The Phoenix Suns might have failed to live up to expectations across the last two seasons - but when it comes to the NBA Draft - the franchise have done a nice job of identifying talent. In fact their two draft selections in 2024 - first rounder Ryan Dunn and Oso Ighodaro taken in the second round - both played their part in the season.
Dunn particularly looked like a steal early on - and although his 3-point shooting that came out of nowhere vanished just as quickly - we saw enough to believe he can be a plus defender for this team. An area of real need for the Suns moving forward. Big man Ighodaro remains more rough around the edges, but if nothing else his pure athleticism was badly needed for a plodding defensive unit.
Suns bring in exciting European prospect as part of pre-draft workouts.
In fact going back beyond last season and perhaps the best Suns' draft selection in recent season - Toumani Camara - recently made All-Defense second team as part of the Portland Trail Blazers. He's already the one that got away, but if nothing else he also proves the front office have been quietly really good at identifying young talent in recent seasons.
Which makes them bringing in forward Izan Almansa - from Murica in Spain - an intriguing move that was first reported by Duane Rankin of The Arizona Republic. Almansa is still only 19-years-old and has experience playing with the G League Ignite, and in fact he wasn't even brought in by the organization on his own to see what he could do.
Rather he was pitted against a big man from Michigan in Danny Wolf, who is projected to be a draft pick this summer. While Wolf is interesting because of his size and that being one of the biggest areas of need for the Suns, the fact they chose Almansa to go against him in various games and drills is worth talking about.
Right now the Suns are gearing up to hire a first time head coach - they already appear to have one finalist nailed on - and the fact they have included Devin Booker in that process is a smart move. What it could also mean - assuming the franchise also trades Kevin Durant this offseason - is that they are preparing Booker for the reality of taking a step back to re-tool for a couple of seasons.
If that's the case, then a youngster like Almansa with a ton of upside - who also can play across the front line - would appear to be the ideal kind of rookie to have in The Valley. Again when you pair this with the team's ability to spot young talent, and it is exciting to think about who the Suns could have to fill out the back of their rotation next season.
Going for veterans such as Eric Gordon and even Jusuf Nurkic in the past hasn't worked, and it would be nice for Dunn and Ighodaro to have some competition for minutes as well. Instead it is the likes of Collin Gillespie who proved they should have more run with how hard they played, and Almansa could be the next excellent pick by the franchise. One to keep an eye on.