2019 NBA Mock Draft: No one in the lottery wants to lose
Duke. R.J. Barrett. 2. player. 66. . G/F
The Suns made waves over the past few weeks with the “unorthodox” manner in which they are reportedly approaching the 2019 draft under interim co-general manager James Jones. “You can only draft young guys for so long,” Jones told ESPN. “If you’re continuing to draft in the top five it’s because the guys you’re drafting aren’t good, or it can be that the guys you’re drafting are good, but you just aren’t developing your young prospects.”
So while the Adrian Wojnarowski report that painted the Suns franchise in complete disarray and as a concern for the league office was soundly rejected by Jones and others within the organization, Jones’ own perception of the team’s strategy for attacking the draft isn’t far off from what the reports say. Jones continually points to the franchise’s increased use of technology and statistics to evaluate prospects as opposed to a team of scouts being unleashed to colleges around the country. The Suns let several scouts go in October and have yet to fill those vacancies — Jones just doesn’t appear to be in a hurry to do so.
The stakes are high. “There’s no question from the league office, teams around the league, there’s a lot of raised eyebrows at Phoenix about how they’re operating right now,” Wojnarowski reported in mid-February.
In other words, don’t be surprised if and when the Suns make this pick available. The odds they deal this draft pick if it doesn’t land at the very top — and give them a shot at Zion Williamson — are very high. Barrett shouldn’t go any lower than No. 2, regardless if the Suns have the confidence backed by months of research to actually take him.