Phoenix Suns: Trae Young could be the point guard of the future
It’s clear that none of the Phoenix Suns’ current points guards are long term answers, but a rising college superstar could be the answer they need.
There are clearly several holes in the roster that need to be filled if the Phoenix Suns want to be competitive in the Western Conference. One of the most glaring of these holes is at the point guard position. Both Tyler Ulis and Isaiah Canaan are both best suited for a backup role on a winning team. While trading or signing for a young, established point guard might lead to quicker winning results, the Suns would waste valuable assets or salary cap space to do so. Neither is necessary to acquire an elite talented point guard in the NBA draft next summer. Unless the Suns win the lottery and get a top three selection, Luka Doncic is not a likely option at the moment. However, with the Suns being the sixth worst team in the NBA, they do have a real strong chance to land rising star Trae Young who could easily be the team’s next great point guard.
Trae Young has quickly caught fire this college basketball season, becoming one of the most talked about players in the NCAA. Young leads the division-I in both points and assists per game. He tied a division-I record when he ended a single game with 22 assists. In that game, he had at least 20 assists and 20 points, a feat that hasn’t been accomplished in 20 years. If that isn’t interesting enough, he has amazing stats for a college freshman.
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Generated 12/26/2017.
Young gets high praises for his skills, he even recieves Stephen Curry comparisons. With such accomplishments, stats and comparisons, one would think that he would be a top two or three prospect, however Young is ranked fifth on nbadraft.net‘s mock draft. It’s doubtful that two teams currently ahead of the Suns need a point guard. The Atlanta Hawks, Dallas Mavericks, Chicago Bulls and Sacramento Kings all have promising young point guards and the Memphis Grizzlies have the underrated Mike Conley. If the Grizzlies do go point guard in the draft, it’s more likely they go with the European phenom in Doncic. That leaves the Suns a pretty good shot to select Young at their current position at the sixth spot in the draft.
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Having Young paired with solidified star Devin Booker could make a deadly backcourt combination that would be similar to Curry and Klay Thompson or Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum. Having a high powered backcourt like that could speed up the team’s current rebuild immensely. That combo of Young and Booker might have the Suns in the playoff hunt next season, possibly in the postseason as an eight or seventh seed. Young’s skills appears to be NBA ready and while in the next couple of years the team would have to help him get physically ready, he should be able to have the Suns’ playing much more competitive basketball right away.
Next: Player of the Week: Canaan brings wins to the Phoenix Suns
Unless the Phoenix Suns’ get a top three pick in the next draft, the team should seriously consider drafting Trae Young. Young appears to have what it takes to be an legitimate backcourt mate with Suns’ star Devin Booker. Not drafting Young could be a mistake that could haunt the franchise in years to come.