Rank the players you'd most like to still be on the team two years from now

[lilfishi22]

You actually ranked Chriss higher but nevertheless, I too am cautious about Chriss' skillset and how he'll pan out. I'm encouraged by certain aspects of his game but other part I'm not as confident. Warren I feel like, at the very least, has his efficient scoring to fall back on even if his rebounding and defense stays average.

[bwgood77]

You actually ranked Chriss higher but nevertheless, I too am cautious about Chriss' skillset and how he'll pan out. I'm encouraged by certain aspects of his game but other part I'm not as confident. Warren I feel like, at the very least, has his efficient scoring to fall back on even if his rebounding and defense stays average.

Warren proved later in the season he can be better than average. I think he will thrive as a scorer, rebounder, steal, non turnover guy who doesn't cost you anything if he becomes adequate defensively and can develop a 3, but even if he is an avg defender, I think he has huge value due to the other things he brings.

Chriss has unlimited potential, but who knows where that ends up? He did show much more promise than I hoped and I was probably the highest on him of anyone (and Bender actually) in the draft.

[lilfishi22]

That's why I'm on board with resigning Warren even if it cost a bit more now. I think he can be a strong third option on a very good team mainly because he doesn't need to dominate the ball to get his and his defense and rebounding right now is at worst average. So I do think he has room for even more improvement even if his ceiling may not be as high as Chriss's.

Perhaps I just wasn't as enamoured by the Chriss pick as many others on here but I do feel like I'm applying an unfair double standard on him. Even though he's shown more and arguably has more potential, I still like Bender more as a prospect despite playing and producing less. I'm not convinced that either has star potential but I just like Bender more as a player.

[bwgood77]

That's why I'm on board with resigning Warren even if it cost a bit more now. I think he can be a strong third option on a very good team mainly because he doesn't need to dominate the ball to get his and his defense and rebounding right now is at worst average. So I do think he has room for even more improvement even if his ceiling may not be as high as Chriss's.

Perhaps I just wasn't as enamoured by the Chriss pick as many others on here but I do feel like I'm applying an unfair double standard on him. Even though he's shown more and arguably has more potential, I still like Bender more as a prospect despite playing and producing less. I'm not convinced that either has star potential but I just like Bender more as a player.

Oh, I expect more from Bender. He has the BBIQ, skills, and length to be special. Chriss will be exciting, but his learning capability is higher than I anticipated. I think he has a good chance to be special in a different way. I also had Chriss ranked as first choice with the 13th pick when we thought that was our pick, so what we ended up with was crazy good in my mind.

[GMATCallahan]

Warren proved later in the season he can be better than average. I think he will thrive as a scorer, rebounder, steal, non turnover guy who doesn't cost you anything if he becomes adequate defensively and can develop a 3, but even if he is an avg defender, I think he has huge value due to the other things he brings.

Chriss has unlimited potential, but who knows where that ends up? He did show much more promise than I hoped and I was probably the highest on him of anyone (and Bender actually) in the draft.

I hope that Warren just refrains from shooting threes if he cannot shoot them efficiently, though. One of the keys to his improvement in the second half was his reduction in three-point attempts, from 1.7 per game before the All-Star break to 1.2 afterwards. And with greater discretion, his percentage improved from .247 to .308, respectively. Personally, if Warren cannot shoot .350 on threes, or at least .330, I would prefer to see his average number of attempts drop even further, to 0.1 or 0.0.

As you know, when the Suns reached the NBA Finals in 1993, their starting small forward was either Cedric Ceballos or Richard Dumas, who combined to shoot 1-5 on threes during that regular season. Sure, the NBA has changed, but if you possess an old-school game, play your old-school game. Old-school still works if you are actually good at it.

[batsmasher]

I hope that Warren just refrains from shooting threes if he cannot shoot them efficiently, though. One of the keys to his improvement in the second half was his reduction in three-point attempts, from 1.7 per game before the All-Star break to 1.2 afterwards. And with greater discretion, his percentage improved from .247 to .308, respectively. Personally, if Warren cannot shoot .350 on threes, or at least .330, I would prefer to see his average number of attempts drop even further, to 0.1 or 0.0.

