Scouts laud Suggs, viable draft target for Warriors
NBA observers indicate Gonzaga star could be ideal for Golden State
Jalen Suggs’ sensational tournament run for Gonzaga ended Monday night with a loss to Baylor in the national championship game. It was a disappointing ending to what could have
been the first perfect season in 45 years in college basketball.
But Suggs has earned his place among the top players in a highly regarded 2021 draft class after a standout freshman season in which he hit one of the most memorable shots in NCAA Tournament history and punctuated it with 22 points on 8-of-15 shooting for the top-seeded Bulldogs in the championship game.
Among several ball-handlers who will come off the board early in the July 29 draft, Suggs, 19, offers the combination of tantalizing talent and NBA readiness that could make him the ideal selection for the Warriors.
As one NBA scout said, “He’s not going past four.”
Most scouts and draft experts believe Oklahoma State’s
Cade Cunningham, the Big 12 Player of the Year and a finalist for the Wooden Award, will be the top pick. But after Cunningham, it’s anyone’s guess how the rest of the top five shakes out between Suggs, USC’s Evan Mobley, and the G League Ignite’s Jalen Green and Jonathan Kuminga. The Warriors own Minnesota’s top-three protected firstround pick, which currently has a 60% chance of conveying as No. 4 or 5 and giving Golden State a chance to draft one of these players.
But should the Warriors get the pick, taking a raw talent like Green or Kuminga, or a big man like Mobley, may not be ideal. Green offers a rare blend of athleticism and scoring potential, and Kuminga could blossom into a prototype 3-and-D, playmaking wing, but both are years away from being able to play in Golden State’s read-and-react schemes and contribute in the postseason. Mobley, considered to be in the mold of Anthony Davis, would be redundant of rookie center James Wiseman, whom Golden State selected with the second overall pick five months ago. If the Warriors land and use the pick, they’ll need to identify a player who can crack the rotation and contribute right away.
“I think it’s going to be pretty seamless because of the way that he plays,” one NBA scout said. “I think his football background helps his toughness and his mentality.”
When watching Suggs, a high school quarterback who became the first athlete to win Minnesota’s Mr. Football and Mr. Basketball awards in the same school year, his physical force is apparent. At 6-foot4, 205 pounds, Suggs hurtles up the court in transition, makes passes on the move like Patrick Mahomes and defends with a strong safety’s mentality. Several scouts rave about his basketball IQ and feel for the game.
“He can get to just about anywhere he wants on the floor and is a threat driving to the basket, pulling up for a mid-range jumper or shooting threes,” said NBA draft expert Chad Ford, who ranks Suggs No. 3 on his big board. “He’s aggressive, but also highly intelligent. He’s an above-average passer for his size. Defensively, he’s a physical, relentless one-on-one defender.”
Two-way guards who can play on and off the ball are a premium in today’s game. NBA front offices covet these kinds of players, as evidenced by Bucks guard Jrue Holiday’s recent fouryear, $160 million contract extension. One scout compared Suggs’ ceiling to that of Holiday and his floor to that of Celtics guard Marcus Smart.
In both instances, Holiday and Smart found relative success early as defensive-minded guards who evolved as passers and perimeter shooters. It took Smart five years before he started shooting 3-pointers at a high volume and making them at a league-average rate. Holiday, who entered the NBA at 19, was named an All-Star four years later at 22.
Other scouts compared Suggs to Portland Trail Blazers guards Brandon Roy and Damian Lillard, who arrived as NBA-ready scorers and developed into top offensive threats in the game during their time.
Expecting such an instant return from Suggs may be foolish, considering the top question most have is concerning his streaky 3-point shot. Although Suggs shot 50.2% overall and 76.6% on free throws during the regular season, he made just 33.3% of his 3.4 3-point attempts per game. He’s made as many as 7 of 10 in a game and had 13 games in which he did not make a single try from beyond the arc. That will need to improve, especially in today’s game when defenses can ignore nonshooters. Indeed, Suggs is not a flawless prospect. In addition to the shooting concerns, his below-average 6-foot-5½ wingspan could curb his ability to defend anyone other than opposing guards.
One scout, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to speak freely, questioned his motor against lesser competition.
“There would be times where his effort was not consistent. But again, they’re playing in a conference that they haven’t lost in, what, 20 years?”
But a tournament run like that of Suggs’ should do enough to quiet those concerns. In his college debut, Suggs dropped 24 points in a 102-90 win over Kansas. From the Elite Eight to the championship game, he averaged 18.7 points on 55% shooting, 5.3 rebounds and 5.6 assists. If there’s an “It” factor, scouts say he has it.
Suggs has “a leadership quality that allows him to take over games when his team needs it, and to defer to others when it’s more advantageous to his team,” Ford said. “He doesn’t play hero ball, but with the game on the line, you want the ball in his hands. The competitiveness, mental toughness and high-level athleticism and motor are coveted qualities in the NBA.”
These intangibles would be a welcome addition in Golden State, where Suggs could run the second-unit offense behind Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson or play alongside them because of his defensive versatility.
“Basketball IQ, his defensive potential, and then just his ability offensively to score,” an NBA scout said. “All can get better, but are all certainly worthy of the guy that’s going to be at the top.”