2022 Wildcat/Sundevil basketball, other NCAA, draft discussion

[lilfishi22]

I was promised long GOK posts...

Await the imminent crash of RealGM and you'll know it's here

[Ghost of Kleine]

NBA combine scrimmages today:

Watch on YouTube

Watch on YouTube

The craziest measurements for day 1 of the combine could be one of the best playmaking 4/5s' in college basketball.
Treyvion Williams comes in at 6'7 265 lbs with a 7'3 wingspan! and is one of the very best playmakers/passers in all of college basketball. Now to get an idea of what an incredibly underrated prospect he is, compare him to Draymond Green:
6'6 230 lbs with a 7'1 wingspan.
https://www.tankathon.com/players/compare?players=trevion-williams--draymond-green
They're so very similar it's almost funny! Phoenix has been wanting a Draymond Green-type player as a connector for so very long!
Check out his draft profile and playmaking!
https://www.thestepien.com/2022/01/08/draft-journal-vii-new-years-notebook/

Trevion Williams, The Modern Weapon

Every year there seems to be a senior with a clear NBA skillset who rises late in the draft process. Trevion’s fit is less seamless than those of Bane and Duarte and his ceiling as a contributor is likely also lower, but he has a modern big-man arsenal that should not be overlooked. Williams’ per-game stats have taken a dip as Matt Painter tries to equally distribute his dominant bigs, but Trevion’s production during his short time on the floor has been superb. He is one of four players above 6’9” to have an assist% above 30 and is scoring 13 points per game on just 20 minutes per night – while maintaining a TS% above 60. He has been efficient and productive.

Trevion handles a lot of usages and the offense typically runs through him when he’s on the floor. 46% of his possessions are coming on post-ups, where he is dominant as a scorer and facilitator. There’s no denying that this isn’t the most translatable type of usage, but I think Trevion demonstrates an ability to extrapolate these same skills into other avenues of offense that are more scalable and modern, which we’ll get into later. His post scoring is the main culprit and driver of his offense, so I want to start there. A film of Trevion’s footwork could teach a ballet class on its own and keeps defenders grasping at straws while trying to stay disciplined. His touch is extremely soft and enables him to score from a plethora of angles in and around the restricted area.

Read on Twitter

?s=20&t=1pCeY6x8Ia8M_o8jHHMvVg

Draft profile

Spoiler:

Watch on YouTube

[Ghost of Kleine]

Another player for James Jones to consider IF we do trade into the late first- early 2nd could be David Roddy of Colorado. A former football player and quarterback, He has a unique size/ skillset at 6/6 255 lbs ( wing/ forward) and a 7'0 wingspan. He's a very physical, gritty, tough player/ defender with a high IQ, good athleticism, ball handling, rebounding, 3 PT shooting, and above-average passing. Think PJ Tucker with playmaking and solid isolation scoring ability. Best of all, he plays with relentless energy, a high motor and dominates 50/50 ball situations.
https://zonahoops.com/2022/03/08/david-roddy-nba-scouting-report/

Read on Twitter

?s=20&t=oK1GF9ZNd9N5uUypDOY8hw

Watch on YouTube

[Slim Charless]

I was promised long GOK posts...

Await the imminent crash of RealGM and you'll know it's here

Why didn't anyone think to send him into the game 7 thread on the GB? All of those happy and cocky Mavs/Dubs/Laker fans being unable to brag post would've been great to see.

[Ghost of Kleine]

I was promised long GOK posts...

Await the imminent crash of RealGM and you'll know it's here

Why didn't anyone think to send him into the game 7 thread on the GB? All of those happy and cocky Mavs/Dubs/Laker fans being unable to brag post would've been great to see.

The Mavs fans woulda been like:

[bwgood77]

That's as broad a statement as I expect from a GM.

Hey you guys need more PG depth - yeah we'll look at options in the draft, free agency, summer league and trades. LOL yeah no sh*t

Not a shimmering endorsement of his confidence in identifying prospective talent that fit those criteria. It's almost like he lacks confidence in this particular scope of his job. Which is fine because you can't be great at everything! But that's why you (as a franchise) you appropriate a revenue percentage to scouting AND higher-end talent evaluators, consultants, etc. I guess they're lucky to have so many armchair experts all over the internet that can do extensive research that they'll never truly look at or entertain!.............LOL
The suns just need to invest in higher quality scouts and possibly a basketball talent evaluation department to extract solid value like other franchises seem to frequently do. Then those research departments can pull from our vast self promoted expertise as semi amateur armchair GMs' and scouts.