I wouldn't be too worried, he shot a career high 77% from the FT line which generally speaking, means his mechanics are getting slightly better. Yes, his 40% 3PT% last season was probably a fluke, but he did it on the same number of attempts as this season. I wouldn't be surprised if he could get to 35%.

[lilfishi22]

I hope that Warren just refrains from shooting threes if he cannot shoot them efficiently, though. One of the keys to his improvement in the second half was his reduction in three-point attempts, from 1.7 per game before the All-Star break to 1.2 afterwards. And with greater discretion, his percentage improved from .247 to .308, respectively. Personally, if Warren cannot shoot .350 on threes, or at least .330, I would prefer to see his average number of attempts drop even further, to 0.1 or 0.0.

I wouldn't be too worried, he shot a career high 77% from the FT line which generally speaking, means his mechanics are getting slightly better. Yes, his 40% 3PT% last season was probably a fluke, but he did it on the same number of attempts as this season. I wouldn't be surprised if he could get to 35%.

I also wouldn't want him to stop shooting either. Shooting 3's, even at a below average clip keeps defenders honest and opens up his put the ball on the floor game.

[bigfoot]

For sure these are the players I would like to see on the Suns team in December 2018

Booker, Bender, Warren, Chriss, Ulis, Williams, Jones, Bledsoe, Dudley, Chandler, Barbosa, incoming rookies (three 2017 picks, four 2018 draft picks) + McD and Watson

I want to see what a stable team and front office can do. Certainly want to see the family first experiment play out. Honestly by December 2018 we should have a really good understanding of our rebuild. Chandler and Dudley still need to be around for mentoring these incoming draft picks. Should we be playing poorly then they can be traded easily to a contending team. Otherwise we need some of that older vet mojo to compete in the playoffs. Perfect examples are Joe Johnson, Ginobili, Iguodala, etc. These playoff teams need to have those calming influences and folks who have been there.

These players could be moved or not re-signed and I would be fine with that

Len - Anything more than $8M is a waste of cap space
Knight - Trade him and a second round pick to any willing taker

[GMATCallahan]

I also wouldn't want him to stop shooting either. Shooting 3's, even at a below average clip keeps defenders honest and opens up his put the ball on the floor game.

... only if he converts them at a high enough rate. Otherwise, as a defender, you just back off or do not rush out at him.

I mean, if defenders are not doing that now, they are making a mistake.

[GMATCallahan]

I wouldn't be too worried, he shot a career high 77% from the FT line which generally speaking, means his mechanics are getting slightly better. Yes, his 40% 3PT% last season was probably a fluke, but he did it on the same number of attempts as this season. I wouldn't be surprised if he could get to 35%.

I just do not want to see him struggle trying. A good model, I would say, is Grant Hill with the Suns. Over five seasons in Phoenix, Hill shot a respectable .354 on threes—by being very selective and picking his spots. One way or another, he did not waste or squander many offensive possessions.

[lilfishi22]

I also wouldn't want him to stop shooting either. Shooting 3's, even at a below average clip keeps defenders honest and opens up his put the ball on the floor game.

... only if he converts them at a high enough rate. Otherwise, as a defender, you just back off or do not rush out at him.

I mean, if defenders are not doing that now, they are making a mistake.

IMO low 30% is a respectable enough percentage to warrant <2 attempts a game. It just means he needs to find his spots and be selective with his shots. Shooting 1-2 attempts a game isn't a struggle either, especially when he's got such a good offensive game outside of the 3 to rely on. To me, his 3PT% could certainly be better but it isn't down in the dumps nor is it un-salvageable.

Unlike "shooters" who are shooting a terrible 3PT%, can't contribute if they aren't hitting their 3's and need to shoot themselves out of a slump, that's a struggle. Warren with his open offensive game will still be able to get his points efficiently regardless of his 3PT% but he needs to keep shooting them to keep the defense honest.

