Phoenix Suns Draft Review

Current Roster
PG: Eric Bledsoe/Tyler Ulis/Brandon Knight
SG: Devin Booker/Leandro Barbosa/Davon Reed
SF: Josh Jackson/TJ Warren/Derrick Jones Jr.
PF: Marquese Chriss/Jared Dudley/Alec Peters
C: Tyson Chandler/Dragan Bender

2017 Free Agents
Unrestricted
G Ronnie Price

Restricted
C Alex Len
C Alan Williams

Who They Drafted
1-4 Josh Jackson, SF Kansas
2-32 Davon Reed, SG Miami
2-54 Alec Peters, PF Valparaiso
The Suns got the player they apparently they've wanted for years, and it is easy to see why. Devin Booker has exceeded everyone's expectations as an offensive player, but is very poor defensively and the Suns, who feature many bad defenders, need defensive minded players to place around Booker. that is where Jackson comes in. A hyper-competitive, high motor wing, Jackson will willingly take the responsibility of guard the other teams best perimeter player and, in time, should be one of the better defensive wings in the game. His high motor also leads him to affect the game on the glass, in transition, and moving without the ball. As a shooter, Jackson has always made shots in the run of play, even if his form is ugly and his free throw percentage poor; this shot-making will have to continue at the next level for him to become the future star that Phoenix is hoping for. If that shooting doesn't come around, he'll still be valuable do to his defense, motor, passing, and ball-handling, but just more of a limited offensive threat. In Phoenix, his high energy style will allow them success in the transition and give them another decision maker in the half court, one that will hopefully allow Booker to take less, but better shots.
Senior Davon Reed is another great fit for the Suns because he is a low-usage 3-and-D wing player who should be able to guard a couple positions defensively and shot .395% on 512 three-pointers over the course of his college career. The Suns have a lot of players who want the ball in their hands, which means they need players who can space the floor and be impactful without the ball, like Reed. In particular, Reed works well with a player like TJ Warren who is a scorer through and through, but doesn't shoot the ball well and is a poor defensive player. Reed will balance the floor better and can take the tough assignment on the wing. Not a high upside prospect, but the sort of player that good teams have.
Towards the end of the second round, the Suns took another four-year college player that has a clear role in the NBA, though without as much certainty as Reed. At 6-9, Alec Peters is undeniably a tremendous shooter, he made .416% of 694 college three-pointers over his four years at Valpo, he looks like a stretch-four at the next level, especially when you factor in his comfort handling the ball and passing, even it isn't dynamic. What is more uncertain is what else Peters brings to the table. Aside from the shooting, the rest of his game probably won't work at the NBA level. He doesn't have tremendous physical gifts and doesn't project to be a good rim protector or very switchable. He is a solid defensive rebounder but still isn't moving the needle much in that regard.

What They Need Going Forward
The Suns biggest priority is figuring out what their timeline is and committing in that direction. Too often, the Suns have mixed up their direction, drafting project 18 year-olds in the draft while also signing win-now veterans. It is probably too much to ask for a team to take on Tyson Chandler and Brandon Knight (though they should really try) but it will be important for Earl Watson not to let his young players rot on the bench at the expense of being more competitive playing vets. They definitely need to explore trading Eric Bledsoe, who is a great player but he is older than their young core and likely one injury away from having no trade value. They have a pretty full roster and are unlikely to be big spenders in free agency (unless they are able to deal their expensive vets) so most of their attention should be spent on their own free agents Alan Williams and Alex Len. Len has been a tremendous disappointment while Williams was a nice surprise. Williams for his likely price is much more desirable for Len at his.

Follow me on Twitter @double_tech