I think their plan this year is to sit even closer to the prospects as they watch them play.

[darealjuice]

I wouldn't bother looking at the draft much if you're looking for point guard depth. TyTy Washington and Kennedy Chandler could end up being alright, but I don't really see them being starters.

[Ghost of Kleine]

I wouldn't bother looking at the draft much if you're looking for point guard depth. TyTy Washington and Kennedy Chandler could end up being alright, but I don't really see them being starters.

When looking at more cost effective options to possibly replace Payne, You don't like any of the guards in the draft's late first to 2nd round? And not even in comparison to what Payne has recently shown? Or do you expect him to experience a resurgence next season?

So you don't see value as a backup guard alternative to Payne with any of:

Andrew Nembhard.
https://www.tankathon.com/players/andrew-nembhard

Dalen Terry.
https://www.tankathon.com/players/dalen-terry


Ziga Samar.
https://www.tankathon.com/players/ziga-samar

What about Colin Gillespie ( Villanova) late 2nd to undrafted.

Or Jamaree Bouyea ( San Francisco) late 2nd round pick?
You don't like any of those cheaper alternatives to bring in as our 3rd guard ( Payton Walks) and they can challenge Payne and Holiday for a backup guard role. But even if they don't right away, they'd provide legitimate depth if Payne continues to struggle or Williams decides we shouldn't bring Holiday back??? Are you looking more at free agency or trade as a viable option over the draft or summer league?

[darealjuice]

I wouldn't bother looking at the draft much if you're looking for point guard depth. TyTy Washington and Kennedy Chandler could end up being alright, but I don't really see them being starters.

When looking at more cost effective options to possibly replace Payne, You don't like any of the guards in the draft's late first to 2nd round? And not even in comparison to what Payne has recently shown? Or do you expect him to experience a resurgence next season?

So you don't see value as a backup guard alternative to Payne with any of:

Andrew Nembhard.
https://www.tankathon.com/players/andrew-nembhard

Dalen Terry.
https://www.tankathon.com/players/dalen-terry


Ziga Samar.
https://www.tankathon.com/players/ziga-samar

What about Colin Gillespie ( Villanova) late 2nd to undrafted.

Or Jamaree Bouyea ( San Francisco) late 2nd round pick?
You don't like any of those cheaper alternatives to bring in as our 3rd guard ( Payton Walks) and they can challenge Payne and Holiday for a backup guard role. But even if they don't right away, they'd provide legitimate depth if Payne continues to struggle or Williams decides we shouldn't bring Holiday back??? Are you looking more at free agency or trade as a viable option over the draft or summer league?

I'd be surprised if any of those guys are going to be rotation players in the NBA, but you never know I guess.

Free agency, trade, Holiday, or pray Payne remembers how to play basketball again seem like the most likely options to me. No harm in giving UDFAs a try, but that's a dart throw. I wouldn't give up anything valuable to trade into the draft if point guard is the goal.

[Ghost of Kleine]

I wouldn't bother looking at the draft much if you're looking for point guard depth. TyTy Washington and Kennedy Chandler could end up being alright, but I don't really see them being starters.

When looking at more cost effective options to possibly replace Payne, You don't like any of the guards in the draft's late first to 2nd round? And not even in comparison to what Payne has recently shown? Or do you expect him to experience a resurgence next season?

So you don't see value as a backup guard alternative to Payne with any of:

Andrew Nembhard.
https://www.tankathon.com/players/andrew-nembhard

Dalen Terry.
https://www.tankathon.com/players/dalen-terry


Ziga Samar.
https://www.tankathon.com/players/ziga-samar

What about Colin Gillespie ( Villanova) late 2nd to undrafted.

Or Jamaree Bouyea ( San Francisco) late 2nd round pick?
You don't like any of those cheaper alternatives to bring in as our 3rd guard ( Payton Walks) and they can challenge Payne and Holiday for a backup guard role. But even if they don't right away, they'd provide legitimate depth if Payne continues to struggle or Williams decides we shouldn't bring Holiday back??? Are you looking more at free agency or trade as a viable option over the draft or summer league?

I'd be surprised if any of those guys are going to be rotation players in the NBA, but you never know I guess.

Free agency, trade, Holiday, or pray Payne remembers how to play basketball again seem like the most likely options to me. No harm in giving UDFAs a try, but that's a dart throw. I wouldn't give up anything valuable to trade into the draft if point guard is the goal.

