Valley of the Suns
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Phoenix Suns Big Board 2.0: Top 10 prospects

By Lucas Johnson

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - MAY 16: A shot of the final board during the 2017 NBA Draft Lottery at the New York Hilton in New York, New York. 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 License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2017 NBAE (Photo by Michael J. LeBrecht II/NBAE via Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NEW YORK - MAY 16: A shot of the final board during the 2017 NBA Draft Lottery at the New York Hilton in New York, New York. 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 License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2017 NBAE (Photo by Michael J. LeBrecht II/NBAE via Getty Images) /
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LUBBOCK, TX – JANUARY 31: Mohamed Bamba
LUBBOCK, TX – JANUARY 31: Mohamed Bamba /

No. 8

Previous ranking: No. 7

The drop in Collin Sexton‘s ranking has less to do with his play and more to do with the play of others. However, Sexton’s averages have seen a slight dip since the last big board. His shooting averages are at 43.3 percent from the field and 32.6 percent on 3-point shots. He has also averaged 18.1 points, 3.6 rebounds, 3.5 assists, 0.1 blocks and 1.0 steal. Sexton is a pure shot maker and should be a high volume scorer when he enters the NBA, however he needs to expand his game beyond scoring if he wants to be successful in the league.

No. 7

Previous ranking: No. 8

Phoenix Suns
Phoenix Suns /

Phoenix Suns

It may come to the shock of some, but Jaren Jackson Jr. is right where he needs to be on this big board. While Jackson’s draft stock is growing, personally I’m not sold on him yet. While I don’t doubt his skill or his ability to play, I do question his ability to stay on the court. His averages this season have been very good with 11.6 points, 5.9 rebounds, 1.3 assists, 3.3 blocks and 0.7 steals, while shooting 53.4 percentage from the floor and 43.8 percent on 3-pointers. However, there are stats he has that worries me, this season he’s averaging 22.2 minutes and 3.2 fouls per game. If he struggles with foul trouble now in college, he will definitely struggle with it in the NBA. While he has the potential to be an All-Star or at least an above average starter, he has to be able to stay on the court to do so and initially that will be very hard for him to do at this point.

No. 6

Previous ranking: No. 5

There’s not much to say about Micheal Porter Jr. He’s currently out for the year with injury, but has all the tools to be an elite forward. As I have written in the past, adding Porter would shift Dragan Bender to the center position. I have advocated shifting Bender to center in the past, so drafting Porter would help facilitate that position move. The Suns’ will have to consider that when drafting him as well as his long term health. If Porter can get past this injury, he has a chance to be a special player.

No. 5

Previous ranking: No. 6

I still hold true to my position from the previous big board that Mohamed Bamba will either be a very good NBA center or a bust. However, the reason why he moved up a spot is that he has shown improvement since the last big board. At this point in the college season, he’s averaging 13.6 points, 11.1 rebounds, 0.5 assists, 4.1 blocks and 0.8 steals, while making 53.8 percent of his shots from the field and making 27.7 percent of his attempts from 3-point land. Bamba is showing remarkable growth this season and his play warrants further evaluation by the Phoenix Suns.

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