The Phoenix Suns have a wealth of young point guards. Shaquille Harrison might be one of the fan’s absolute favorites.
It is almost that time of year, leaves are falling off of the trees faster than point guards leave the Phoenix Suns.
Basketball is close, you can even count on your fingers the number of days until there will be a real life actual NBA preseason game.
With that in mind, it is good to do a fresh inventory check on all the players.
And when you do that you cant just forget about your 2018-19 starting point guard Shaquille Harrison!
I know what just happened, you heard starting point guard Shaquille Harrison and felt something come over you, and not a good feeling. Not to worry, because the very first Shaquille Harrison stan is here to put your worries to rest, and preview what is in store for him in what should be his first season as the Phoenix Suns starting point guard.
Obviously I am not Igor Kokoškov. However if it was up to me, Shaquille Harrison would be the starting point guard on day one.
And given the current roster construction, that is not crazy to imagine so that is the situation I will be predicting for.
Last season in 17 minutes per game, Shaq Harrison averaged nearly 7 points, a steal, and two and a half assists and rebounds.
If he gets the chance to start he should expect around 25 minutes a night.
One thing to keep in mind is the talent that was around Shaq when he played, which is especially vital as a point guard. The notion that Shaq is a bad passing point guard could fade when he is in a lineup with shooters like Booker, Ariza, and Anderson.
The best part of his game is also his most dependable, which is defense. And on a Phoenix Suns team that will be very young, Igor will need to find guys that he can depend on to play well each night. That is why Harrison will get consistent playing time over streaky players like Troy Daniels or Elie Okobo.
It is reasonable for Harrison to have a slight bump up in his steal numbers to around 1.5. That number sounds low but when you factor in he will be playing against starting guards it is a very encouraging number.
The most concerning part of Harrison’s game is obviously his shooting.
I believe that this can be helped by playing with good shooters around him and just naturally as watching him his shot appears to look sound. I would expect Harrison’s stat line to look something close to 25 minutes a game, 9 points, three rebounds, five assists, and a steal and a half. All of that with above average defense and improved shooting percentages.
If Harrison is able to put up these stats his season should be considered a success for him and for the Phoenix Suns.
Obviously all of these things I mentioned here can not come fully to fruition immediately or else Shaq Harrison would be an all star level point guard.
However, that is obviously not what the Phoenix Suns expect out of him, or anywhere near it. Harrison’s role this season will be to play strong defense, hustle, and make life as easy as possible for Devin Booker, anything else will be extra.
In whichever way it turns out, I think I can speak for everyone when I say that I am ready for this next season of Phoenix Suns basketball to start, no matter who is running point guard!