Fair enough. I for my part would like to have an insurance policy upgrade from Payton just in case Payne can't pull it together, and or Holiday doesn't come back. Especially if we can find that value at the cost of only a two way deal. But if we can find a get option cheaper than what Payne makes but is comparable or Better in terms of efficiency/ production, then I'm open to that. I'm just not sure who that might he in free agency or trade though? I see the 2nd round to undrafted pool as the cheapest option for 3rd guard insurance ( depth).

Jones did mention interest in exploring trading into the draft. What positions on our roster would you specifically target for low cost developmental depth?? I'm asking because I genuinely respect your perspective and knowledge base on these things!

[darealjuice]

When looking at more cost effective options to possibly replace Payne, You don't like any of the guards in the draft's late first to 2nd round? And not even in comparison to what Payne has recently shown? Or do you expect him to experience a resurgence next season?

So you don't see value as a backup guard alternative to Payne with any of:

Andrew Nembhard.
https://www.tankathon.com/players/andrew-nembhard

Dalen Terry.
https://www.tankathon.com/players/dalen-terry


Ziga Samar.
https://www.tankathon.com/players/ziga-samar

What about Colin Gillespie ( Villanova) late 2nd to undrafted.

Or Jamaree Bouyea ( San Francisco) late 2nd round pick?
You don't like any of those cheaper alternatives to bring in as our 3rd guard ( Payton Walks) and they can challenge Payne and Holiday for a backup guard role. But even if they don't right away, they'd provide legitimate depth if Payne continues to struggle or Williams decides we shouldn't bring Holiday back??? Are you looking more at free agency or trade as a viable option over the draft or summer league?

I'd be surprised if any of those guys are going to be rotation players in the NBA, but you never know I guess.

Free agency, trade, Holiday, or pray Payne remembers how to play basketball again seem like the most likely options to me. No harm in giving UDFAs a try, but that's a dart throw. I wouldn't give up anything valuable to trade into the draft if point guard is the goal.

Fair enough. I for my part would like to have an insurance policy upgrade from Payton just in case Payne can't pull it together, and or Holiday doesn't come back. Especially if we can find that value at the cost of only a two way deal. But if we can find a get option cheaper than what Payne makes but is comparable or Better in terms of efficiency/ production, then I'm open to that. I'm just not sure who that might he in free agency or trade though? I see the 2nd round to undrafted pool as the cheapest option for 3rd guard insurance ( depth).

Jones did mention interest in exploring trading into the draft. What positions on our roster would you specifically target for low cost developmental depth?? I'm asking because I genuinely respect your perspective and knowledge base on these things!

Yeah I can't say I'm too aware of who's an upcoming free agent and on the trading block at the moment, but we won't have much money to work with in free agency.

I think we could use a young power forward or combo guard/wing that can get a bucket. No idea where we'd be drafting, but I'd be surprised if we made our way past the last first round. EJ Liddell is probably the only power forward in that range I have much interest in. Terquavion Smith and Jalen Williams are interesting players that have generated some pre-draft buzz. Bryce McGowans is young, tall, and shifty and he showed some interesting scoring ability this year. Christian Braun could be a solid role player. I can't say I watched as much college basketball as usual this year though.

[RedIndian]

If we could get a pick in the 2nd round, there are a bunch of big guards we could look at:

Jalen Williams
Dalen Terry
Terquavion Smith
Trevor Keels
Ryan Rollins
Alondes Williams

Bunch of interesting players. I'd definitely be looking at developing a young guard given how bad Payne and Shamet were this year.

[Ghost of Kleine]

https://www.brightsideofthesun.com/2022/5/20/23130885/early-draft-nba-chatter-around-the-pick-less-phoenix-suns

Early draft chatter around the pick-less Suns

Iowa State senior Izaiah Brockington is the first prospect to have a reported workout with the team

By DamonAllred@iamdamonallred  
May 20, 2022, 10:00am MST  

4 Comments

General manager James Jones was asked during the end-of-season availability if he’d pursue trading back into the draft, and he said “I explore all options, so if there’s an opportunity for us to get back into the draft, we will. We’re going to use all the avenues to improve, whether that’s the draft, free agency, [Las Vegas] Summer League, you name it.”

But as things stand now, they’re not involved in picks 1-60, so they’ll instead be mostly looking at undrafted free agent candidates.

