5 Suns draft targets in 2024 NBA Draft – bigs edition

 

For those living outside the state of Arizona, yes, the Phoenix Suns actually do have a pick in the 2024 NBA Draft! For the rest of you who already knew that, it’s time to start diving into Suns draft targets.

With the No. 22 overall pick in this year’s draft, the Suns can go in a number of directions. Despite the first-round playoff sweep, this team’s window to contend is right now, which puts pressure on the front office to maximize the value of this pick.

Does that mean attaching No. 22 to Nassir Little or Jusuf Nurkic in a draft-day trade? Or does it mean selecting a rookie to try and find long-term fixes for Phoenix’s immediate check list, which includes adding defensive-minded wings, upgrading the center rotation and locating a backup point guard?

The Suns haven’t made a first-round selection since Jalen Smith back in 2020, and a look at the contenders around the league reveals how valuable talent development is. Whether it’s home-grown superstars or role players, all the recent “dynasties” like the Golden State Warriors or San Antonio Spurs were able to extend their windows by supplementing their established talent with young, cost-effective contributors they found late in the first round.

Throughout NBA history, there have been examples of teams finding quality rotation players with the 22nd pick:

• Walker Kessler (2022)
• Isaiah Jackson (2021)
• Grant Williams (2019)
• Jarrett Allen (2017)
• Bobby Portis (2015)
• Mason Plumlee (2013)
• Kenneth Faried (2011)
• Jared Dudley (2007)
• Jarrett Jack (2005)
• Kenny Thomas (1999)
• Chris Mills (1993)
• Scott Skiles (1986)
• Norm Nixon (1977)
• Johnny Davis (1976)
• Truck Robinson (1974)

Bearing that in mind, we’re going to start honing in on specific Suns draft targets that would make sense every Thursday. This week, we’ll focus on bigs who can provide an alternative to Jusuf Nurkic in a pinch, ideally specializing in rim-running, athleticism, mobile defense and maybe even some floor-spacing.

The Suns could certainly use more lob threats for the Big 3, which is something they didn’t really have between Nurk’s lack of bounce and a lack of chemistry with the more athletic Drew Eubanks:

Thankfully, taking a look back through the last 10 NBA Draft classes, there have been quite a few serviceable big men who were taken 22nd overall or later, including:

• Walker Kessler (No. 22 in 2022)
• Isaiah Jackson (No. 22 in 2021)
• Jarrett Allen (No. 22 in 2017)
• Clint Capela (No. 25 in 2014)
• Moritz Wagner (No. 25 in 2018)
• Larry Nance Jr. (No. 27 in 2015)
• Robert Williams III (No. 27 in 2018)
• Kevon Looney (No. 30 in 2015)
• Nic Claxton (No. 31 in 2019)
• Ivica Zubac (No. 32 in 2016)
• Montrezl Harrell (No. 32 in 2015)
• Xavier Tillman (No. 35 in 2020)
• Mitchell Robinson (No. 36 in 2018)
• Daniel Gafford (No. 38 in 2019)
• Nikola Jokic (No. 41 in 2014)
• Nick Richards (No. 42 in 2020)
• Isaiah Hartenstein (No. 43 in 2017)
• Trayce Jackson-Davis (No. 57 in 2023)

Depending on who’s still available, Phoenix could look to add another name to that list with their 22nd pick. Here are five potential Suns draft targets that might make sense among this year’s pool of bigs.

Suns draft targets: 5. Zach Edey, Purdue

Starting off with the best college basketball player in the country at No. 5 seems like a pretty good way to kick things off! This two-time National Player of the Year, two-time Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award winner and two-time First Team All-American is a well-known commodity for most basketball fans. But at this point, the concerns about his mobility seem to have overshadowed what Zach Edey does so well.

So let’s put it in perspective: The 7-foot-4 Goliath took 47.1 percent of his shots at the rim last year, and made an almost-unbelievable 82.3 percent of them, per Hoop-Math. That is insane, and although he had a clear size and length advantage over everyone else in college, Edey did a superb job keeping the ball out of reach, finishing high over smaller defenders and either bullying through contact or getting to the foul line.

The Purdue star put up 25.2 points, 12.2 rebounds, 2.2 blocks and 2.0 assists per game on 62.3 percent shooting, and he made 71.1 percent of his free throws. That’s not a fantastic number, but it’s tidy enough considering he was taking 11.2 attempts from the charity stripe on a nightly basis. Even at the NBA level, being able to use his height to his advantage and force opponents to foul could be useful, especially as a guy who led the entire NCAA in offensive rebounding percentage.

