Valley of the Suns
Fansided

Midseason report card with second half expectations

By Adam Maynes

SALT LAKE CITY, UT - FEBRUARY 14: Teammates Elfrid Payton
SALT LAKE CITY, UT - FEBRUARY 14: Teammates Elfrid Payton /
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T.J. Warren

LOS ANGELES, CA – FEBRUARY 06: TJ Warren #12 of the Phoenix Suns steals the ball from Brandon Ingram #14 of the Los Angeles Lakers and takes it down court for a basket in the first half of the game against the Phoenix Suns at Staples Center on February 6, 2018 in Los Angeles, 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 License Agreement. (Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA – FEBRUARY 06: TJ Warren #12 of the Phoenix Suns steals the ball from Brandon Ingram #14 of the Los Angeles Lakers and takes it down court for a basket in the first half of the game against the Phoenix Suns at Staples Center on February 6, 2018 in Los Angeles, 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 License Agreement. (Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images) /

T.J. Warren has been fabulous once again this season. Taking another step forward, both his scoring and rebounding per game are at career-high’s, and there is no reason to believe that he won’t finish with his first 20 points per game scoring average this season.

That being said Warren seems to be a little bit out of place on this roster still. Not that he doesn’t belong (I have long advocated for his remaining with the franchise as an integral part of the next great Suns teams), but he is not a number two scorer, and truthfully, he might not be best suited as a starter.

Warren can have an amazing game one day, and then disappear the next. He particularly struggles when Devin Booker is out as he becomes the main focus of the defense and tends to be completely shut down.

If Ryan McDonough can find another dominant scorer on the roster, and Josh Jackson continues to grow as an emerging star, then moving Warren to the bench and making him the team’s fourth scorer will be absolutely ideal.

The two things keeping Warren from an A grade is the fact that his outside shooting is still inconsistent and poor, which is one of the main reasons he gets shut down so often when Booker is out. If Warren can focus on his outside shooting for the rest of this season, then even more so this summer and make it an integral part of his offensive repertoire, then he will become the dominant scorer we all hope  he’ll be, and that defenses will fear on that next great Suns team.

Grade: B

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