Phoenix Suns: Top prospect from each team in the Sweet 16
East Bracket
Villanova
Former NCAA champion Mikal Bridges has played at a whole new level this season. He’s averaged 18.0 points, 5.4 rebounds, 2.0 assists,1.6 steals and 1.1 blocks. He’s a wing player that can do a little of everything including shoot the 3-pointer at a high percentage. He has continued his solid play into the tournament and has averaged 18.0 points and has shot 8-14 from behind the arc. He’s currently a mid-lottery pick, according to nbadraft.com. If the Suns’ fall in the draft, he could be an option, however adding Bridges could cause a log jam at the wing position.
West Virginia
Jevon Carter is one of the best defensive players left in the tournament. He’s first in the NCAA in total steals this season and here’s a clip just showing that he can dominate both sides of the floor.
Carter has been a very solid two-way player all season long, he’s averaged 17.4 points, 4.7 rebounds, 6.6 assists, 3.0 steals and 0.4 blocks. Carter’s tournament play might increase his draft stock even more. During the tournament he’s averaged 24.5 points, 6.5 assists and 5.5 steals. While nbadraft.net has Carter as a late second round pick, however the Suns shouldn’t hesitate using an early second round pick on Carter. He would be a solid backup point guard to begin his career and would bring plenty of defensive grit to the Suns.
Texas Tech
Senior point guard Keenan Evans has been a solid scoring option for Texas Tech this season.
| Season | School | G | GS | MP | FG% | 2P% | 3P% | FT% | TRB | AST | STL | BLK | TOV | PF | PTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014-15 | Texas Tech | 32 | 3 | 18.2 | .369 | .406 | .302 | .716 | 2.0 | 1.4 | 0.8 | 0.3 | 1.3 | 1.2 | 5.8 |
| 2015-16 | Texas Tech | 32 | 31 | 25.1 | .412 | .424 | .375 | .756 | 2.9 | 2.9 | 1.0 | 0.3 | 1.8 | 2.4 | 8.7 |
| 2016-17 | Texas Tech | 31 | 30 | 30.4 | .464 | .480 | .432 | .849 | 2.8 | 3.0 | 1.0 | 0.2 | 1.7 | 2.1 | 15.4 |
| 2017-18 | Texas Tech | 34 | 33 | 29.3 | .483 | .573 | .329 | .813 | 3.1 | 3.1 | 1.1 | 0.3 | 2.0 | 1.8 | 17.8 |
| Career | Texas Tech | 129 | 97 | 25.8 | .448 | .490 | .365 | .794 | 2.7 | 2.6 | 1.0 | 0.3 | 1.7 | 1.9 | 12.0 |
Provided by CBB at Sports Reference: View Original Table
Generated 3/21/2018.
Evans has elevated his play during the tournament averaging 22.5 points and has made 14-24 field goal attempts. Evans is currently projected as a second round pick, according to nbadraft.com. He could be a backup scoring point guard option for the Suns if the Suns end up acquiring him.
Purdue
Point guard Carsen Edwards has led Purdue in scoring this season. He’s averaged 18.2 points, 3.9 rebounds, 2.9 assists, 1.1 steals and 0.2 blocks. Edwards has experienced a drop off in scoring and shooting percentage during the tournament. Purdue needs Edwards to step up his game if they want to continue their postseason run. Edwards is most likely a G-League prospect that the Suns would keep an eye on at this point.