Edey shot 44.5 percent on his 2-point jump shots, which constituted more than half of his shot attempts. Although he currently has no 3-point shot to speak of (despite insisting it will be part of his game in the pros), knocking down the occasional floater will help him at the next level.

Even if his perimeter shot is not bankable skill, his spine-tingling screens sure are, and they’d make him useful on a team that needs to free up Devin Booker, Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal.

The biggest question is whether Edey can hold up defensively. He’s not very quick laterally, and NBA teams will try to punish him in pick-and-rolls, seeing if he can hold up against quicker ball-handlers and shot creators. Edey proved he could be effective enough in drop coverage at the college level, which is something that Mike Budenholzer used to anchor the Milwaukee Bucks’ top-10 defenses with Brook Lopez.

Edey’s lumbering strides don’t seem impressive, but they actually are — historically so — for a guy his size.

Still, in an up-tempo NBA game, there are understandable concerns about how he’ll hold up. His superb touch doesn’t really extend beyond the painted area, which is fine for quicker, more athletic lob threats, but Edey will have to use his size, strength and skill to overpower defenders rather than zip past or jump over them.

Traditional, back-to-the-basket bigs typically amount to more situational roles in the NBA these days, and that’s especially true for a guy who will probably have to master the art of drop coverage to survive on defense. But even so, Edey can be effective in 10-15 a minutes a night, using his gargantuan size to operate out of the post on one end and his 7-foot-11(!!!) wingspan to swat a few shots on the other.

He’s worth a look if he falls this far, but that may be unlikely, since The Ringer and ESPN have him going late in the early teens, and most of the 10 mock drafts we consulted had him off the board before Phoenix is on the clock.

4. Kyle Filipowski, Duke

Kyle Filipowski is not the hyper-athletic, rim-running, shot-demolishing, elite-finishing big that makes up most of this list of Suns draft targets. He is, however, the most skilled big of the group, and one of the more skilled players in the entire draft at his size.

ESPN tabbed Filipowski going to the Suns at No. 22 in their last two mock drafts, as did Bleacher Report. There’s a decent chance Filipowski is off the board by that point, with The Athletic and and No Ceilings having him off the board in the 10-15 range. But if he does slip to No. 22, Phoenix should give him a serious look.

Standing at 6-foot-11, Filipowski is the type of complementary big who can dribble, pass and shoot. He’s a face-up big who operated well in the post, but his perimeter game is what will make him valuable at the next level. Very few 7-footers are capable of creating space like this:

At Duke, the 20-year-old put up a well-rounded 16.4 points, 8.3 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 1.5 blocks and 1.1 steals per game. He shot 50.5 percent overall, and although he only made 34.8 percent of his 3s (on 3.1 attempts per game), he projects to be a serviceable stretch-big because of his touch and how smooth his release looks:

As you could probably tell from the clips, Filipowski is a fluid ball-handler who can playmake, which is a valuable skill for any big in the NBA. It unlocks a level of versatility for an offense when the big man on the floor can set screens, pick-and-pop, or operate in the short roll, and that dexterity multiplies when said big can handle the ball well enough to come off handoffs or attack hasty closeouts.

Aspects of Filipowski’s game have been compared to guys like Kelly Olynyk, Lauri Markkanen and Zach Collins. His 3-point efficiency will need to improve, but he’s got a great foundation to build from as a connector who can keep an offense churning in the half-court or get his team into transition opportunities by grabbing a defensive rebound and bringing it up the court himself.

Is he a point forward or point center? No. But Filipowski would provide an extra layer of basketball I.Q., ball-handling, secondary playmaking, shot creation and floor-spacing that the Suns could utilize from day one.

The two big questions are how well he’ll be able to finish at the next level, and how he’ll hold up on the defensive end. According to Hoop-Math, Filipowski only converted 62.4 percent of his looks at the rim against college competition — a slightly worrisome mark, considering that was one of the biggest gripes with Jusuf Nurkic, who shot 60.2 percent at the rim this season. Then again, it’s worth noting that less than half of Filipowski’s made buckets at the rim were assisted, again illustrating his ability to create offense.

As for the other concern, despite his impressive block and steal numbers for one of the top-20 defenses in men’s basketball, Filipowski probably won’t be a defensive anchor at the next level. With that being said, concerns about his defense seem to be a tad inflated at this point. Filipowski has a negative wingspan at 6-foot-10 and isn’t a fully switchable big by any means, but he works hard on defense, sliding his feet to stick with perimeter forwards and even some guards for at least a few precious seconds.

