Who will be the Suns second best player 2018/2019

[ColdPickleNachos]

I'd like to know who will own up to voting for Josh Jackson?

I'll own up to it. Though I must say I considered several options and hope Ayton wins out.

Warren is one-dimensional. I could see him being the second best scorer, but that's not the same as the second best player.

Brandon Knight is someone I've trashed enough, so I won't add more here.

I really like Ayton and Bridges, but asking either to be the second best player as a rookie is asking a lot. Ayton certainly has a strong case though. I'm in agreement that a good point guard would have increased his chances.

Sadly, Ariza has a chance, but he wasn't a voting option.

Jackson was awful in Summer League, but he showed a ton of potential in the second half of last year and I think he has the work ethic and the smarts to figure things out.

In the 20 games he played after the all-star game, Jackson scored 18.7 ppg, grabbed nearly 6 rebounds per, and added 1.6 spg. There's reason for optimism there.

 

[Hoop Head]

Really wish Ariza was an option. I'm not sure how he'd be doing in the poll but I feel like he'd have more than 1 or 2 votes like some of the people listed.

I'll own up to voting Knight now before it's asked or anyone assumes it was a joke. He can be the 2nd best player on the team if he can be the player he was in Milwaukee. He has better teammates now than he did there which could help him be a better playmaker. If he embraces that role and finds his teammates in position to score, his value to the team will be high. He needs to be able to score on his own and set up players while knowing when it's best to do each of things. He can't hold the ball too long or play too much ISO ball. We'll see if Igor can get him to do that. If he buys in and plays like he's capable of then he'll fill a big hole for us and be a positive player for us all season. He's the only guy on the list that's it's clear he'll be the starter on day 1 also.

I don't know how Bridges, Jackson, and Warren will be used. They can't start all of them together. So 2 of them will probably be coming off the bench which will limit the impact they have. Ayton will probably be the starting Center all season and that's fine but I don't want to rely on him that much. I think he can have a huge impact but everyone else needs to adjust to playing with a dominate big and that will take some time. It'll take some time for him to learn how to use his size and strength as an advantage at the NBA level also. He won't be a complete player from day 1 and if there is poor PG play, that could effect him negatively the most.

If Knight can average around 15 ppg, 6-7 apg, and shoot 38% from 3pt range though he could be a good PG for us this year and help us a lot more than Warren scoring close to 20 a game. Booker will get his, I'm confident in that, but it'll be Knight's job to make sure everyone else is in a position to play to their best by finding them in position to knock down shots or getting the ball to them so they can expose mismatches. If he can average that much and be a positive player for us, then I think he'll be the #2 or #3 player on the team. Odds of that happening are probably low but I think there's a 50/50 chance right now, maybe even 60/40. Igor seems to be happy with how he's working with him in practice so I'm trusting his judgement and the lack of a move being made to bring in another PG as another sign that he believe Knight can the PG he needs this season.

 

[Ouchie-Z-Clown]

I certainly don't think we have a better player than Booker but there are a lot of fans that think Warren is/has been our best.

Who?

 

[AzStevenCal]

Who?

Check out the RealGM Suns board.

 

[Raindog]

Warren? Knight? You folks have to be kidding. I guess you can make a valid argument that Warren will be the second highest scorer... but I will be surprised if Ayton doesn't make a pretty instant impact and isn't easily the Suns second best player by mid-season. I say Ayton is good for a minimum of 16/10 this year, and probably better than that by the second half of the year.

As for Knight, I think he will be back on the bench before the all star break, and the Suns will be trying to get some incremental value from him as a third guard by that point.

 

[BC867]

Warren? Knight? You folks have to be kidding. I guess you can make a valid argument that Warren will be the second highest scorer... but I will be surprised if Ayton doesn't make a pretty instant impact and isn't easily the Suns second best player by mid-season. I say Ayton is good for a minimum of 16/10 this year, and probably better than that by the second half of the year.

As for Knight, I think he will be back on the bench before the all star break, and the Suns will be trying to get some incremental value from him as a third guard by that point.

Isn't Josh Jackson the favorite to be our starting Small Forward? Leaving one-dimensional TJ Warren to be instant offense off the bench. If he is even with the Suns.

Do you think that under those circumstances Warren will be our second highest scorer? And, if so, won't his deficiencies in everything else hurt us if he is considered our #2 option.

 

[SirStefan32]

Isn't Josh Jackson the favorite to be our starting Small Forward? Leaving one-dimensional TJ Warren to be instant offense off the bench. If he is even with the Suns.

Do you think that under those circumstances Warren will be our second highest scorer? And, if so, won't his deficiencies in everything else hurt us if he is considered our #2 option.

I don't think anyone should be a favorite to be the starting small forward. Let them compete for it.

As fir deficiencies, JJ has just as many as Warren does right now. Hell, if the number of deficiencies is the criteria, Bridges should be the starting SF.

 

[leclerc]

I voted Josh. I really liked what I saw from Josh after the all star break and I hope he can build on it. Those numbers he put up then plus any improvement, especially his defense now with Ariza, Bridges and Ayton also chipping in, I think will be higher than what Ayton accomplishes in his rookie year. It's just a guess.

I can create a new poll where Ariza is included.

 

[Hoop Head]

I voted Josh. I really liked what I saw from Josh after the all star break and I hope he can build on it. Those numbers he put up then plus any improvement, especially his defense now with Ariza, Bridges and Ayton also chipping in, I think will be higher than what Ayton accomplishes in his rookie year. It's just a guess.