[GMATCallahan]

IMO low 30% is a respectable enough percentage to warrant <2 attempts a game. It just means he needs to find his spots and be selective with his shots. Shooting 1-2 attempts a game isn't a struggle either, especially when he's got such a good offensive game outside of the 3 to rely on. To me, his 3PT% could certainly be better but it isn't down in the dumps nor is it un-salvageable.

Unlike "shooters" who are shooting a terrible 3PT%, can't contribute if they aren't hitting their 3's and need to shoot themselves out of a slump, that's a struggle. Warren with his open offensive game will still be able to get his points efficiently regardless of his 3PT% but he needs to keep shooting them to keep the defense honest.

He shot .263 on threes this season; that percentage is horrific. He also shot .238 on threes as a rookie, albeit in only 0.5 attempts per game. Now, as you know, he shot .400 on threes during his second season in 1.5 attempts per contest over 47 games, so his career percentage is .311, but that figure is quite low, especially in comparison to his .530 career two-point field goal percentage. If you shoot that high on two-point attempts, then there is little reason to shoot a three unless you can hit at least around .333 (a net of one point per possession).

The way that Warren will keep defenses honest will primarily be through movement. Certainly, he can experiment with the occasional open corner three, as Grant Hill did, but if defenses sag off him away from the basketball, the best way to exploit that coverage is for him to make use of his cutting skills to cut in the direction of the basket, or constantly move along the baseline, and get layups and free throw attempts at the hoop. With the basketball, smart defenses will sag off him no matter what and force him to shoot from the outside, as that is not a natural strength of his.

In terms of his scoring efficiency, Warren's volume of threes can certainly affect matters. He posted a .539 True Shooting Percentage this season, which is respectable, yet far from great. But in 22 games after the All-Star break, when Warren proved more selective about shooting threes, that True Shooting Percentage rose to .595, which is indeed great. The difference is not solely attributable to three-point shooting, but it played a role.

[ImNotMcDiSwear]

1. Booker.
2. Bender.
3. Chriss.
4. Ulis.
5. DJJ.
6. Warren. And I love TJ Warren.
7. Williams.
8. Len.

[End]

[bwgood77]

Seeing as we're approaching the end of the season and the tank is out, how have people's rankings changed?

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--- Tier 1 (keep at all costs) ---

Bender (-) - Still think unicorn potential
TJ (-) - Still extremely good at what he does and not appreciated enough league wide


--- Tier 2 (would prefer them here but would send em packing for the right price) ---

Booker (-) - Elite scorer.. but staying in this tier because I don't think he's our way to a championship and his value is sky high
Chriss (↑ 1) - Massive way to go... but the growth he's showing is promising. Rebounding/ BBIQ still anchoring him.
Derrick Jones Jr. (-) - Still athletic af. Plenty to work with.
Sauce Williams (↑ 2) - Going to be a high energy backup... hopefully on a nice contract
Ulis (↓ 1) - Shown he's no more than a serviceable/good backup


--- Tier 3 (don't care either way) ---

Bledsoe (-) - Best season lost in the tank. Makes you wonder if we can ship him for something which better fits our timeline.
Dudley (-) - I need more JMZ


-- Tier 4 (meh tier) ---

Len (↓ 2) - Who knows if it was Chandler who killed him, but he's dead.
Jenkins

--- Tier 5 (won't be on the team) ---

Knight
PJ
Chandler
LB

I pretty much agree with this, though I would swap Ulis with Jones....or maybe move Jones to Tier 3, though I guess better to leave in tier 2 because if he is still here that probably means he learned to shoot from long range. If we don't draft a PG it makes it tough for Bledsoe but if he's still here in 2 years we will be caught in this massive contract negotiation, so ultimately, even if he's here next year, I think we would have to deal him next off season, but then I don't know what we would do at PG. I like Ulis. Don't feel like he is probably a starter on a good team...maybe, but even if he was, we need a good backup.