NBA Free Agency 2017: 5 offseason needs for the Phoenix Suns
By John Buhler
2. Sixth man in the backcourt
If Phoenix does plan to get more explosive offensively with their team centered around Booker, it may be advantageous for them to draft a guy that can also create his own shot. Since Phoenix finished with the second-worst record in basketball, they have an excellent chance at selecting either Lonzo Ball or Markelle Fultz in this summer’s NBA Draft.
That being said, Phoenix already has an absurd amount of point guards that played at Kentucky. Eric Bledsoe, Brandon Knight and Tyler Ulis all played in Lexington for Coach Calipari on the SEC’s Kentucky Wildcats. Have any of them made the Suns backcourt better?
Not all of them can start, so ideally one of them would have been able to carve out a sixth man role coming off the Phoenix bench. Keeping the offense humming when Booker has to go out will be key in the Suns’ eventual turnaround. The role should be Knight’s but he was terrible this year. Ulis looked nice in spurts but his size makes him limited.
Perhaps the guy doesn’t have to be overly ball centric? A catch-and-shoot guy at the two guard can give the bench some bite when he’s on the court. Finding a shooter that is even half as gifted as Booker in the draft will be tough sledding for the Suns. It’s part of why Booker looks to be generationally gifted at shooting guard for the Suns.
Tyreke Evans, Tim Hardaway Jr. or Jodie Meeks could be a fit for the Suns in their second unit offense. Evans may end up staying with the Kings since Sacramento did trade for him. Hardaway plays big minutes for Atlanta. Maybe Meeks leaves Detroit? Stan Van Gundy has to do something different. Any offense besides Booker would be a plus for the Suns.