Brockington, after transferring from Penn State, helped lead Iowa State to a significant turnaround from 2 wins in 2020-21 without him to 22 wins this past season. In his lone season with the Cyclones, he averaged 16.9 points, 6.8 rebounds, 1.6 assists, and 1.3 steals on 45/36/78 shooting splits in his 34.6 minutes over 35 games (all starts). He also led the nation in total points scored from long 2, specifically the leader in points from 18, 19, 20, and 21 feet respectively, per Synergy; the three-point line in NCAA is just over 22 feet.

Watch on YouTube

The only other prospect linked with the Suns at this point is Oral Roberts junior point guard Max Abmas.

The 6-foot-1, 165-pound guard is certainly lacking in many physical departments, size and athleticism included, but he was one of the most productive college players over the past two seasons.

He averaged 23.6 points, 3.7 assists, and 1.3 steals on 45/41/87 shooting splits over his last 58 games, and he led Oral Roberts to a stunning Cinderella run in the 2021 NCAA Tournament, reaching the Sweet 16. During that run, he averaged 26.7 points, 4.7 assists, and 1.3 steals on 42/40/85 shooting splits. Abmas is an elite shooter in all sorts of scenarios:

- 1.154 points per possession (PPP) on contested catch-and-shoot opportunities.

- 82nd percentile in NCAA1.286 PPP on open catch-and-shoot opportunities.

- 73rd percentile1.082 PPP off the dribble, 93rd percentile.

Watch on YouTube

[kennydorglas]

Last draft I did a lot of work and we ended up trading the pick for landry shamet hahaha

Not doing this again.

[RaisingArizona]

Last draft I did a lot of work and we ended up trading the pick for landry shamet hahaha

Not doing this again.

Lol. Man, that is rough! Keep up the good work, GOK! I hope the Suns brass reads your posts.

[Ghost of Kleine]

Read on Twitter

?s=20

[bwgood77]

https://www.brightsideofthesun.com/2022/5/20/23130885/early-draft-nba-chatter-around-the-pick-less-phoenix-suns

Early draft chatter around the pick-less Suns

Iowa State senior Izaiah Brockington is the first prospect to have a reported workout with the team

By DamonAllred@iamdamonallred  
May 20, 2022, 10:00am MST  

4 Comments

General manager James Jones was asked during the end-of-season availability if he’d pursue trading back into the draft, and he said “I explore all options, so if there’s an opportunity for us to get back into the draft, we will. We’re going to use all the avenues to improve, whether that’s the draft, free agency, [Las Vegas] Summer League, you name it.”

But as things stand now, they’re not involved in picks 1-60, so they’ll instead be mostly looking at undrafted free agent candidates.

Brockington, after transferring from Penn State, helped lead Iowa State to a significant turnaround from 2 wins in 2020-21 without him to 22 wins this past season. In his lone season with the Cyclones, he averaged 16.9 points, 6.8 rebounds, 1.6 assists, and 1.3 steals on 45/36/78 shooting splits in his 34.6 minutes over 35 games (all starts). He also led the nation in total points scored from long 2, specifically the leader in points from 18, 19, 20, and 21 feet respectively, per Synergy; the three-point line in NCAA is just over 22 feet.

Spoiler:

Watch on YouTube

The only other prospect linked with the Suns at this point is Oral Roberts junior point guard Max Abmas.

The 6-foot-1, 165-pound guard is certainly lacking in many physical departments, size and athleticism included, but he was one of the most productive college players over the past two seasons.

He averaged 23.6 points, 3.7 assists, and 1.3 steals on 45/41/87 shooting splits over his last 58 games, and he led Oral Roberts to a stunning Cinderella run in the 2021 NCAA Tournament, reaching the Sweet 16. During that run, he averaged 26.7 points, 4.7 assists, and 1.3 steals on 42/40/85 shooting splits. Abmas is an elite shooter in all sorts of scenarios:

- 1.154 points per possession (PPP) on contested catch-and-shoot opportunities.

- 82nd percentile in NCAA1.286 PPP on open catch-and-shoot opportunities.

- 73rd percentile1.082 PPP off the dribble, 93rd percentile.

Watch on YouTube

DEFINITELY sounds like a Sun:

He also led the nation in total points scored from long 2, specifically the leader in points from 18, 19, 20, and 21 feet respectively, per Synergy; the three-point line in NCAA is just over 22 feet.

[Ghost of Kleine]

If we could get a pick in the 2nd round, there are a bunch of big guards we could look at:

Jalen Williams
Dalen Terry
Terquavion Smith
Trevor Keels
Ryan Rollins
Alondes Williams

Bunch of interesting players. I'd definitely be looking at developing a young guard given how bad Payne and Shamet were this year.