I can create a new poll where Ariza is included.

You should be able to edit this one and add Ariza but I don't imagine many would change their votes since they've already voted. It's not worth a new thread, IMO. I think near the season it might be worth doing a poll to see who people think start at SF for the team though. It's fairly safe to assume Knight, Booker, Ariza, and Ayton will be the other 4 starters so the question will be who out of Warren, Jackson, and Bridges will start with them. That's probably best to wait until training camp though, just in case another trade is made or an injury occurs. It was this time last year when Knight got hurt so injuries now are a possibility with guys playing in charity games like Chriss was last week.

 

[Phrazbit]

I honestly think Ayton will handily be out 2nd best player. He might not be so out of the gate but by the end of the year, easily.

My only worry with him is drive, IMO this guy could sleep walk through games and still average 14-8 and I think we'll see a lot of nights where the other team just cannot handle him and he gets into a groove.

 

[leclerc]

Ariza will be the most impactful because he’s a two way guy and strong shooter. I’d probably go with Warren among the choices.

Okay I've added Ariza like pooper said I could. Gentlemen, please update your vote. I'm sticking with Josh.

 

[Hoop Head]

I'm changing my mine. I guess that makes my previous post a little more accurate in a way because the more I thought about the more I think Knight having a good season would probably make him the 3rd best player on the team. Ariza will play a big role outside of the stat sheet though of setting an example on the defensive end of the floor. Having a veteran who can give us solid minutes will be huge. Too bad Tyson was done by the time he signed here. Whether he's viewed as a mentor or not, I'd like to see him traded. I think it's less likely to happen before the deadline with Dudley gone though.

 

[Mainstreet]

Okay I've added Ariza like pooper said I could. Gentlemen, please update your vote. I'm sticking with Josh.

I guess now that the poll has been amended, I get another chance to vote. LOL

 

[95pro]

Voted Mikal just for the shock factor. But seriously we've seen shooters come into this league and make an instant impact.

Ayton needs time to develop like most big men and we don't have anyone legit to feed him.

JJ is still finding his niche.

Ariza and Warren, it could really be a toss up between these two. They're established and know what they can and can't do. Warren could be set free, he has a big man to protect and assist on offense and defense despite any spacing issues that might arise. Warren was so banged up last year on all those falls.
Ariza same thing, but his skillset is limited compared to Warren. Ariza is a 3 & D guy.

Knight, so much of a question mark. There's not any reports of how explosive he still is, or how his work will re-translate to the court after his injury and new coaching.

 

[leclerc]

I guess now that the poll has been amended, I get another chance to vote. LOL

I checked option to allow changing vote. I haven't tried it myself.

 

[Mainstreet]

I checked option to allow changing vote. I haven't tried it myself.

I was more or less joking.

I thought Ariza might be the 2nd best player but he was not on the ballot at the time.

It's nice to have a second chance in life.

 

[Chris_Sanders]

I'd like to know who will own up to voting for Josh Jackson?

I did. I believe he makes an impact guarding the best guy each night

 

[Chris_Sanders]

Next time just make the poll public

 

[Errntknght]

I did. I believe he makes an impact guarding the best guy each night

I suppose it was somewhat true last year that he guarded the best opponent, though he wouldn't have guarded the opponents PG with Harrison on the floor or the C if Bender were on the floor. This year I'd put him as the team's fifth best defender - I rate Ariza and Bridges as our top two defenders with Reed and Harrison following them then Jackson. JJ will make the most weakside blocks of the bunch but he doesn't stay in front of his man that well, pressure him or deny him the ball. Hopefully he improves greatly as he has the physical tools.

I didn't get a good read on Okobo in SL but I don't recall seeing him blow an assignement. I think I recall Richaun Holmes getting some plaudits for his D, but the highlights I watched focused on his offensive game almost exclusively. Hopefully those two turn out to be, at least, solid. If Ayton is decent for a rookie we will be a strong defensive team.

One of the keys to our defense is Booker because he is going to be on the floor so much of the time. He has bulked up a bit and he's said a time or two that he's working on his D, so I'm hopeful he'll improve some. BK, coming off an ACL injury, figures to be even worse than before, but he'll have to show effort or Igor will bench him, sooner rather than later.

 

[Carolinacacti]

I did. I believe he makes an impact guarding the best guy each night

If Josh is the second best player on this team. This team will win 10 games...............

 

[leclerc]

He had something like 18 ppg 6 rpg and 2 apg in the last three months, so if he builds on that plus his defense, I'm guessing that should be better than Ariza and Ayton's numbers.

 

[Yuma]

I am going Ayton. Thinking maybe 18/11 out of the rookie, maybe 15/10 out of the rookie pretty consistently. Hoping to be surprised with better numbers, but I think there will be some big men looking to "welcome" the rookie into the league!

 

[JCSunsfan]

Ayton will go 13 and 10 in his rookie year and there will be all kinds of hand-wringing.

 

[AzStevenCal]

Ayton will go 13 and 10 in his rookie year and there will be all kinds of hand-wringing.

I'll be fine with those numbers if he's only logging 24 minutes or so. Even if it's foul trouble that's keeping his minutes down.

 

[leclerc]

Yeah, I'm not expecting too much in his first year. It takes longer for bigs, you know. He's more complete/ready than Len, Bender and Chriss (to put it mildly), but still, I don't think he'll average much above 15 and 9, in the first six months at least. Some great additions this year. Going to be a fun season!