The Phoenix Suns hold the No. 47 overall pick in the second round of the 2026 NBA draft.
Though the Suns don’t have the benefit of a first-round draft slot, they can still find a difference-maker in Round 2 if the organization’s scouts do their homework.
Prior iterations of mock drafts around the NBA landscape have the Suns targeting University of Arizona guard Jaden Bradley or adding Michigan State point guard Jeremy Fears Jr.
And while the Suns certainly need depth at the point guard position regardless of whether Collin Gillespie is brought back in free agency, a new mock has Phoenix going in a different direction.
The Athletic projects Phoenix Suns to draft Vanderbilt sharpshooter
In a recent NBA mock draft from The Athletic’s Sam Vecenie, he has the Suns selecting 6-foot-7 wing player Tyler Nickel out of Vanderbilt.
You’d be hard-pressed to find better shooters coming out of this year’s draft prospect crop. After his freshman year spent at UNC, Nickel transferred first to Virginia Tech and then to Vandy for his junior and senior years. In his final three collegiate seasons, Nickel shot 39.9%, 40.5% and 40%, respectively, from 3-point range.
It wasn’t in a small sample size, either. Nickel’s attempts from beyond the arc went from 4.5 per game as a sophomore to 6.1 as a junior and then all the way up to 7.6 3-point attempts per game last season.
Nickel started all 36 of his games played for Vanderbilt as a senior, averaging a career-high 13.5 points per game while sinking 3.1 triples per game at that 40% clip.
When asked what putting his best foot forward looks like to him during the pre-draft process, Nickel cited his “intensity, competitiveness and just fire to compete.”
He said that as far as a player’s skill set goes, teams already know what prospects bring to the table, but that “at the end of the day, you’ve just got to control your intensity and your competitiveness.”
It’s certainly a good mindset to have as Nickel goes through the pre-draft workout process with a number of teams. It also shows that he’d be a good fit within the Suns’ newfound culture of toughness, defensive intensity and having that competitive edge brought to the group via Dillon Brooks in the Kevin Durant trade.
NBA teams can never have too much outside shooting, and Nickel no doubt provides that as a career 39.4% shooter from long range in college. If the Suns think his other intangibles fit the type of team they’re aiming to build, perhaps the Vandy standout will be the choice at No. 47, as Vecenie suggests.
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