Absolutely agree here!
Jalen Williams ( athletic Sean Livingston/ Joe Johnson).

Spoiler:

Read on Twitter

?s=20&t=uk10ZsLFZCgQ7KO3an6L9g

Dalen Terry (Terrence Mann/ Nik Batum).

Spoiler:

Read on Twitter

?s=20&t=jJ0AeXGO9A9p1iUhA3tCbw

Terquavion Smith (Bones Hyland/ skinny Lou Williams).

Spoiler:

Read on Twitter

?s=20&t=9r5dQkJZn0POaW-pxDlOBA

Trevor Keels ( Offensively polished Lou Dort).

Spoiler:

Read on Twitter

?s=20&t=9mA8VPodbsYnVIm0c36lEw

Ryan Rollins ( Slightly more athletic RJ Hunter).

Spoiler:

Read on Twitter

?s=20&t=SN4iKFdsRs7rcFb1uz6ODQ

Alondes' Williams ( Deron Williams/ Baron Davis).

Spoiler:

Read on Twitter

?s=20&t=XGcMy7eRDnIUifh0-NltiQ

These players have Great size, strength, athleticism, high-end skillsets/ talents.

[Ghost of Kleine]

https://www.brightsideofthesun.com/2022/5/20/23130885/early-draft-nba-chatter-around-the-pick-less-phoenix-suns

Early draft chatter around the pick-less Suns

Iowa State senior Izaiah Brockington is the first prospect to have a reported workout with the team

By DamonAllred@iamdamonallred  
May 20, 2022, 10:00am MST  

4 Comments

General manager James Jones was asked during the end-of-season availability if he’d pursue trading back into the draft, and he said “I explore all options, so if there’s an opportunity for us to get back into the draft, we will. We’re going to use all the avenues to improve, whether that’s the draft, free agency, [Las Vegas] Summer League, you name it.”

But as things stand now, they’re not involved in picks 1-60, so they’ll instead be mostly looking at undrafted free agent candidates.

Brockington, after transferring from Penn State, helped lead Iowa State to a significant turnaround from 2 wins in 2020-21 without him to 22 wins this past season. In his lone season with the Cyclones, he averaged 16.9 points, 6.8 rebounds, 1.6 assists, and 1.3 steals on 45/36/78 shooting splits in his 34.6 minutes over 35 games (all starts). He also led the nation in total points scored from long 2, specifically the leader in points from 18, 19, 20, and 21 feet respectively, per Synergy; the three-point line in NCAA is just over 22 feet.

Spoiler:

Watch on YouTube

The only other prospect linked with the Suns at this point is Oral Roberts junior point guard Max Abmas.

The 6-foot-1, 165-pound guard is certainly lacking in many physical departments, size and athleticism included, but he was one of the most productive college players over the past two seasons.

He averaged 23.6 points, 3.7 assists, and 1.3 steals on 45/41/87 shooting splits over his last 58 games, and he led Oral Roberts to a stunning Cinderella run in the 2021 NCAA Tournament, reaching the Sweet 16. During that run, he averaged 26.7 points, 4.7 assists, and 1.3 steals on 42/40/85 shooting splits. Abmas is an elite shooter in all sorts of scenarios:

- 1.154 points per possession (PPP) on contested catch-and-shoot opportunities.

- 82nd percentile in NCAA1.286 PPP on open catch-and-shoot opportunities.

- 73rd percentile1.082 PPP off the dribble, 93rd percentile.

Watch on YouTube

DEFINITELY sounds like a Sun:

He also led the nation in total points scored from long 2, specifically the leader in points from 18, 19, 20, and 21 feet respectively, per Synergy; the three-point line in NCAA is just over 22 feet.

I didn't care too much for him at first, as I had my specific favorites! ( Jaylen Williams) and/or Alondes' Williams). But after seeing his aggressive and relentless play, speed, and energy, I'm "all in" on Brockington.

Read on Twitter

?s=20&t=yVRscUdLXDcSqqCCp65Xcw

And perhaps Max Abmas could replace Holidays' shooting role as 3rd rotation guard and just bomb away for us against opposing benches? By the way, looking at Alondes' Williams Iso game, explosiveness, strength/power game, and playmaking ability, I can see why people make the Deron Williams/ Baron Davis comps.

Read on Twitter

?s=20&t=Qt8srIInmjfw4wPyPeCa0g

[DirtyDez]

Who would McDonough take #1?