Now with no Brandon Knight, who is the Phoenix Suns’ point guard?
By Adam Maynes
Brandon Knight was presumed to be the Phoenix Suns’ starting point guard in 2018-19 and now he’s gone. Who is the starter now?
Phoenix Suns General Manager Ryan McDonough traded a lot to acquire point guard Brandon Knight from the Milwaukee Bucks in 2015 (most notably a first round pick of the the Los Angeles Lakers’ which was finally transferred this past draft to the Philadelphia 76ers, and was eventually traded back to the Suns in the form of Mikal Bridges at the additional cost of the Miami Heat’s 2021 unprotected first round pick, which had presumed to be highly valuable and worth a lot more than trading up a few spots).
And yet now Knight (and Marquese Chriss) has been traded again, this time for an overpaid veteran power forward and a rookie guard, neither of whom immediately project to be regular rotational player for the Phoenix Suns at any point in the future.
On Thursday August 30, the Suns were heading into the 2018-19 season with a tried and true veteran point guard in Brandon Knight, a player who at one point in his career was All-Star caliber, and could very well return to that form should he be a starter once again in the league.
With the trade now consummated between the Suns and Rockets, Pheonix’s roster no longer boasts a starting caliber point guard, in particular a player who has the confidence of the fan base to run the offense and to make sure that Devin Booker and Deandre Ayton both get the touches they need – in the places they need them – to be as effective as they possibly can.
All that is left now are a couple of unprovens and the hope that another surprising trade might too be in the works.
Shaquille Harrison was easily the most impressive point guard former interim Head Coach Jay Triano had last season after Eric Bledsoe proclaimed that he no longer wanted to be here. However, no one truly expects him to ever develop into a starting point guard who can lead teams to 50+ wins and playoff series victories.
Sure, no fan in the Valley of the Suns expects Phoenix to be that kind of team this coming season, but growth in that direction is absolutely expected.
That said, Harrison’s energy and relentlessness is palpable and his defense is more energetic than the Suns have had since Jason Kidd, yet his play-making and shooting leave much to be desired.
Does he belong on an NBA roster? Sure – as a backup. He could even start a few games here or there becoming the kind of strong backup point guard both Negele Knight and Elliot Perry were for Kevin Johnson.
Then again, he is no Kevin Johnson, and while Negele Knight and Perry were fan favorites who started a lot of games on Suns teams that won a lot of games, even Leandro Barbosa had a losing record as a starting point guard for the Suns, and that was while playing with teams much more talented than the one Phoenix currently employees.
No one should expect Harrison to be any better – or even equal to – his predecessors.
Isaiah Canaan too quickly became a fan favorite last season, and even with his unfortunate and horrible injury, earned himself the opportunity to fight for a spot on the 2018-19 roster.
That said, he too struggles with playmaking, and his scoring (he has a 36.9% FG% for his career) leaves much to be desired.
Elie Okobo is only a rookie, selected in the second round, and has no chance of being a starter this season, likely never to be anything more than a volume scoring backup point guard in his NBA career.
Even if he does develop into a star though, for the sake of argument following in Steve Nash‘s career development, putting any expectations on him in 2018-19 – other than developing certain personal skill-sets – is totally and entirely unfair.
Next. Dragan Bender has every opportunity in the world to succeed now that Marquese Chriss is gone. dark
Finally, McDonough might yet have a miracle move yet to come or an ace up his sleeve, a GM on the verge of pulling off a secondary trade that brings in another, more proven (and entirely healthy) point guard, say Kemba Walker or Damian Lillard. If this proves true, then any worries about the acquisition of such a bad contract in Ryan Anderson with the moving of Brandon Knight and Marquese Chriss will be lost.
That said, if not, and if Anderson’s contribution to the Phoenix Suns as an organization is to kill the salary cap this next season while Brandon Knight succeeds on the Houston Rockets under Head Coach Mike D’Antoni, questions about why the McDonough traded away his presumed starting point guard alongside the team’s top-ten pick from just three offseasons ago will linger throughout the year – likely (if the Suns lose far more than they win) ending with McDonough’s final professional termination.