Suns re-signing T.J. Warren has many positives

In a strange and unexpected move late in the 2017 offseason, the Phoenix Suns announced that they have re-signed T.J. Warren to a four-year, $50M contract extension beginning in 2018, potentially keeping the young small forward with the Suns through the 2021-22 season.

SACRAMENTO, CA – APRIL 11: TJ Warren #12 of the Phoenix Suns looks on during the game against the Sacramento Kings on April 11, 2017 at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2017 NBAE (Photo by Rocky Widner/NBAE via Getty Images)

While this was a surprise, it is by all accounts the best the Suns could have made with their young, quiet scorer.

Still only 24-years-old, his birthday occurring in early September, except for several unfortunate injuries, Warren has shown improvement in each of his three seasons in the league – although his shooting percentage did dip below 50% last season for the first time in his three years with the Suns.

At the start of last season, following the benching of P.J. Tucker and the subsequent announcement that Warren would be the starting small forward, he flourished. In his first 11 games, Warren averaged 20.0 points per game, with 5.0 rebounds, 1.2 assists, 2.1 seals, while shooting 47.4% from the field. Unfortunately, a never fully explained head injury led to much of the middle part of his season being taken away from him, and from mid-November to the end of February, it was touch and go for T.J.

Even though he only officially missed 13 games with the injury, from his return on December 17 through February 24, Warren only averaged 11.0 points, 3.8 boards, 1.0 assists, and .5 steals. His field goal percentage was not much worse than early in the season at 46.2%, and he did score over 20 points on five occasions in that stretch. But it just wasn’t the real T.J. Warren, the one who would turn it back on over the final seven weeks of the season.

Over that stretch Warren broke entirely out of his funk averaging 17.6 points, 7.7 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 1.0 steals, 1.0 blocks, while shooting a fantastic 55.9% from the field. Although he would miss three games over that stretch, he would score over 20 points eight times, and grabbed double-digit rebounds on five occasions, including a 23 point and 16 board outburst against the Oklahoma City Thunder on April 7.

That is the T.J. Warren that the Suns signed to an extension. That is the T.J. Warren they want to have around for a long time.

So why is his signing so good?