T.J. WarrenWith the 14th pick in the 2014 NBA Draft, the Phoenix Suns selected T.J. Warren from North Carolina State. Last season, Warren contributed 24.9 points (third in the nation), 7.1 rebounds, 1.1 assists and 1.8 steals while shooting 52.5 percent from the field. He was the ACC Player of the Year and named a second team All-American by the Associated Press and the Sporting News.
Warren is 6’8, has a 6’10 wingspan and weighs 220 lbs. He is not a great athlete, but he knows how to effectively utilize the athleticism he does have. With his size and skill-set, Warren can play both forward positions, which can create mismatches for opponents, especially in an up-tempo offense such as the Suns’.
Warren’s best attribute right now is his ability to score the ball. He is a very fluid, smooth player who has great scoring touch around the rim (where he shot 70 percent last season). With Eric Bledsoe (if retained) and Goran Dragic alongside him, Warren should have plenty of opportunities to attack the rim in transition, which is a big part of his game.
“Their style fits my game pretty well,” Warren said after being picked by Phoenix. “Transition and fastbreak, that’s my game. I like to get up and down and run.”
In addition, Warren is good at moving without the ball, and cutting to the basket. This part of his game also works well within the Suns’ offensive system, which is based on a heavy dose of pick-and-rolls and weak-side movement.
While Warren is a tough cover from mid-range and at the rim, he is a poor shooter from three-point range (26.7 percent), which is something he will need to address moving forward. His shooting mechanics are not bad, so with proper coaching Warren should be able to develop into a solid threat from beyond-the-arc. Though Warren won’t be knocking down a ton of three-pointers in his first season with the Suns, head coach Jeff Hornacek believes he will still be able to contribute.
“He’s such a great scorer, he’s not going to have to rely on the three-point shot,” Hornacek said. “He’ll be able to move without the ball and catch it on the move. When he moves he’s very slick, and he knows when to get the ball up or take an extra dribble and take it up. He has a great feel for the game offensively.”
Warren’s best performances last season came in back-to-back games, scoring 41 points against Pittsburgh and 42 points against Boston College. These games highlighted Warren at his best, especially the game against Boston College. In that game, Warren went 14-of-23 from the field, 14-of-17 from free throw line and also grabbed 13 rebounds. He did not attempt any three pointers, and instead did his damage in transition, off backdoor cuts and with midrange floaters.
While Warren is a talented offensive player, his defensive skills need some work. He is not great at guarding opposing players in isolation, but he is a solid team defender. He also plays passing lanes well, evidenced by his 1.8 steals per game. In addition, Warren showed improved defensive skills in his workout for the Suns prior to the draft. After Warren’s workout, Hornacek said: “The question for him wasn’t the scoring part, it was the defense. I thought he did a great job defensively. Getting his hand on the ball, he was better than I anticipated from watching tape.” The ability to play the passing lanes will be especially important in Phoenix, where the team is always looking to create transition opportunities.
While some may argue that Warren was drafted in a position that is representative of where he stands in comparison to his peers, it is not unreasonable to think he could end up being one of the top players to emerge from this draft years down the line. Keep in mind that opposing defenses geared up to stop Warren, which led to him taking a lot of tough, contested shots. Warren will be on a team that could feature Bledsoe, Dragic, Gerald Green, Channing Frye, the Morris twins and other talented players. This should keep defenses from loading up on him like they did in college. Add to this the possibility that Warren could become a three-point shooter down the line, and you start to see how effective of a player he could be as a pro, especially with a team like the Suns that will utilize and maximize his talents.
Players like Andrew Wiggins, Jabari Parker and Joel Embiid will likely be the top players to come out of this draft, yet there is room for Warren to establish himself as a steal at 14 in hindsight. Players like Nik Stauskas, Noah Vonleh, Elfrid Payton, Dario Saric and Zach LaVine have great potential, but they are not locks to be great players several years from now. Warren has that same great potential, but his ability to score is almost certain to translate to the NBA.
Warren may not be the best player to come out of this draft, but several years from now, we will wonder how he was not picked higher. Credit the Suns for recognizing what he can do, and not overly criticizing him for what he currently cannot do. Suns general manager Ryan McDonough is assembling an impressive core of young players in Phoenix, and in Warren he got the steal of the draft.
- Jesse Blancarte
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