To start his NBA career, Filipowski would probably be better-served playing as a 4 next to another rim protector. That would allow his effort to shine as a secondary rim protector while he adjusted to defending pros in space. Either way, his ability to make plays and create mismatches from multiple spots on the floor is intriguing enough to warrant serious consideration if he’s still on the board.

3. Daron Holmes II, Dayton

A local kid from Goodyear, Arizona, DaRon Holmes is a bit older than the typical draft prospect at age 21, but he brings quite a bit to the table, particularly as a stretch-big. Last season at Dayton, Holmes was a Second Team All-American, averaging 20.4 points, 8.5 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 2.1 blocks per game, all while shooting 54.4 percent from the floor.

As a floor-spacer, one-fifth of Holmes’ shot attempts came from behind the arc, where he made 38.6 percent of his 2.5 3-point attempts per game. But he’s not just a pick-and-pop threat, as Holmes is a deft roller who is more than capable of finishing around the basket. According to Hoop-Math, he took 49.1 percent of his shots around the rim and converted 74 percent of them.

At just under 6-foot-9 without shoes, and sporting a 7-foot wingspan, Holmes has the size the play the 4 and the skill-set to even log minutes as a small-ball 5. He can finish plays in the pick-and-roll as a rim-runner or by popping out to the 3-point line, but he doesn’t mind working out of the short roll either, either slinging passes out to open 3-point shooters or taking it to the rim himself. Unlike most of the bigs on our list of Suns draft targets, Holmes was only assisted on 56.6 percent of his made buckets at the rim.

Defensively, the 2.1 blocks and 0.9 steals per game speak for themselves, but he’s got the tools to be a solid pick-and-roll defender in the pros.

Holmes may have to adjust to quicker NBA ball-handlers when it comes to his footwork and lateral mobility defending at the level, since he often used his length and timing as a shot-blocker to cover distance quickly in those situations. But that should come with time, given his physical tools and defensive instincts. If he can truly develop into a switchable big, he might be the total package.

As a plus rebounder, downright mean shot-blocker, versatile defender who should be able to hold his own in space or in drop coverage, and a polished pick-and-roll partner who can spread the floor or finish plays at the rim, Holmes fits a lot of what the Suns could use in a younger, more athletic big.

According to ESPN’s Jeremy Woo, “Holmes recently canceled several workouts, raising strong suspicions that he has secured a guarantee in the back part of the first round.” Whether that team is the Suns, a mystery team, or the Denver Nuggets (as five of the 10 recent mock drafts we consulted seem to think), there’s a lot to like with Holmes. CBS Sports’ mock draft on June 4 had Phoenix taking him at No. 22.

2. Kel’el Ware, Indiana

Like Holmes, Kel’el Ware is an uber-athletic, rim-running big who can knock down 3s to space the floor and broke records at the NBA Draft Combine.

The draft stock for Indiana’s 7-footer is all over the place, with Yahoo! Sports putting him 14th, ESPN inserting him in the 20s, The Athletic dropping him to the early 30s, and The Ringer placing him as high as No. 9.

What’s clear, however, if Ware is not afraid to absolutely YAM on people if they get in his flight path to the hoop:

According to Hoop-Math, Ware took took 49.7 percent of his shots at the rim and made 73.6 percent of them. Unlike Holmes and Filipowski, he was assisted on 72.6 percent of those buckets, but that comparative lack of self creation won’t matter as much if he’s sharing the floor with the Suns’ big 3. Ware has some nifty spin moves and a reliable hook shot in the paint, both of which suggest room for offensive growth.

As a 3-point shooter, Ware knocked down 42.5 percent of his 3s, but it came on a lower volume, with the 20-year-old only taking 1.3 per game. There are lingering questions about his shot considering the low volume of attempts, how he jumped from 27.3 percent shooting from downtown at Oregon the season prior, or the fact that he only shot 63.4 percent from the free-throw line.

In any case, even if the “stretch-5” aspect of his game takes time to develop, Ware has been mentioned as a potential “steal of the draft” on multiple mocks for a reason. He’s 7-foot-1, with a massive 7-foot-5 wingspan and 9-foot-4 standing reach. He put up a tantalizing 15.9 points, 9.9 rebounds and 1.9 blocks per game last year for the Hoosiers, flashing the kind of high-flying rim-running and quick-twitch athleticism that will have plenty of teams thinking he’s this year’s Dereck Lively II.