Suns have outside shot of filling perimeter needs in draft
PHOENIX -- With a steep decline unintentionally initiated by the trade deadline, the Suns finished the regular season ranked 20th among NBA teams for 3-point accuracy.
As an emphasized area of off-season improvement, some shooting help could be provided by the player Phoenix selects with its next (barring a statistically unlikely upset) late lottery pick.
Last week's review of post players who could interest the Suns included a couple of players with that coveted stretch capacity.
This week, we're taking a look at four perimeter players suspected of falling somewhere near Phoenix's range when the talent excavation resumes June 25.
We're not joining the bandwagon hope that University of Arizona freshman Stanley Johnson continues dropping to within striking distance of the Suns.
That might be nice, but still . . .
Devin Booker's freshman season drew comparisons to Golden State's Klay Thompson at a similar stage of his career.
Draft followers love existing-player comparisons, and this kid seems to remind more than a few people of Klay Thompson.
OK, so there is a facial resemblance. And Booker -- at 6-foot-6, 206 pounds -- is listed an inch shorter and at the same weight as the pre-draft Thompson. Both players possess impressive bloodlines.
Klay's pop, Mychal Thompson, was a 6-11 post player and the first overall selection in the 1978 NBA Draft. Devin's dad, Melvin Booker, was the Big Eight Player of the Year, played 32 NBA games (he wasn't drafted) and, at 6-1, had a long professional career in the backcourts of Europe.
Like Klay Thompson, Devin Booker is a lights-out shooter; they both made 41 percent of their 3-pointers as freshmen.
Like Thompson, Booker enters the draft with so-so run-jump explosiveness and pedestrian length (Klay has a slight edge in wingspan). Both used the jump shot as a major offensive weapon in college, although Thompson spent a bit more time using ball screens and finishing at the rim at Washington State.
Kentucky had more dribble-centric players than Booker to use in pick-and-roll attacks.
While neither profile as a defensive stopper, they both played for coaches that demanded strong focus on that end -- Booker for John Calipari and Thompson (as a freshman) for current Virginia coach Tony Bennett.
Thompson averaged 12.5 points over 33 minutes per game as a freshman; in the loaded Kentucky system, Booker averaged 10 in just 21.5 minutes.
But unlike Thompson, Booker is entering the draft after one year in school. Klay hit the NBA after three seasons at Washington State and provided Golden State with 12.5 points in 24 minutes per game as a rookie.
We'll see if and when Booker is able to add more off-the-dribble chops and go from a committed, capable team defender to a versatile lock-down guy, much like Thompson.
Among wing players potentially available around pick No. 13, Booker looks like the best marksman. He already has NBA range and demonstrates sufficient hoop IQ to become an above-average player.
Or he might rise even higher. Nobody expected Thompson -- the 11th pick in 2011 -- to do what he's done.
Kansas' Kelly Oubre is perceived as having a high ceiling, but his intensity and focus were lacking at times during his freshman season.
The 19-year-old lefty rallied from a slow start to deliver on some of the potential he flashed as one of the nation's top prospects at Findlay Prep in Nevada.
That late skewing toward his anticipated ceiling has positioned Oubre higher than the Suns will be picking, according to most mock drafts. While that doesn't necessarily correlate to real draft boards, there's also the possibility of a dip once pre-draft workouts begin.
We'll see if Oubre's intensity and focus -- assuming his representation allows him to compete against other prospects at his level -- is more consistent in these challenges than it was at Kansas.
At 6-foot-7 -- with a reach measured at slightly beyond 7-1 -- Oubre has the length, bounce and lateral quickness to defend multiple positions. But he usually plays with high hips, mitigating his defensive potential and limiting his ability to beat defenders off the bounce on offense.
Oubre has a nice -- if inconsistent -- shooting stroke (35.8 percent from 3), but ball-handling limitations often compromise his efforts to put the ball in proper hand position when loading an off-the-dribble jumper.
Wisconsin's Sam Dekker shot only 33 percent from 3-point range for the year but has good size, quickness and ball-handling skills.
Dekker has become a favorite among a segment of Suns fans who watched his cold-blooded, 3-point-shooting display against the University of Arizona.
Unfortunately, Dekker's postseason marksmanship leading up to the Final Four was considerably more impressive than the 33 percent he managed -- last among Badgers starters -- during the regular season.
OK, Wisconsin's other gunners were pretty good, and a shooting stroke can be much easier for some players to improve than other deficiencies. Dekker is probably working to get better from the NBA distance right now.
Dekker goes about 6-9 and 230 pounds, with a wingspan of 6-10 (measured at the 2014 Nike Skills Academy) that seems longer. But he has nice lift, good quickness, above-average agility and handles the ball pretty well . . . for a small forward. Just don't expect as much to-the-cup potential or lock-down defense if you have notions of Dekker playing shooting guard.
Dekker gave the Badgers 14 points per game in his last season, making 64 percent of his shots inside the arc. Playing alongside 7-foot Player of the Year Frank Kaminsky and strongman Nigel Hayes, his rebound average (5.6) wasn't bad. And, in typical Wisconsin fashion, he thrived while compiling a minimal amount of turnovers and fouls.
He's smart, competitive and could be there when Phoenix picks at 13.
Jerian Grant is a 6-5 wing who has a skill set similar to the Suns' Archie Goodwin.
Son of Harvey, nephew of Horace, the talented Grant checks in at 6-5 -- several inches below his NBA veteran father and uncle.
After sitting out a year for academic issues, Grant had a big senior season and was a major factor in Notre Dame's deep run through the NCAA Tournament.
Working alongside point guard Demetrius Jackson, Grant demonstrated considerable potential as a primary ballhandler, giving the Fighting Irish 6 dimes per game.
When the Irish needed Grant to score, he provided 16.5 points per game, converting 47.7 percent of his shots from the field. Streaky from deep, the 22-year-old made 31.6 percent of his attempts behind the 3-point arc.
Grant is solid in pick-and-roll schemes, shoots a bit more smoothly off the bounce than in catch-and-shoot opportunities and seemed like a better finisher than his numbers suggest.
Despite having length, savvy and good lateral quickness, Grant didn't stand out as a defender.
That said, Notre Dame hasn't exactly been known for its defensive focus in recent years.
With added strength and an upgrade in technique -- especially positioning and footwork in getting over ball screens -- Grant could be able to defend well enough to not be a liability.
Grant already is a lot of what the Suns want Archie Goodwin to be -- a big guard who can play either backcourt spot. But Jerian -- who's older than the two-year NBA vet -- is a better shooter, ballhandler and passer than Goodwin.
He doesn't match Archie as a finisher or athlete and might not offer enough of the ol' presumed upside.