The Phoenix Suns surprised nobody last season as they were projected to be a high-pick lottery team and that is exactly where they finished. Of course playing in the ultra-competitive Pacific Division contributed to their demise and ultimately their 25-57 record on the year.
With a new general manager in place, the Phoenix Suns will look to continue their rebuilding process. A quick look at their roster shows that no player is untouchable and that every position could use an upgrade. Let’s assume for the moment that the Suns are happy with current point guard Goran Dragic; that effectively takes Trey Burke out of the realm of possibilities.
As the Suns hold the fifth overall selection they will likely be looking at adding a shooting guard or a small forward to plug one of those roster holes. The Michael Beasley experiment has proven to be a disaster and unloading his under-performing lacklustre-effort giving corps should be a priority.
Areas of Weakness
Quite simply this team has holes everywhere. Any team that managed to scrape together only eight wins post all-star break is in desperate need of an overhaul. The Suns need to add a quality player here who can be a roster contributor for years to come. If this draft is truly void of the superstar then the Suns will have to accept this and look for a quality role-player who can add depth to the roster without bringing any personal baggage or off-court issues to the club.
Draft Projections
The way things are shaking out this far, it would seem that the Suns will likely have their choice between two of the following players: Otto Porter, Anthony Bennett or Victor Oladipo. Any of these three would be a solid addition to the roster; however it is probably Bennett who rates slightly ahead of the other two. There is little chance of all three of these guys being available at the five spot and conceivably none of them could be there; however, that would likely mean that Nerlens Noel or Alex Len would be available so that is a pretty nice consolation.
The player that the Suns seem to be the most hyped on is Victor Oladipo. The versatile shooting guard is a high energy player with a strong character. Oladipo is a terrific perimeter defender who could blossom into a premier shut-down defender with time. Oladipo might not contribute much offensively, but when rebuilding a team, strong defense, endless energy and a positive attitude are valued.
An intriguing pick for the Phoenix Suns would be Anthony Bennett from UNLV. The Suns experienced great success with their last Canadian roster contribution and perhaps they have developed a keen sense of evaluating talent from North of the border. Bennett is a man-child of sorts, he is a broad shouldered 20-year old who measures at 6’7” with a 6’9” wingspan and weighed in at a solid 240 pounds. Bennett’s hands are massive and he has a vertical leap that is awe inspiring. Bennett is capable of being an electric open-court player as he can throw down some vicious dunks. His defensive capabilities are not his strong suit; however, he can muscle-up with taller players and he could post-up weaker defenders to take advantage of his strength and leaping ability.