2. Drew Eubanks
It would be a stretch to say new backup big man Drew Eubanks is going to change everything for the Suns, but he joins for 2023-24 as an underrated big man in the league. Career averages of 6.1 points and 4.7 rebounds sure don’t look like much.
But this is the player that the Suns’ front office felt could take the minutes of fan favorite from last season, Jock Landale. That is no easy task given the levels of energy and hustle we saw from the Australian, but Eubanks can do all of that and more.
He’s a career 34.1 percent 3-point shooter, and in four seasons with the San Antonio Spurs, that number was an even healthier 36.4 percent. Making shots from deep is not why the 26-year-old has been signed, although it is a nice boost to have that Eubanks can make a shot or two while playing with the Suns’ superstars.
That ability to stretch the court is something Ayton for example cannot do. There is a stretch from the 2021-22 season though, that gives us a glimpse into his true potential and mentality. Having been traded from the Spurs to the Toronto Raptors and subsequently been waived, Eubanks initially signed a 10-day contract with the Portland Trail Blazers.
That snowballed into 22 games, all starts, in which Eubanks put up 14.5 points and 8.5 rebounds in 29.5 minutes of action. To be clear, he will not see those sort of minutes unless an injury or two occurs, and that is not what the Suns will want to happen. But to go from having no job to fighting his way to a one year deal with the Trail Blazers in 2022-23, shows us exactly who Eubanks is.