NBA Rumors: Phoenix Suns promise T.J. Warren they will select him
By Sam Richmond
The Phoenix Suns have told North Carolina State forward T.J. Warren they will select him in the first-round of tonight’s NBA Draft, according to Yahoo Sports’ Marc. J. Spears.
More from NBA
- NBA insider: Cavaliers should consider trading Donovan Mitchell
- NBA rumors: Hawks trade candidate, Sixers miss out, Lakers almost lose Reaves
- NBA insider explains real reason the Grizzlies were done with Dillon Brooks
- Knicks projected lineup and rotations heading into 2023-24 season
- Rockets projected lineup and rotations heading into 2023-24 season
Spears doesn’t specify exactly where Phoenix has promised to take the 6’8″ forward (they have three first-round picks), but he has the Suns scooping up Warren at No. 18 in his latest mock draft, and also writes:
"T.J. Warren, North Carolina State, SF, 6-8, 220, So. – He surprisingly got invited to the green room, and a source said Phoenix gave him a promise."
Warren was one of the premier stat-sheet stuffers in college basketball last season, as he averaged an impressive 24.9 points and 7.1 rebounds per game.
While Warren does an outstanding job of getting to the rim and finishing, he’s not an elite outside shooter, converting just 26.7 percent of his attempts beyond the arc in his final season as a member of the wolf pack.
That would seem to be a bit of a problem for Phoenix, given they run an offense predicated on shooting threes (ranked 4th in three-point attempts in 2013-14) and mostly avoiding two-point shots (ranked 25th in two-point attempts in 2013-14).
Still, the Suns could use some help at the small forward position and Warren figures to be able to contribute immediately.
Also, players with Warren’s raw scoring ability don’t come around too often and that simply might be too much for Jeff Hornacek’s squad to pass up on.
Draft Express ranks Warren as the 17th best prospect in tonight’s NBA Draft.