What if the Suns were to draft for need
By Adam Maynes
Shooting Guard
This entire breakdown of the shooting guard position could begin and end with the name Devin Booker.
But what would the fun be in that.
There is no doubt that Devin Booker will not only be the franchise’s starting shooting guard for the next (ten?) seasons, but he too will be the face of the franchise during that period as well. Thus, if the Suns were to draft for need at shooting guard in 2017, they either plan on moving Booker to either point or small forward (which he can actually potentially do both), or they are looking for a shooting guard would can come off the bench and play point with Booker on the court, who could then play the two alongside Bledsoe or Ulis when Book is on the bench.
The Suns also employ Brandon Knight who is being paid Eric Bledsoe money, and showing very little on the court for it. Knight is only 25-years-old and because of his age too could be a centerpiece of the roster for many years to come should the Suns keep him.
But let’s not lie to ourselves: it is presumed that Knight will be nowhere near the Suns’ roster at the start of the next season. If in a trade he is not immediately replaced on the roster, then his minutes would need to be spread out. Consider this: he averaged 23 minutes per game in the team’s first 32 games off the bench, minutes that would not be bad for a rookie. Therefore if there is a shooting guard that is projected to be very good and is able to bring an offensive game the way one might hope from a top five pick, then 23 minutes next season on average would be a good starting spot for the rookie (presumably against lesser competition in the opponents reserves), allowing the team another year to work through roster kinks and figure out what to do long-term moving forward.
In the end though, by drafting a shooting guard now, the Suns would probably be drafting a bench player simply because Devin Booker sits atop the depth chart at shooting guard. Thus, the need for a shooting guard is low. Could there be a shooting guard who could impress so much so that the Suns feel like they are passing over the best available talent by not selecting him? Maybe. But would that fill a need if they were to draft by need? No.