With the regular season still in the distance, now is the time to evaluate depth that the Phoenix Suns have at the power forward position.
The Phoenix Suns have plenty of young prospects that can play the power forward position this upcoming season. The Suns may have some of the best prospects at the power forward position in the NBA. Head coach Earl Watson has to find the best way to utilize all the young talent at the power forward position if the team wants the rebuild to pay off.
The Starter
The Phoenix Suns will likely start returning second year player Marquese Chriss to his starting role at power forward position from last year. Chriss showed real potential last season.
Provided by Basketball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 8/15/2017.
Obviously he still needs to improve several areas of his game, but he did enough to prove he deserves another shot at the starting role to begin the season. If Chriss can improve his 3-point percentage and his overall motor on the court, Chriss could secure his spot in the starting rotation for the future. He has all the tools to be a modern stretch four in the NBA and hopefully Watson can coach him to use all his tools.
Primary Backup
The job will fall to Dragan Bender. Bender’s rookie year was marred with injury and disappointing play. It was known that Bender was a project when he was drafted, so there is plenty of time for him to improve. Bender did show some improvement over this past Summer League.
If Bender can duplicate this type of performance on a regular basis then eventually he may even be able to challenge Chriss for the starting gig. Still, I personally do not see that happening until the team is well into the regular season if at all.
Third String
Alec Peters was drafted in the late second round of this year’s draft. The Phoenix Suns decided to put Peters on a two-way contract according to Chris Reichert. Peters is a true stretch four and has plenty of potential to become a solid bench option for the Suns down the road.
| Season | School | G | MP | FG% | 2P% | 3P% | FT% | TRB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | PF | PTS | Awards |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013-14 | Valparaiso | 34 | 29.6 | .490 | .588 | .383 | .773 | 4.8 | 1.4 | 0.9 | 0.1 | 1.9 | 2.2 | 12.7 | |
| 2014-15 | Valparaiso | 34 | 30.6 | .489 | .507 | .466 | .829 | 6.7 | 1.2 | 0.7 | 0.3 | 1.4 | 2.0 | 16.8 | |
| 2015-16 | Valparaiso | 37 | 32.1 | .505 | .562 | .440 | .850 | 8.4 | 1.3 | 0.7 | 0.3 | 1.7 | 2.1 | 18.4 | |
| 2016-17 | Valparaiso | 29 | 35.1 | .466 | .519 | .363 | .887 | 10.1 | 2.2 | 0.8 | 0.4 | 2.4 | 2.2 | 23.0 | Horizon POY |
| Career | Valparaiso | 134 | 31.7 | .487 | .539 | .416 | .846 | 7.4 | 1.5 | 0.8 | 0.3 | 1.9 | 2.1 | 17.5 |
Provided by CBB at Sports Reference: View Original Table
Generated 8/15/2017.
Peters may end up being the best 3-point shooting big on the team. It does not appear Peters will jump into the fray right away based on the type of contract he has. Yet, if he proves to be a solid contributor in both the NBA and G-League then he could end up sticking with the team.
Small-Ball Option
In a previous article I had expressed the view that both Jared Dudley and T.J. Warren could possibly multiple positions. Last season Dudley saw 87 percent of his playing time at the power forward and Warren played the power forward position 30 percent of the time. Dudley is clearly a favorite for small-ball lineups however, Warren is still young and bound to continue to improve. Warren could definitely see more playing time at the power forward position in this upcoming season.
Personally, I do not see rookie Josh Jackson playing the small-ball four. Fans have heard that he has gotten even taller recently, but he does not yet have the body to defend bigger players. That alone will stop Earl Watson from playing him at power forward for this season.
Next: Marvin Bagley III, the next Phoenix Suns Star
The Phoenix Suns have a very young rotation at the power forward position, there is no doubt about that. However, the positive with this is that there is so much potential that Watson may not know what to do with it. Watson must cultivate growth with these young players if the Suns want to see an improved record.