Defense
As a franchise the Suns have never really been known as a defensive team, but adding Josh Jackson could now start to turn that impression on it’s head. Jackson is believed to be the best two-way player in the draft, meaning that his offensive and defensive abilities are combined better than any other player from 1 to 60.
At 6’8″ with a 6’9 3/4″ wingspan, defensively Jackson can guard every position on the court, something that he has in common with the aforementioned Leonard, Marion, and Iguodala. Suns fans can rest assured that Jackson will be placed very early on the best players on the opposing team, and if he has even decent success at shutting them down, Phoenix will have a chance.
"We love his competitiveness, we love his fire, we love his toughness.” Suns GM Ryan McDonough on @J_Josh11 pic.twitter.com/BqoCCHj7eD
— Phoenix Suns (@Suns) June 23, 2017
Yet Jackson’s potential coming into the draft was well known to Valley of the Suns fans. What wasn’t known is who the Suns would be selecting with the 32nd pick in the draft, Davon Reed, and how high his defensive potential could end up being.
A senior out of Miami of Florida, Reed is a solid shooter and above-average passer on the offensive end. But his 7’0″ length on a 6’6″ frame makes him an invaluable commodity coming off the bench behind Devon Booker. While his scoring ability may be as effective his rookie season as Tyler Ulis’ was playing behind Eric Bledsoe, Reed is a much better defender than either Booker or Ulis and may actually earn significant minutes for this skill right away.
Thus, the Suns actually selected two players in their three picks whose greatest assets are not offense (although they are both offensively capable with room to grow), but are more valuable on the defensive side, something that the franchise will have to focus on as a whole during this rebuild if they are going to take the next step in their growth process.