Brandon Knight is important to the Phoenix Suns future
The Phoenix Suns have a lot of good pieces moving forward into the future, one of the most overlooked players on the roster is point guard Brandon Knight.
Players like Devin Booker, T.J. Warren, Josh Jackson, Marquese Chriss, and Dragan Bender make the future of the Phoenix Suns very bright. One problem that the Suns have run into this season is that they currently don’t have an active point guard that can help get their young core good shots and develop their games. However, when Brandon Knight’s ACL isn’t torn and a competent coach, not named Earl Watson, Knight has proven to be a quality point guard. As easy as it’s been to forget about Knight this season, he will be important to the Suns’ future success.
Scott Bordow of azcentral recently wrote about the positive mind set that Knight has going into next season. Bordow quoted Knights thoughts regarding to how he wants to make an impact and helping the team’s success the best way that he can. This is great for Knight’s mentality going into next season and as I wrote about in the past, his mentality should be focused on proving his worth to the Suns.
Knight has had a solid career for the most part and if he recovers without losing a step, the Suns could be in better shape than they anticipated.
| Season | Age | Tm | Pos | G | GS | MP | FG% | 3P% | 2P% | eFG% | FT% | TRB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | PF | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011-12 | 20 | DET | PG | 66 | 60 | 32.3 | .415 | .380 | .434 | .483 | .759 | 3.2 | 3.8 | 0.7 | 0.2 | 2.6 | 2.3 | 12.8 |
| 2012-13 | 21 | DET | PG | 75 | 75 | 31.5 | .407 | .367 | .430 | .475 | .733 | 3.3 | 4.0 | 0.8 | 0.1 | 2.7 | 2.1 | 13.3 |
| 2013-14 | 22 | MIL | PG | 72 | 69 | 33.3 | .422 | .325 | .466 | .473 | .802 | 3.5 | 4.9 | 1.0 | 0.2 | 2.6 | 2.0 | 17.9 |
| 2014-15 | 23 | TOT | PG-SG | 63 | 61 | 32.3 | .422 | .389 | .441 | .493 | .874 | 3.9 | 5.2 | 1.4 | 0.2 | 3.0 | 1.8 | 17.0 |
| 2014-15 | 23 | MIL | PG | 52 | 52 | 32.5 | .435 | .409 | .448 | .505 | .881 | 4.3 | 5.4 | 1.6 | 0.2 | 3.2 | 1.8 | 17.8 |
| 2014-15 | 23 | PHO | SG | 11 | 9 | 31.5 | .357 | .313 | .395 | .430 | .828 | 2.1 | 4.5 | 0.5 | 0.1 | 2.1 | 1.9 | 13.4 |
| 2015-16 | 24 | PHO | SG | 52 | 50 | 36.0 | .415 | .342 | .461 | .482 | .852 | 3.9 | 5.1 | 1.2 | 0.4 | 3.4 | 2.4 | 19.6 |
| 2016-17 | 25 | PHO | SG | 54 | 5 | 21.1 | .398 | .324 | .425 | .441 | .857 | 2.2 | 2.4 | 0.5 | 0.1 | 1.6 | 1.6 | 11.0 |
| Career | 382 | 320 | 31.3 | .415 | .357 | .445 | .476 | .812 | 3.3 | 4.3 | 0.9 | 0.2 | 2.7 | 2.0 | 15.2 |
Provided by Basketball-Reference.com: View Original Table
Generated 1/31/2018.
Having Brandon Knight playing at his highest level would improve the Suns’ significantly. He can help carry the scoring burden for Booker and Warren. Knight’s playmaking skill can also get Chriss, Jackson and Bender into a better position to score.
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Depending on what decisions the Suns make in the next few months will impact what type of role Knight will have. With the Suns currently having the fifth worst record in the NBA, they have a great shot at a very good lottery pick. Trading for a star point guard will jeopardize the Suns’ draft chances. Suns’ general manager Ryan McDonough made it clear that if he trades for a point guard it would only be for a short term fix, Bordow reported. This most likely means the Suns would trade for an average point guard on the last year of his contract. Bordow did relay that McDonough is looking to make a splash in free agency. However, the Suns already have a Knight on the books for about 30 million for the next two seasons after this one is finished, so adding another point guard for a high price could be bad decision from a salary cap standpoint.
If the Suns’ don’t add a veteran via trade or free agency they could always draft a point guard with star potential like Trae Young or Luka Doncic. Drafting a point guard doesn’t automatically mean that Knight will come off the bench. Depending on who’s the head coach next year, Knight may start to help ease the potential pick at point guard into the NBA and starting role. Knight could be a short term solution for at least next season, as Adam Maynes fellow site expert at Valley of the Suns has written about in the past. However if the Suns decide to draft a non-point guard, then Knight may have a shot to be the team’s long term starter.
Next: Phoenix Suns scouting: Trae Young – the Suns’ main target?
Brandon Knight has the skills, youth and opportunity to be apart of the Phoenix Suns’ future. It doesn’t matter if he’s starting or coming off the bench, Knight can be a very good asset to the Suns’ once he regains his health.