Phoenix Suns Depth Chart Projections at Shooting Guard
With Devin Booker as the franchise center piece of the future, the Phoenix Suns must figure out the depth at shooting guard behind Booker.
The Phoenix Suns are in full rebuild mode again this upcoming season. Part of a rebuild is evaluating what the team has at each position. The Suns have a potential superstar at the starting shooting guard position, but there is still questions about the depth behind him.
The Solidified Starter
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There is no doubt that after Devin Booker’s 70 point game explosion against the Boston Celtics, he is the franchise’s cornerstone moving forward. With Booker set as shooting guard next season, the Phoenix Suns will have one of the best up and coming players in the league. Nobody expected Booker to be so good when the Suns selected him at the 13th pick back in the 2015 NBA Draft. The Suns are truly blessed that Booker fell to them at that selection in the draft.
Questionable Reserves
General manager Ryan McDonough has not done a great job of finding a proven backup for Booker. To be fair to McDonough, Brandon Knight was slated to see time at the off guard position before his injury. It is likely Booker will play close to 36 minutes a game next season, so they will not need whoever will backup Booker to play that much. With Knight out, the Suns will have to rely on a backup by committee.
Basketball journeyman Elijah Millsap signed with the Phoenix Suns earlier this year. Millsap probably will not see the bulk of the primary backup shooting guard minutes. This assumption is based on his lack of playing time and production in the NBA.
| Season | Age | Tm | Lg | G | GS | MP | FG% | 3P% | 2P% | eFG% | FT% | TRB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | PF | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014-15 | 27 | UTA | NBA | 47 | 5 | 19.7 | .340 | .311 | .358 | .399 | .674 | 3.2 | 1.2 | 1.2 | 0.3 | 1.4 | 2.6 | 5.3 |
| 2015-16 | 28 | UTA | NBA | 20 | 0 | 8.7 | .282 | .083 | .370 | .295 | .722 | 1.8 | 1.0 | 0.4 | 0.2 | 0.5 | 1.7 | 1.8 |
| 2016-17 | 29 | PHO | NBA | 2 | 0 | 11.5 | .143 | .000 | .200 | .143 | .500 | 3.0 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.5 |
| Career | NBA | 69 | 5 | 16.2 | .327 | .279 | .356 | .379 | .679 | 2.8 | 1.1 | 0.9 | 0.3 | 1.1 | 2.3 | 4.2 |
Provided by Basketball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 8/13/2017.
Millsap will be on the end of the bench more than on court. However, if called upon, he could provide relief at the shooting guard position for very brief stretches.
Davon Reed is the second round pick out of this year’s draft. Reed comes to the Suns after a four year stint with the University of Miami Florida.
| Season | School | G | MP | FG% | 2P% | 3P% | FT% | TRB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | PF | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013-14 | Miami (FL) | 33 | 20.7 | .343 | .326 | .357 | .673 | 1.7 | 1.2 | 0.5 | 0.1 | 1.3 | 1.7 | 6.6 |
| 2014-15 | Miami (FL) | 30 | 27.5 | .470 | .482 | .457 | .727 | 4.0 | 1.9 | 0.9 | 0.4 | 1.1 | 2.3 | 8.2 |
| 2015-16 | Miami (FL) | 35 | 28.8 | .469 | .535 | .383 | .816 | 4.1 | 1.2 | 0.8 | 0.4 | 1.3 | 2.1 | 11.1 |
| 2016-17 | Miami (FL) | 33 | 35.3 | .433 | .474 | .397 | .833 | 4.8 | 2.4 | 1.3 | 0.5 | 2.0 | 1.6 | 14.9 |
| Career | Miami (FL) | 131 | 28.1 | .430 | .466 | .395 | .779 | 3.6 | 1.7 | 0.9 | 0.4 | 1.4 | 1.9 | 10.3 |
Provided by CBB at Sports Reference: View Original Table
Generated 8/13/2017.
It is clear that if the team can have patience, Reed can improve with time. However, given the fact that the Suns will need someone that can play right away he may not be the best option. He will need time to develop with the Northern Arizona Suns this upcoming season. Still, there is the possibility that he may come into the season ready to play. In Summer League, Reed showed plenty of potential.
Reed showed he can space the floor and finish. He could end up fighting for the primary backup roll behind Booker, but that depends on how he does in training camp and how his competition performs.
The competition that Reed must overcome is Derrick Jones. Last season, Jones played the majority of his minutes at the small forward position. However with his size and athleticism, he could easily shift to the off guard position. Jones will have to improve his 3-point shot from the terrible 27.3 percent it was last season if he wants to continue getting playing time. Jones is technically younger than Reed, so theoretically Jones has a more potential than Reed has. Jones also has more NBA experience than Reed as well, so Jones should have an advantage over Reed going into training camp for the backup job.
Outside Possible
Depending on who starts at small forward between Josh Jackson and T.J. Warren will determine if Jackson will see time at the shooting guard position. If Warren wins the starting gig then Jackson could see playing time at both shooting guard and small forward coming off the bench. With Jackson coming off the bench, he would probably be the primary back up for either position which would shake up the depth chart at both positions. Still with Jackson being drafted at the fourth overall pick in this year’s draft, it is unlikely the two-way player will come off the bench.
Next: Phoenix Suns Depth Chart Projections at Point Guard
Regardless who comes off the bench at shooting guard, Phoenix Suns fans should rest at ease knowing the team has young star, Devin Booker, to carry the load.