Plenty of focus on Ball despite ‘loaded’ draft
While 16 teams prepare for the NBA playoffs, the Suns on Wednesday had exit interviews at Talking Stick Resort Arena. This has become their postseason routine, the seventh consecutive season without a playoff appearance, a streak that has tried the patience of the fan base.
The upside: The Suns think their young nucleus soon will develop into a playoff contender, maybe quicker than expected. And they have a chance to add to the group in June’s NBA draft, considered rich in can’t-miss prospects.
“I’ve been in the league since 2003, and this is up there in the top two or three drafts I’ve seen in terms of talent,” General Manager Ryan McDonough said. “Where we’re picking, at the guard and the wing there are a few very talented players. We’ll take the best available player, and if that guy’s as good as we think he can be, we’ll work the rest of the roster around that.”
With the NBA’s second-worst record at 24-58, the Suns are guaranteed a topfive pick in the draft. According to how the ping pong balls fall during the May 16 lottery, they could do better. Phoenix has a 55.8 percent chance to land a top-three pick and a 19.9 percent chance to lasso the No. 1 selection.
A name repeated Wednesday: UCLA point guard Lonzo Ball.
“No. 1 guy for me would be Ball,” veteran forward Jared Dudley said. “You have to deal with his dad, you guys (in the media) might like that. (Washington’s Markelle) Fultz might be better offensively, but Ball, when it comes to having a sense of knowing the game, playing and passing, making everyone better, I don’t think there’s anyone better than him.”
Most expert mock drafts (if there is such a thing) have Fultz going No. 1 to Boston, a pick the Celtics acquired through trade with the Brooklyn Nets. They have the Suns taking Ball, an All-America playmaker who revived UCLA as a freshman, turning the Bruins into one of the country’s more efficient offensive teams.
An issue, of course, is the point guard’s father, LaVar Ball, who loves the media spotlight. Already, he has said that his son is just as good as Golden State’s Stephen Curry. He also has said that Ball will stay in Southern California to play for the Lakers.
Not long ago, Suns center Tyson Chandler heard about 6-foot-6 Ball. The comparisons to Jason Kidd intrigued him, especially considering Chandler won a championship with Kidd in 2011 with the Mavericks. Throughout Chandler’s 16 seasons, Kidd was one of his favorite teammates, so Chandler started paying attention to Ball. He quickly understood the hype. “The kid is super-talented,” Chandler said. “His dad, I grew up with guys like that. I grew up with an uncle like that, so it don’t bother me too much. His dad seems like he’s, you know, street ball. From the streets, he sat at the park and he talks and talks. And it worked, because he got his son (positioned) as one of the best players.”
Despite this season’s poor finish, the Suns feel like they’re closer to postseason contention than their record reflects. McDonough couldn’t say for certain how many more years it will take for a playoff push. But he knew this: If the Suns are good over the next couple years, they’ll be good for the next 10. Both point guard Eric Bledsoe and guard Devin Booker are potential All-Stars. In addition, forwards Marquese Chriss and Dragan Bender – only 19 – are promising pieces.
Areas that need immediate attention are defense and shooting. The Suns this season ranked among the NBA’s worst defensive teams. They struggled defending the 3-point arc and fouled more than any other team. They also need more shooting. With the league trending toward spacing and 3-point shooting, the Suns shot 33.2 percent from long range. Only three teams were worse.
“This summer is going to be really important for us,” Booker said. “I know I’m going to stay in the gym. I know we have a lot of gym rats, but we have to take our craft seriously this summer.”
Even with all the talent he sees in the June 22 draft, coach Earl Watson will pay just as much attention to character. To him, that’s what separates the good players from the elite. Character, Watson, believes, is what helps players develop through good times and bad.
Instead of getting to know players during their Phoenix visits, Watson wants to meet players on their turf.
“I want to go to their hometown, just to embrace them,” Watson said. “We just don’t want to embrace the kid, we want to embrace everyone. I think it’s important to just get out. I want to go to where they’re from so you can see the way they truly are. I’ll be like a college recruiter.”
Contact Doug Haller at 602-444-4949 or at doug.haller@arizonarepublic.com.
“I’ve been in the league since 2003, and this is up there in the top two or three drafts I’ve seen in terms of talent.” RYAN MCDONOUGH SUNS GENERAL MANAGER