Welcome Jalen Lecque?

[NashDishesDimes]

I like the optimism here but getting excited about a guy purely based on athleticism is next to useless, especially with the Suns track record of player development.

Hes not dominating summer league which means hes got light years to go to dominate an NBA game

 

[JCSunsfan]

I like the optimism here but getting excited about a guy purely based on athleticism is next to useless, especially with the Suns track record of player development.

Hes not dominating summer league which means hes got light years to go to dominate an NBA game

The Suns track record of player development means absolutely nothing at this point. It is a completely new regime from GM down. It isn't Robert Sarver that develops players. We do not know that it will be better, but it is unlikely that it will be worse. It is a blank slate.

 

[overseascardfan]

I think that’s a bit disingenuous in regards to why Westbrook was drafted where he was selected. If it was only about his measurables why did he get drafted high lottery and similar measurables had lecque going undrafted in a poor draft?

It wasn’t just about measurables, Westbrook had killer private workouts with teams that caused his stock to soar right before draft. Westbrook played two years at UCLA so he was more developed. As I mentioned, had Lecque went to NC State next year he could have arguably been the top PG in next year’s draft with competition from Hampton, Anthony and Mannion.

 

[Ouchie-Z-Clown]

It wasn’t just about measurables, Westbrook had killer private workouts with teams that caused his stock to soar right before draft. Westbrook played two years at UCLA so he was more developed. As I mentioned, had Lecque went to NC State next year he could have arguably been the top PG in next year’s draft with competition from Hampton, Anthony and Mannion.

Sure that’s possible. But weren’t the guys you listed top 10-15 rated guys in the 2019 class and lecque somewhere in the late 30s?

 

[CardsSunsDbacks]

I am really curious as to why teams didn't take a flyer on him in the 2nd round (especially late 2nd).

I suspect it is a combination of being a pretty big unknown coming straight from high school. He also doesn't seem to have any elite skills to bank on as he is not a good shooter, not a great passer and mostly just a great athlete. Too many unknowns for a team to use a pick if there was someone else they felt was more likely to be a solid NBA player.

 

[JCSunsfan]

I am really curious as to why teams didn't take a flyer on him in the 2nd round (especially late 2nd).

I suspect it is a combination of being a pretty big unknown coming straight from high school. He also doesn't seem to have any elite skills to bank on as he is not a good shooter, not a great passer and mostly just a great athlete. Too many unknowns for a team to use a pick if there was someone else they felt was more likely to be a solid NBA player.

Sometimes it is just the way the draft falls. The teams that really want to draft him do not have a pick at the right spot, and the teams that have the picks have other players or needs on their radar. Every draft there are players left out where people say (even GMs) "Wow, I can't believe no one drafted that guy!"

 

[devilalum]

It seems like the Suns had a pretty good idea that he wouldn't be drafted and had a plan to sign him. Low risk high reward. Really nothing to loose here.

 

[Matt L]

My question is does the team have a development plan for him? Are they just hoping that he will figure out how to be a NBA point guard in the D league by himself or are they devoting resources to his development?

 

[Hoop Head]

My question is does the team have a development plan for him? Are they just hoping that he will figure out how to be a NBA point guard in the D league by himself or are they devoting resources to his development?

Like what? Seriously, I don't know what more you'd want to hear. He's signed and will spend time in the G-League and with the coaching staff. They brought on Willie Green, who coached the summer league team and was also the head of player development in Golden State. He'll be an assistant coach on Monty's staff. I'm not sure what more you'd be calling for though. He's in the same sort of boat as Ty Jerome. He'll need to learn from the coaching staff and the players ahead of him.

 

[Matt L]

Like what? Seriously, I don't know what more you'd want to hear. He's signed and will spend time in the G-League and with the coaching staff. They brought on Willie Green, who coached the summer league team and was also the head of player development in Golden State. He'll be an assistant coach on Monty's staff. I'm not sure what more you'd be calling for though. He's in the same sort of boat as Ty Jerome. He'll need to learn from the coaching staff and the players ahead of him.

I think because he was undrafted, the team is in a unique position where they can really give him time to work on his shot before he starts playing. Here's a story about the money and resources the Spurs have invested in their player development:

https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/26425741/san-antonio-spurs-go-great-lengths-player-development

I hope the Suns have a plan or at least is committed to not handling him (or any of their other projects) the way they handled their recent picks.

 

[Hoop Head]

I think because he was undrafted, the team is in a unique position where they can really give him time to work on his shot before he starts playing. Here's a story about the money and resources the Spurs have invested in their player development:

https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/26425741/san-antonio-spurs-go-great-lengths-player-development

I hope the Suns have a plan or at least is committed to not handling him (or any of their other projects) the way they handled their recent picks.

I think it's safe to say he won't be thrown into the deep end. We have Rubio, Tyler Johnson, Javon Carter, and probably Ty Jerome ahead of him on the depth chart so we'll be able to take our time with him. I actually liked how Okobo was handled last season for the most part, until Melton got hurt. We threw Melton into the thick of it right away because he proved to be a capable defender but Okobo spent most of his time in the G-League or playing limited minutes, if any at all, on the main roster. Unlike other players, he had a fully guaranteed contract so it wasn't a case of him being on a Two-Way deal with limited time available on the main roster. I think we'll see something similar with Lecque, playing in the G-League a lot and only spot minutes on the main roster until March or so. At that point his minutes might be expanded some depending on if the Suns are vying for a playoff spot or not.

We'll see what happens but having someone from Golden State's player development side and Monty gives me hope. Monty worked in the Spurs front office before returning to the bench in Philly. Coaching in Philadelphia should have taught him a lot about player development also since they just went through "The Process".

We also have Harper signed to a Two-Way deal and he's much more of PG than Lecque is but I think Lecque's future is more as a combo guard so I don't see them getting in each other's way much, if at all.

 

[Krangodnzr]

I think it's safe to say he won't be thrown into the deep end. We have Rubio, Tyler Johnson, Javon Carter, and probably Ty Jerome ahead of him on the depth chart so we'll be able to take our time with him. I actually liked how Okobo was handled last season for the most part, until Melton got hurt. We threw Melton into the thick of it right away because he proved to be a capable defender but Okobo spent most of his time in the G-League or playing limited minutes, if any at all, on the main roster. Unlike other players, he had a fully guaranteed contract so it wasn't a case of him being on a Two-Way deal with limited time available on the main roster. I think we'll see something similar with Lecque, playing in the G-League a lot and only spot minutes on the main roster until March or so. At that point his minutes might be expanded some depending on if the Suns are vying for a playoff spot or not.

We'll see what happens but having someone from Golden State's player development side and Monty gives me hope. Monty worked in the Spurs front office before returning to the bench in Philly. Coaching in Philadelphia should have taught him a lot about player development also since they just went through "The Process".

We also have Harper signed to a Two-Way deal and he's much more of PG than Lecque is but I think Lecque's future is more as a combo guard so I don't see them getting in each other's way much, if at all.

Okobo IMO should be a goner after his blah performance in the SL. He should've been able to come in and outplayed the competition after a year of NBA experience, but instead he wasnt even the best guard on the roster.

 

[JCSunsfan]

Okobo IMO should be a goner after his blah performance in the SL. He should've been able to come in and outplayed the competition after a year of NBA experience, but instead he wasnt even the best guard on the roster.

I agree. Okobo has not shown enough to hold a roster spot. I would not mind keeping him even if he had shown flashes of an ability to be what we want in the future. But he did not even do that. To me, if we keep him he will just be in the way of Ty Jerome and others getting the minutes they need.