Booker Is The Future
The two pieces I am most excited about during our rebuilding process are Devin Booker and T.J. Warren. Booker is the future of the Phoenix Suns. After stealing him 13th overall in the 2015 draft, he went on to win All-Rookie first team while averaging 14 points per game.
After watching him drop 35 points in a game towards the end of the year last season, we all knew this kid was special. With Devin’s perimeter shooting paired up with .’s athleticism and slashing ability, our wings are the future of the league.
T.J. Warren has come out of nowhere this year and overachieved what anyone in our front office thought he could do. He is averaging almost 25 points per game while Warren’s bringing down six rebounds. Watching him slash to the rim and finish above rim protectors is something he has always had, but mix it with his new developed ability to pull up and shoot the mid range jumper makes him a nightmare to guard.
Jared Dudley is a valuable floor spacer. He’s a veteran who doesn’t make many mistakes and is shooting 50 percent from behind the arc. His value also goes up because of his ability to play the SF or stretch-four. $10.4 million is a little high for my liking, but hopefully he can stay around that 50 percent clip from three and be our knockdown shooter.
P.J. Tucker is coming off the bench this year making $5.3 million. After our 2016 draft, his value to our team plummeted. We drafted a lot of young talent at the SF and PF position, which is why we’re going to trade Tucker and see what we can get for him. I think a team would be in the market for a strong slashing wing player who has NBA experience.
Next, we have Alex Len who is still on his rookie contract. We owe him $4.8 million this year, and with our decision to part ways with Chandler via trade, we will depend on him to develop into a similar long rim protector who can rebound. Only 23 years old, Len is still learning how to be an enforcer down low so he is a work in progress. Having said that, i think we need to target a legit center in this upcoming draft.
We really love our 2016 draft results. Drafting Dragan Bender 4th overall, then trading up to draft Marquese Chriss with the 8th overall pick. These two picks are a huge chunk of the identity of the future Suns. Bender, at 7-foot-1 can play some center for us, but is also versatile enough to play a stretch 4 in some sets.
He has the ability to step out and hit threes, with an underrated passing ability. He is a young playmaker with promising upside. Chriss is a physical freak at 6-foot-10 with extreme length. He will play power forward for us and be a problem on the offensive and defensive boards for opponents.