Ten sleeper prospects for the Phoenix Suns at draft’s end
5. Chris Chiozza (6-0 175) from Florida
Season Stats : 42-35-81 shooting line (1.1 treys) for 11.1 pts, 6.1 asts, 4.3 rebs and 1.9 stls
On the down side, he’s a bit undersized for the norm of a guard in today’s league, lacks an elite first step and struggles to score in traffic.
On the plus side Chris Chiozza is a tough, gritty play maker, and a hard-nosed defender that brings heavy ball pressure and forces turnovers. He’s a good shooter, especially from beyond the arc and at the free throw line. Chris is a good rebounder for his size as well, is quick, smart, and has a good feel for the game.
Against good competition, he’s even better. In 10 games against ranked teams and in the tourney, he shot 39% from deep and averaged 12.6 points, 7.9 assists, 4.5 rebounds and 1.6 steals. He had nine games with at least 8 assists and 15 games with at least 3 steals.
What do you look for in a point guard? A player that can shoot and dish the rock while hounding the opponent on defense. He does all of that. His floor is likely a Derek Fisher-type and his ceiling could be a poor man’s Chris Paul. He could be a steal for a team in need of a future point guard.