No. 8
Previous ranking: No. 7
Michigan State big man Jaren Jackson Jr. has fouled out of five games and has finished games with at least four fouls in18 games this season. If Jackson can figure out how to play defense without fouling then he has great potential. He averaged 11.3 points, 5.8 rebounds, 1.2 assists, 3.2 blocks and 0.6 steals, while making 52.0 percent of his shots from the field and 39.6 percent of his 3-pointers this season. If his foul trouble continues in the NCAA tournament, the fans should expect to see his draft stock drop.
No. 7
Previous ranking: No. 9
Center Wendell Carter Jr. has been solid for the Duke Blue Devils this season. He’s averaged 13.8 points, 9.3 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 2.2 blocks and 0.8 steals, while shooting 56.4 percent from the floor and 46.3 percent from downtown. Carter’s assists numbers are nice for a stretch big and if Phoenix Suns walk away from the draft with Carter as the best player, then they will be in decent shape.
No. 6
Previous ranking: No. 6
Michael Porter Jr. has finally returned from injury and played in a game. The good news is that he’s finally healthy, but the bad news is that he still has plenty of rust to knock off. In his first game back he finished with 12 points, eight rebounds, one assist and two blocks, while shooting 5-17 from the floor and 2-6 from deep. While Porter still needs knock off the rust, fans can see his potential in the video below.
If he manages to get back into playing shape, he may end up being a wonderful stretch four that the Suns could target in the draft.
No. 5
Previous ranking: No. 4
The inconsistency of Trae Young‘s play down the stretch of the season is the reason why he is now ranked at number five on this big board. Even with under performing for the second half the season, the Suns would still be in an amazing place if they drafted Young. For the season he’s averaged 27.4 points, 3.9 rebounds, 8.8 assists, 0.3 blocks and 1.7 steals, while shooting 42.0 percent on attempts from the floor and 36.1 from behind the arc. Another aspect of Young’s game that the Suns need to carefully consider is that he’s averaged 5.2 turnovers per game. That’s not a good turnover rate for any player.