns fans would love to see both on the roster, but one will undoubtedly have to sit more than the other, wasting youthful talent on the bench.
Certainly, should the unthinkable happen, there are options if the Suns fall short of the top-three. Dennis Smith and De’Aron Fox at point guard are generally regarded as starting floor generals in this league. Picking either one of those could be taken as a replacement for Eric Bledsoe should he be traded, and each would be welcomed by Suns fans.
At forward, both Johnathan Issacs and Jayson Tatum could also be worth selecting, each with enough potential to become long-term players and decent role players if not stars in the future for the Suns. Tatum is potentially another replacement for Warren, should the Suns see fit to move the third year player to make room, although he could start allowing the rookie to learn while developing in a reserve role. For Issacs however, he would be redundant at power forward and should he be the best available player on McDonough’s board when they select, and if the pick itself isn’t traded, maybe at least Dragan Bender would have to be.