Will working out a handful of basketball journeymen provide the answer at shooting guard depth the Phoenix Suns so desperately need?
Recently, Phoenix Suns general manager Ryan McDonough let it be known that he intended to fill the void left at shooting guard. The Suns will surely miss Brandon Knight with his ACL injury and Davon Reed with is meniscus injury. Now it appears the team worked out a few off guards and the Suns could not have chosen a better group of players in Isaiah Canaan, Andre Dawkins, Xavier Silas and R.J. Hunter.
Now this is not to say that these players are elite by any standard of the word, but they are each individually suited for what the Suns need at the moment in their own way. The Suns need a stop gap that has a possibility to turn into a long term option, but how exactly do these players stack up against each other?
| Rk | Player | G | GS | MP | FG% | 3P% | 2P% | eFG% | FT% | TRB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | PF | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Isaiah Canaan | 185 | 60 | 20.3 | .368 | .352 | .396 | .482 | .828 | 1.8 | 1.6 | 0.6 | 0.1 | 1.1 | 1.5 | 8.4 |
| 2 | Andre Dawkins | 4 | 0 | 5.5 | .167 | .167 | .250 | 0.5 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.3 | 0.8 | 0.8 | ||
| 3 | R.J. Hunter | 39 | 0 | 8.3 | .364 | .297 | .486 | .460 | .857 | 1.0 | 0.3 | 0.4 | 0.1 | 0.3 | 0.7 | 2.5 |
| 4 | Xavier Silas | 2 | 0 | 19.5 | .267 | .167 | .333 | .300 | .667 | 2.0 | 1.5 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1.5 | 2.5 | 5.5 |
Provided by Basketball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 9/14/2017.
It is clear to see, that none of these players have had extravagant NBA careers thus far, however signing with the Suns could change their fortunes. More importantly, it could help stabilize the back court rotation.
Individually each of these players has a certain aspect that is appealing. For example, Isaiah Canaan is clearly the most experienced of the group. In his career he has played with the Houston Rockets, Philadelphia 76ers, and the Chicago Bulls. Canaan is a solid combo guard, so he could serve in a similar capacity that Knight does. He could bring some veteran leadership and spacing to the Suns. The negative with Canaan is that he stands at only six feet tall and would be a terrible defensive backcourt with Suns’ reserve point guard Tyler Ulis.
Andre Dawkins is an interesting prospect. During college, the 6-foot-5 shooting guard shot 40.7 percent from behind the arc. If that does not make him an interesting enough prospect, the 25 year-old’s G-League stats should provide more than enough intrigue.
| Season | Tm | G | GS | MP | FG% | 3P% | 2P% | FT% | ORB | DRB | TRB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | PF | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014-15 | TOT | 37 | 21 | 34.2 | .438 | .423 | .469 | .795 | 0.4 | 2.2 | 2.5 | 2.7 | 0.7 | 0.2 | 2.0 | 2.7 | 18.7 |
| 2014-15 | MAI | 7 | 7 | 35.9 | .382 | .325 | .591 | .818 | 0.7 | 1.9 | 2.6 | 2.4 | 0.9 | 0.3 | 2.6 | 3.1 | 16.1 |
| 2014-15 | SFL | 30 | 14 | 33.8 | .451 | .452 | .450 | .792 | 0.3 | 2.2 | 2.5 | 2.8 | 0.7 | 0.2 | 1.9 | 2.6 | 19.3 |
| 2015-16 | TEX | 12 | 8 | 30.0 | .467 | .437 | .520 | .875 | 0.3 | 1.9 | 2.2 | 1.6 | 0.9 | 0.1 | 1.5 | 2.5 | 15.0 |
| 2016-17 | TOT | 42 | 3 | 22.8 | .432 | .415 | .468 | .750 | 0.5 | 2.0 | 2.4 | 0.9 | 0.6 | 0.1 | 0.9 | 1.7 | 12.0 |
| 2016-17 | TEX | 28 | 3 | 23.3 | .446 | .446 | .447 | .853 | 0.5 | 2.3 | 2.8 | 0.8 | 0.7 | 0.2 | 1.0 | 1.6 | 13.0 |
| 2016-17 | WCB | 14 | 0 | 21.6 | .400 | .345 | .512 | .556 | 0.3 | 1.3 | 1.6 | 1.1 | 0.4 | 0.0 | 0.6 | 1.7 | 9.9 |
| Career | 91 | 32 | 28.4 | .439 | .422 | .476 | .789 | 0.4 | 2.0 | 2.4 | 1.7 | 0.7 | 0.1 | 1.4 | 2.2 | 15.1 |
Provided by Basketball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 9/14/2017.
Based on his stats he will be a great floor spacer for the Suns. However, based on the lack of NBA experience, he may not be ready to take on a major role such as backup shooting guard.
The Suns could always turn to the in house option of Xavier Silas, who played for the Northern Arizona Suns last season in the G-League. It is always good to bring in someone who is familiar with the team. Unlike the other prospects on this list, Silas is in his late twenties which is both good and bad for the Suns. It is good, because they know that they get a guy who shot 40.5 percent from deep last season and 36.8 percent from the 3-point line for his G-League career. He should be able to relieve Booker for the season. However, the bad part of it is that he will not get any better and could start regressing thanks to his age. That may not be a big concern for the Suns as he looked good playing in Ice Cub’s BIG3 league averaging 9 points per game for the Ball Hogs.
The former Boston Celtic and Chicago Bull R.J. Hunter should not be over looked either. Earlier this month Cesar Vairo of Valley of the Suns, wrote about how Hunter could fill the role of backup shooting guard for the Suns. In his article, Vairo primarily focused on Hunter’s ability to space the floor, cut without the ball, and his passing ability. Vairo did make solid points about the positives and he did mention briefly about a negative in regards to his consistency. Some of that can be attributed to his lack of playing time, but still it should be a major concern the Suns should not overlook.
Next: What would it take for the Suns to surprise us
Overall, the Phoenix Suns’ front office did a good job trying to find a diamond in the rough. Hopefully, whoever they chose from this group or if they chose someone else they can sure up the back court depth chart.