T.J. Warren adds to his game as a utility scorer for the Phoenix Suns

T.J. Warren has shown steady improvement as a scoring wing since entering the league. So how big of a step has he taken on the Phoenix Suns in his 5th year?

In the mess that is the Phoenix Suns, T.J. Warren has been one of the bright spots for the team during their seemingly boundless rebuild.

The former lottery pick for the Suns was arguably the best wing player for the team this year when he played. Warren was a utility scorer and got buckets at an efficient rate.

He is coming off of a season where he averaged 18 points, 4 rebounds, and 1.5 assists per game while shooting 48% from the field, 42% from deep, and 81% from the charity stripe in 43 games played.

The big thing here is the improvement shooting from deep.

Prior to this season Warren did not attempt more than 1.5 threes per game. This year it spiked to 4.2 threes per game. And since he hit those shots at a good rate, his TS% (which accounts for free throws and threes) jumped to a career best 58% which would tie Devin Booker for third highest on the current roster.

Earlier this season, Warren talked about working on his jumper and it showed. He credited the pay off to focusing more on body control while taking somewhere between 300-500 shots a day in the offseason.

He’s had good moments this season where he contributed in a big way to help the Suns win ball games, such as the team’s four game winning streak in December which started with his 30-point game against the Dallas Mavericks.

Moving forward, Warren could look to improve his offense by heading to the line more. In terms of FTR (Free Throw Rate), he clocked in at 20% which ranks only ahead of Elie Okobo, De’Anthony Melton, and Troy Daniels.

Historically speaking, Warren doesn’t get to the line much as he averages 2.4 FTA for his career. So, if he wants to continue his evolution as a top wing scorer, this would be the next step to improve on. And it’s not like he’d be a mediocre free throw shooter as his form would suggest.

The other thing to keep an eye out for would be health.

This season the injury bug hit him as he played in only 43 games out of 82. Hopefully moving forward this is not a reoccurring theme which would be a setback in his development and for the team.

Warren has proven that he could bring value to an NBA team with not only taking defenders off the dribble and scoring in transition, but now sinking jumpers. The Suns should like what they see in him, especially since they got him on somewhat of a bargain of a contract.