NBA Tankapalooza 2019: Who will land the No. 1 pick in the Draft?
By Jacob Doole
Phoenix Suns (11-48, worst in NBA)
Current talent: While undeniably young, the Suns do have some players on their roster capable of taking over and winning games. Devin Booker is an unstoppable scorer when at his best, DeAndre Ayton has flashed similar traits as a post player, and TJ Warren and Mikal Bridges are consistent complimentary pieces. They lack depth, though, and their defense and inconsistency helps them here. 14/20
Team needs: As previously mentioned, Phoenix already has quite a talented young core. DeAndre Ayton and Devin Booker should, in theory, be the pillars around which Phoenix can build a playoff team.
On the other hand, there has been no evidence to date that the team can even sniff the playoffs with their current talent. And after failing to make it past the empty meetings stage with marquee free agents, the draft appears to be their only way to make a star-level splash.
With Booker and Ayton their only guaranteed starters, and young wing Mikal Bridges a versatile third wheel, almost every top prospect would fit on the roster. Such a dearth of top-level talent across the board makes a top-three pick feel like a must. 16/10
Injuries/resting potential: It’s typically harder to excuse resting in a younger team, but Booker’s injury history should give Suns fans hope. He missed 27 games last season, has already missed 14 this year and has a varied injury history that would be the envy of veterans everywhere.
Even better, the Suns are 11-39 in games Booker has missed over his career. Combine that with some “general soreness” to rookies Ayton and Bridges, and Phoenix should be able to weasel their way out of a few wins through some creative injury reports. 15/20
Dell Demps Desperation Factor: After Ryan McDonough’s sudden firing days before the season started, interim GM James Jones has shown patience through his first half-season in charge. That patience should extend to the second half, where there is nothing to be gained from winning extra games.
The Suns came into the season looking to be more competitive. That has failed dismally, and Jones will have to hope his forward thinking will be enough to win over Suns ownership. A high draft pick would help to at least buy him some more time. 16/20
Strength of schedule: Phoenix has one of the easiest remaining schedules in the league, ranking 27th in Tankathon’s list. That’s largely because they’re already done playing the league’s best– they have just two games against teams in the NBA’s top eight, against conference leaders Milwaukee and Golden State.
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That, combined with a Cleveland double header and matchups with New York, Chicago and Atlanta, could leave the Suns scrapping for losses as the season winds down. 6/20