Phoenix Suns Potential NBA Draft Steal: Corey Kispert
Corey Kispert nearly etched his name into NCAA basketball history a few months ago, but that storied Gonzaga Bulldogs team failed to write its final chapter the right way, collecting their first and only loss last season during the NCAA Championship. But as a knockdown shooter, Kispert still shot an astounding 44.0 percent from three last year, also averaging 18.6 points and 5.0 rebounds per game.
Kispert absolutely oozes with consistency; you know exactly what he will give you every time he steps onto the floor, and that remains his greatest attribute. But with that consistency comes some inflexibility. Although Kispert enters this draft easily as the best shooter, he lacks the ability to do much else.
Kispert’s high floor, low ceiling build might turn some teams away as we move through the first round, consequently allowing him to fall right into Phoenix’s lap. Should he drop though, he needs not to worry. With the Suns already locked into a “win now” setting, this paring can benefit both the Suns and Kispert.
You can never have too much shooting, and the Suns do not exactly need to develop more projects at this time, but instead need to build around their already grown stars like Devin Booker, Deandre Ayton, and Mikal Bridges. This makes things easy for a singularly tooled player like Kispert to excel with the Suns, who will only need him to stick to his niche and spot up for 3-pointers.
If he develops into something more—great. But if not, there will be very little pressure on him. If the Suns struggle, nobody will blame Kispert while Booker, Bridges, and Ayton remain on the team. The Suns get some great shooting, and Kispert gets to play for a team that does will not ask him to do much outside his comfort zone. That looks like a perfect match.