Grading the Phoenix Suns who were traded at the trade deadline
By Luke Duffy
Yuta Watanabe
Where did it all go wrong for Watanabe and the Suns? Signed to much fanfare last offseason, it just never happened for the Japanese international in Phoenix. The fact Allen has had a career season is likely the main reason why, but he also didn't hit enough of his shots when called upon for head coach Frank Vogel to ever truly trust him down the stretch of games.
To shoot 32 percent from deep - the lowest mark since a 15 game stretch in his rookie season - could not have happened at a worse time for the 29-year-old. To produce that number while taking a career high 2.6 attempts from deep is even worse. Watanabe went cold at the worst possible time, and it cost him his spot on the team.
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Unlike the other three players mentioned here - all of which were defensive-minded individuals before anything else - Watanabe undoubtedly would have stuck if he'd just made some more shots. The fact he possesses a big body so doesn't even have to be hidden all of the time on the other end was just another reason to keep him.
Instead he contributed 3.6 points per game, last saw more than nine minutes of action just before Christmas against the Kings, and shot a miserable 66 percent from the free-throw line. What likely sealed the deal was playing 33 minutes across six games in January, taking only four 3-pointers... and not making a single one of them.