The Phoenix Suns have won the draft lottery and thus for the first time the first pick of the drag. The franchise from Arizona is now spoilt for choice, with Deandre Ayton and Luka Doncic being two clear candidates. How will the Suns decide and what will happen in the desert?
When it comes to Josh Jackson, Phoenix has an easy decision to make on June 21st, Draft Day. “I would like to see us draft a Big Man and probably the best in this draft is Deandre Ayton,” the Sun rookie explained.
And if Phoenix wants to, Ayton will be in her roster next year. After 50 years in the league, the Suns have won something for the first time, apart from conference and division titles, if only the Draft Lottery, which gave the Arizona team its first pick in the draft.
“He’s The Guy, his potential is huge,” Jackson raved. “I saw him in high school and every year he improved. He has no limits.”
Ayton was also convincing in college, with a strong double double (20.1 points, 11.6 rebounds, 1.9 blocks) on average during the Freshman season. Ayton comes with the complete package, already has an impressive body at 19 years of age, strength, length and lots of athletics.
He is considered a certain star with the potential to dominate his position for years. Ayton can defend against guards at the perimeter, he even has the range to shoot from a distance. Actually, the center brings everything to be considered a sure thing for the first pick, not least because he played in Phoenix for years, first in high school in Phoenix, then in college for Arizona.
But there is another candidate who has caused a sensation, even if not in the States: Luka Doncic. Slovenia are 19 years old, and three years ago Real Madrid made the then 16-year-old the youngest player in club history. Meanwhile, the Slovenian is part of the inventory and is the leader of the royal family in tight situations. This is inconceivable, as Madrid itself has half an NBA team.
Similar to Ayton, there seem to be no limits for Doncic. The Guard’s final breakthrough came last summer, when he raptured Europe with Goran Dragic and sensationally won the title with Slovenia. Coach at the time: Igor Kokoskov.
The Serbian has worked in the NBA for the last three years as a highly decorated assistant to Quin Snyder at the Utah Jazz – and has been the new head coach of the Suns for several weeks now.
Is this the sign that the Suns are now spurning the Hometown Kid and yet prefer to take perhaps the best European prospect of all time? General Manager Ryan McDonough didn’t want to know. “Igor’s opinion will be very important. We know he and Luka have a great relationship, but at the same time he wants us to draft the best player.”
This could also be Doncic, who, as a great Guard franchise player, could well complement Devin Booker with his enormous game intelligence. In combination with Jackson, the Suns would have a strong core on the wing. The Boston Celtics in the playoffs with Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum and Co. prove that this can be particularly valuable in today’s NBA.
But would Doncic even get into the NBA next season? The Slovenian kept a low profile, which didn’t bother McDonough any further. “He’s in a tricky situation right now. He is preparing for the final four in the EuroLeague, so he certainly doesn’t want to answer any questions about the NBA. If we were to draft him, I wouldn’t worry he wouldn’t be on our team next year.”
But the Suns won’t stiffen up on the two of them. McDonough confirmed that the Suns want to talk to five to ten players, including Duke’s wing Marvin Bagley II and Texas center Mohamed Bamba, who set a new record for measured wingspan at the Combine.
It’s a real luxury problem for Phoenix, but Arizona likes to be in this situation. “We have to choose the right player now,” McDonough said with a smile on the sidelines of the lottery. It’s about finding the third pillar for the young Suns team, Booker and Jackson are the other two.
After a 21-61 season, the desert is a hopeful place to be. At No. 16 the Suns can pick again, the last remaining asset from the trade from Goran Dragic to Miami in 2015 and Phoenix will have a lot of capspace in the coming years, because with the exception of the extension of Forward T.J. Warren (4 years, 47 million dollars) only the youngsters are under long-term contracts with their rookie contracts.
Phoenix could become a real big player on the free agent market in the next two years, even though they haven’t been in the playoffs for seven years now. In this league the potential counts, then the stars come too, Philly could show this in this Free Agency.
“We plan to be very aggressive this summer,” McDonough announced. “Our team won’t be as young as it was last year.” It would also be possible to put some picks into potential trades. Phoenix has four of them with 1, 16, 31 and 59, of which the last three would be available, as McDonough confirmed.
But the Suns will most likely not give up the top pick. “Just for an absolutely immoral offer we’re not thinking about right now,” the Suns GM estimated the possibility that Phoenix would start to ponder.
So the Suns will probably pick themselves and get their third player for the future. The Sacramento Kings are not ready yet, they only have one potential star in Point Guard De’Aaron Fox, but were the big winner of the evening with a probability of 6 percent on the second pick. Fox was in the lottery himself and couldn’t get out of the shine. “There’s really nothing more you can do.” He referred to the Kings, but the same can also apply to Phoenix, whether Ayton or Doncic.