3 more players that can be the Phoenix Suns’ fifth starter

In the last six months, the Phoenix Suns have pulled off a near-complete roster overhaul. Between free agency, the NBA Draft and trades, there will be many new faces on the team this year. A lot of playing time will be up for grabs, most notably the fifth starting spot.

At Valley of the Suns, we’ve already covered some of the more traditional options that can slot into the fifth slot next to Devin Booker, Bradley Beal, Kevin Durant, and Deandre Ayton. But after seeing how dynamic Booker was while playing point in the playoffs, it’s not far-fetched that the Suns can opt for a wing to join the core four.

Given the size of teams like the Denver Nuggets, Los Angeles Lakers, and L.A. Clippers, it would also make sense to try and match size with size. A player that can guard those big wings while hitting the open threes that the offensive stars generate would be ideal.

The Suns have also continued to be active this offseason long after many thought they would be, with the recent addition of Bol Bol another intriguing get. He’s not going to be a starter here, but the center does introduce more intrigue into how the roster can be built to take on different opponents.

3 more players that can be the Suns’ fifth starter.

3. Toumani Camara

Fresh off being the Suns’ lone draft pick this year, Toumani Camara put together a stellar Summer League showing out in Las Vegas. It’s hard not to overreact to what we saw with him since he checks a lot of the boxes you want in a modern four. He has the size and the athleticism to guard bigger wings, while also having great around-the-basket skills.

Camara made his bones in Summer League by relentlessly attacking the cup. He’s constantly cutting back door and making the right reads off of others when to do so. This paid off in a big way for him as he averaged over seven free-throw attempts per game.

He was also extremely aggressive on the boards, averaging seven rebounds per game. The Suns have sorely missed this kind of rim pressure and rebounding out of the wing spot in recent years. Even more so with the dependable Torrey Craig having moved on this offseason.

Camara’s 3-point shot is still a work in progress as he only converted 21 percent of his looks across the four games he played. He negated that a bit by attacking open space, but it’ll still be too much of a weak spot for him to be a realistic starting option come opening night of 2023-24.

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If he were to carry this kind of play and an improved jump shot into preseason action against NBA level competition, then that can certainly change. For now Camara remains an outside bet here, but he has certainly done his prospects no harm in limited action for the organization so far.

3 more players that can be the Suns’ fifth starter.

2. Yuta Watanabe

One of the big issues for the Suns’ role players in the playoffs last season was their complete inability to hit wide open threes, specifically from the corner. It was such a problem that it wouldn’t be a surprise if they overcorrected this issue and made Yuta Watanabe the fifth starter.

Watanabe was one of the best corner shooters in the league last year, at a scintillating 51 percent. Overall, he shot 44 percent on 3-pointers, which was among the league leaders for players that took over two attempts per game.

Watanabe isn’t an amazing defender, but he would provide some nice size at the four. He’s also played with Durant for the Brooklyn Nets so their chemistry playing next to each other is ready-made.

Ultimately though, Watanabe is better served for the bench at this point in time. The second unit will need his size and floor spacing a little more than the starting unit will. While Watanabe isn’t a bad defender, he’s also not a great one, and the fifth starter really should be the best defender they can be to help the superstars on this roster each night.

3 more players that can be the Suns’ fifth starter.

1. Keita Bates-Diop

One of the more underrated moves of free agency was the Suns getting Keita Bates-Diop for the minimum. He had a breakout season last year with the San Antonio Spurs, in which he averaged career highs across the board. Most notably, his 3-point percentage moved up to 39 percent after hovering in the low 30s for his career to date.

Bates-Diop is more of a diverse offensive player than Watanabe and Camara as his shot selection is spread out pretty evenly. He’s not elite in any one area, but has good percentages inside and outside of the arc.

He has a more well-rounded, complementary offensive game, along with his ability to switch defensively through four positions. On paper this looks like it will mesh well with the other Suns starters.

An underrated factor for Bates-Diop is that he has more starting experience than any of the other Suns’ wing options as he started over half of the Spurs’ games last year. Watanabe has started just nine NBA games in his career, and Camara, of course, is a rookie. That experience, along with Bates-Diop’s skillset, could ultimately land him the final starting spot here.