Phoenix Suns Depth Chart Projections at Center
The Phoenix Suns have a solid starting center right now however, they may still need to find a franchise center for the future.
The Phoenix Suns have never been a franchise with a great history of centers. Alvan Adams, Amar’e Stoudemire, and even an aged Shaquille O’Neal to a less extent, are some of the few centers in Suns history that are associated with as “great”. The question of who can become the Suns next great centers still lingers. Before the Suns figure out if they already have the center of the future or need to find one, they must first figure out depth chart of current centers on roster.
The Starter
More from Suns News
- Ranking the Phoenix Suns’ 5 holiday games in 2023-24
- Zion Williamson gets compared to Phoenix Suns legend
- Suns player preview: Bol Bol can be the perfect role player
- Former Suns’ guard shows he is officially done with Phoenix
- NBA insider guarantees Suns’ rival won’t make blockbuster trade
Tyson Chandler will go into training camp as the starting center for the Phoenix Suns. The seasoned veteran should by all means be able to hold on to the starting job this season as well. Chandler has played at a high level for such a long time, it is hard to imagine for Chandler’s play to decline yet. If Chandler loses the starting job this season, it may not be due to anything Chandler does on the court, rather it would be because the franchise decides to go into full tank mode. The Suns may want to look towards the future 2018 NBA Draft mid season then the team could look to bench or trade the veteran center to a contender.
Primary Backup
This could end up being the biggest surprise at the backup position for the Phoenix Suns this season, however I believe this job goes to Alan Williams. Ignoring the fact that the Suns have already signed a long term deal with Williams and have yet to reach a deal with restricted free agent Alex Len, which shows who the team believes in Williams more. Advance stats show that Williams has an edge over Len in a majority of statistical categories.
| Rk | Player | Season | Age | G | GS | FG% | 3P% | 2P% | FT% | ORB | DRB | TRB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | PF | PTS | ORtg | DRtg |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alex Len | 2016-17 | 23 | 77 | 34 | .497 | .250 | .503 | .721 | 4.8 | 10.9 | 15.6 | 1.4 | 1.2 | 3.0 | 3.1 | 7.4 | 18.8 | 108 | 108 |
| 2 | Alan Williams | 2016-17 | 24 | 47 | 0 | .517 | .000 | .519 | .625 | 6.4 | 13.4 | 19.7 | 1.6 | 1.8 | 2.2 | 2.5 | 8.5 | 23.4 | 113 | 106 |
Provided by Basketball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 8/18/2017.
These stats shows that the team is better with Williams on the floor both defensively and offensively. Both players are still very young and still have time to improve. Still at the current moment, Williams appears to be better than Len on paper. That is not to say that Len will not win the job, but he will not have it given to him like in years past, because of his previous draft status. Williams has definitely earned the chance to be the primary back up for Chandler. Even though Williams may end up being a solid back up option for the Suns this season and seasons to come, it is very unlikely that he will become a franchise center for the team.
Third String
This job falls to Alex Len. Len has under performed after being drafted at fifth overall in the 2013 draft. To be fair to Len, he has dealt with injury issues during the first two seasons of his career and then when he was finally healthy, he had to play behind an established center in Chandler. It appears Len never got a fair shake in Phoenix. Honestly, one of the biggest knocks against Len is his poor shooting percentage.
| Season | Age | Tm | G | GS | MP | FG% | 3P% | 2P% | eFG% | FT% | ORB | DRB | TRB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | PF | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013-14 | 20 | PHO | 42 | 3 | 8.6 | .423 | .423 | .423 | .645 | 0.9 | 1.4 | 2.4 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.4 | 0.6 | 1.6 | 2.0 | |
| 2014-15 | 21 | PHO | 69 | 44 | 22.0 | .507 | .333 | .509 | .508 | .702 | 2.1 | 4.5 | 6.6 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 1.5 | 1.1 | 3.1 | 6.3 |
| 2015-16 | 22 | PHO | 78 | 46 | 23.3 | .423 | .143 | .426 | .424 | .728 | 2.3 | 5.3 | 7.6 | 1.2 | 0.5 | 0.8 | 1.9 | 2.9 | 9.0 |
| 2016-17 | 23 | PHO | 77 | 34 | 20.3 | .497 | .250 | .503 | .500 | .721 | 2.0 | 4.6 | 6.6 | 0.6 | 0.5 | 1.3 | 1.3 | 3.1 | 8.0 |
| Career | 266 | 127 | 19.8 | .465 | .227 | .469 | .467 | .716 | 1.9 | 4.3 | 6.2 | 0.7 | 0.4 | 1.1 | 1.3 | 2.8 | 6.9 |
Provided by Basketball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 8/19/2017.
One can see that not all of Len’s poor shooting is on him, it is clear that he is not a 3-point shooter but it appears that the Suns keep asking him to shoot from beyond the arc. If he eliminates the 3-point shot from his game, Len’s percentages will slightly increase. Len may never be the offensive savant Suns fans had hoped he would be when he came out of the University of Maryland, but he could be a solid defender and rebounder this upcoming season.
Len’s contract situation still puts questions on where he fits on the team’s depth chart for this season as well as in future seasons. According to Kevin Zimmerman of Arizona Sports 98.7, he talked to general manager Ryan McDonough and quoted McDonough’s sentiments about having Len return to the roster. This does help make it clear the Len is still wanted back for at least this upcoming season, however the long term questions about Len’s future with the franchise are still there. Unless Len has a break out season with the Suns, he is most likely not the franchise center of the future.
Small-Ball Option
Both Dragan Bender and Marquese Chriss are two options that should play small-ball center for the Suns this season. Besides each being able to stretch the floor as a center, they also each bring a different attribute to the position. Chriss played 13 percent of his minutes at the center position last season. Chriss is quick enough to defend players on the perimeter. Still even as a solid small-ball center option for the team, he is no way the center of the future. However he could be the power forward of the future.
Bender, on the other hand, is much taller than Chriss and played 31 percent of his minutes at center last season. With his height advantage, he has a greater chance to become a better shot blocker than Chriss. The flip side of that coin is that Bender will have to work at his perimeter defense if he wants to be a viable option at the small-ball center position. Bender at this point is too raw for one to say if he could be a center or power forward of the future for the franchise.
Next: Phoenix Suns Depth Chart Projections at Power Forward
It appears that Phoenix Suns do not have their center of the future. Maybe the team should tank for Marvin Bagelly III or another young center prospect in next year’s draft. Still, it appears that at the moment that Suns have a solid rotation of centers for this upcoming season.