Suns pre-draft workouts

[Mainstreet]

It sure is. But I wasn't really predicting he'd be gone so much as regretting that he would be. I really like him, Huerter or Donte at 16 (in that order). But the latter two especially, need to be closely scrutinized beyond simple basketball skills.

I was actually going to say the Suns should look at skills when drafting at #16 and #31. It's something you taught me with Markkanen.

The Suns should look at tangible skills and assets a player brings to the table. The Suns need players that can shoot for example and not hope they will learn this skill later. It frequently doesn't work out. Of course they should be scrutinized otherwise... why they are available.

 

[Hoop Head]

I don't think #31 will matter to us much, it could, but we won't know until draft day. It depends on who we take at #16 because we won't be adding 3 rookies. If 16 looks like a player the Suns plan on keeping then I have little hope for the #31st pick. We'll see what happens but I'd be surprised if the Suns do add 3 rookies, especially 3 rookies from where they're slotted now.

 

[ColdPickleNachos]

@ColdPickleNachos

Do you think Okogie might be similar to Archie Goodwin since his shooting is not so good?

Nah. Okogie's fg% is lower than you'd like, but I think that's more shot selection from being the go-to guy at Georgia Tech and needing to improve his shot-creation and decision-making skills. He shot 38% from three both years, while Goodwin was 26% at Kentucky. It wasn't high volume, but he shot from outside far more than Archie.

Also, he's an 82% free throw shooter, which bodes well.

Here's a good write-up on him:

https://www.thestepien.com/josh-okogie/

 

[Mainstreet]

Nah. Okogie's fg% is lower than you'd like, but I think that's more shot selection from being the go-to guy at Georgia Tech and needing to improve his shot-creation and decision-making skills. He shot 38% from three both years, while Goodwin was 26% at Kentucky. It wasn't high volume, but he shot from outside far more than Archie.

Also, he's an 82% free throw shooter, which bodes well.

Here's a good write-up on him:

https://www.thestepien.com/josh-okogie/

He seems like a boom or bust type player although he probably projects better than Archie.

 

[Mainstreet]

I don't think #31 will matter to us much, it could, but we won't know until draft day. It depends on who we take at #16 because we won't be adding 3 rookies. If 16 looks like a player the Suns plan on keeping then I have little hope for the #31st pick. We'll see what happens but I'd be surprised if the Suns do add 3 rookies, especially 3 rookies from where they're slotted now.

Still there will be a good player there at #31. IMO, it's a valuable pick. This is why I got frustrated when the Suns drafted Reed early in the 2nd round. He would have probably been there later. The Suns could have drafted Jordon Bell or Dillon Brooks with that pick.

The 2nd round will be much stronger and rich in PGs in this draft. If the Suns do not value the pick they will probably gamble it away on a player that may never stick. The Suns roster is not that good where they can't absorb three rookies. If they use it in a trade for something valuable or a future pick, I can live with that.

I guess what I'm saying one often gets what they expect, referring to the Suns, in the 2nd round.

 

[Hoop Head]

Still there will be a good player there at #31. IMO, it's a valuable pick. This is why I got frustrated when the Suns drafted Reed early in the 2nd round. He would have probably been there later. The Suns could have drafted Jordon Bell or Dillon Brooks with that pick.

The 2nd round will be much stronger and rich in PGs in this draft. If the Suns do not value the pick they will probably gamble it away on a player that may never stick. The Suns roster is not that good where they can't absorb three rookies. If they use it in a trade for something valuable or a future pick, I can live with that.

I guess what I'm saying one often gets what they expect, referring to the Suns, in the 2nd round.

I don't blame the Suns for drafting Reed. They didn't know he'd get injured and be forced out almost the entire year. I know some were impressed with his play in summer league, I was one of those people, but of course that's just summer league. It's really hard to judge whether he was a mistake or not unless he doesn't make the team next year. If he's let go during this offseason then it was definitely a mistake to pick him but if he's able to stay healthy and make the roster, we'll see why they went after him when they did this year.

 

[ColdPickleNachos]

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[AzStevenCal]

I don't blame the Suns for drafting Reed. They didn't know he'd get injured and be forced out almost the entire year. I know some were impressed with his play in summer league, I was one of those people, but of course that's just summer league. It's really hard to judge whether he was a mistake or not unless he doesn't make the team next year. If he's let go during this offseason then it was definitely a mistake to pick him but if he's able to stay healthy and make the roster, we'll see why they went after him when they did this year.

I don't either although in hindsight, I'd have rather we drafted someone else. He was already borderline because of middling quickness and he could hardly afford even a minimal drop is athleticism.

 

[Mainstreet]

No Suns workouts today.

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[Mainstreet]

I don't blame the Suns for drafting Reed. They didn't know he'd get injured and be forced out almost the entire year. I know some were impressed with his play in summer league, I was one of those people, but of course that's just summer league. It's really hard to judge whether he was a mistake or not unless he doesn't make the team next year. If he's let go during this offseason then it was definitely a mistake to pick him but if he's able to stay healthy and make the roster, we'll see why they went after him when they did this year.

I was hoping the Suns would draft Jordon Bell (as did others) so this lead to my disappointment. If Reed can stay healthy we may still end up talking about his selection being a smart pick.

 

[ColdPickleNachos]

Bell was my guy for sure. I was shocked he fell to the Suns, and saddened they didn't take him. Of course, Javale McGee also looked good in Golden State at times, so maybe it's just not that hard to pop when you're playing on a superteam and can just focus on what you do best.

 

[Hoop Head]

Second round picks nowadays are tough. If they can contribute anything to the team it's a good pick but trying to predict who will fall, who will be available, and who the Suns like is near impossible. So long as they select someone who makes sense in that their skills fit with what the team needs and there aren't already a few players on the roster who will be in front of them on the depth chart it's a decent pick. Low cost, low return, generally. Of course some teams manage to do better with their 2nd round picks but those teams usually need their 2nd round picks to pan out because they don't have money available to add free agents or anyone else. Like the Spurs and Warriors lately. Teams like the Suns who pick at the top of the 2nd round don't generally get someone who can make their rotation because they add much better 1st round picks and already have a lot more highly regarded young talent ahead of those players.