The Phoenix Suns pulled one final surprise out of the bag by inviting center Duop Reath to training camp, and his underrated 3-point shooting ability will be huge for the team if he makes the roster.
Reath stretches the court in way no current big in Phoenix can
Reath took only 1.7 attempts from deep last season, a career low, but converted on an impressive 41.7 of them. If we assume he's on the roster come opening night, he will bring a skill that no other center in The Valley can.
Khaman Maluach is only 20-years-old. The hope is that he will be the future of the position for this group, but he is being developed slowly. He has also shown zero ability to shoot the ball from outside of the paint, and right now, developing a respectable offensive game inside is the priority.
It is too early to tell if Maluach will ever stretch the court, but right now he looks set to top out as a bruiser who anchors the middle, which is exactly what the franchise needs him to be.
Oso Ighodaro is the other big whose role is under threat by the arrival of Reath, and he has also struggled with consistent shooting of any kind through two seasons in The Valley. His priority should also be getting better at scoring and doing work down low before he can think about moving away from the rim to have an impact.
This puts Reath in a strong position to gobble up some of Williams' minutes right away if he makes it onto the standard roster.
Looking into the future, if he happens to still be in town by the time the Suns' starter is back from shoulder surgery, Reap's shooting will again be a factor in helping him stick around. Williams is the better player, but like Maluach and Ighodaro, he does his best work inside.
Spacing court for others could unclog Suns' offense
The addition of Miles Bridges this offseason gives this roster a clear talent upgrade, but it is hard to see how he, Devin Booker, Dillon Brooks, and Jalen Green can coexist offensively and share the basketball. Expecting Reath to solve that issue on his own is ridiculous, but if he can drag rival bigs out of the paint, it would at least create driving lanes that don't exist when a more traditional center is on the court.
That is the kind of space Bridges can thrive in, while even Green may get a new lease of life. All made possible by Reath's ability to make 3-pointers at a respectable clip.
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