Evaluating HoopsHype’s top-5 FA PGs for the Phoenix Suns
By Adam Maynes
3. D’Angelo Russell (RFA)
While he is number three on HoopsHype’s top-five list of best available free agent point guards, he is number one in the hearts of Phoenix Suns fans.
An inefficient scorer, the un-ignorable key to the potential acquisition of D’Angelo Russell is the fact that he is Devin Booker’s best friend, and for most Suns fans, that’s good enough.
Russell can score the ball, he is a decent (although in need of improvement) 3-point shooter, and not known for his defense. What Russell would most bring beyond his friendship with Booker is his overall offensive ability – in particular his skills as a primary ball-handler.
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At only 22-years-old, Russell averaged 7.0 assists last season for Brooklyn (along with 21.1 points), his assist rate being higher than Eric Bledsoe has ever averaged in is career, and higher than every season in Dragic’s career save for his first full season back with the Suns when Goran passed out 7.4.
One would have to imagine that he could even push that assist rate up when playing with a dominant scorer in Booker and a hopefully soon-to-be dominant post-man in Deandre Ayton, if his scoring remained in the 17 point range and his assists moved closer to 9 or 10 per game, those two stats alone place him in Steve Nash territory.
When taking in the entirety of his game, he is actually more of a Stephon Marbury -type player who was never able to lead the Suns beyond the first round of the playoffs (although technically neither was Jason Kidd who preceded him), but never too id he have a player quite like Booker running alongside.
For Russell to be acquired, James Jones would first have to find a taker for Josh Jackson with no returning pieces or move Tyler Johnson for very little, then either Kyrie Irving needs to sign with the Brooklyn Nets and D’Angelo’s rights are renounced, or the Suns would have to hope that a max contract would be too rich for the Nets’ blood in restricted free agency.