Suns likely looking for perimeter help with 13th pick
Originally published: Jun 4, 2012 - 2:22 pm
However, that does not mean the team will not be able to land a solid player, at least, according to GM Lance Blanks.
Blanks spoke with the media Monday as part of a "Lunch with Lance," where the Suns executive gave thoughts on the team's draft philosophy as well as the belief on how the team will improve going forward.
And, if there is one theme that was brought up more than any other, it was "player development."
"This summer we are ramping up our player development, so that's a little intro on how we think we're going to get better," Blanks said. "Starting with the players that we have currently on our roster. We're going to spend a lot of time in investing resources to basically get better internally."
That's all reasonable and good, and for a team that has no chance at selecting one of the draft's premier prospects, it's easily the way to go. Blanks said he's optimistic about the approach going forward largely because of the success of Markieff Morris, who the team took last year with the 13th pick.
"I think he exceeded all expectations," Blanks said. "Having said that, here we are again with the 13th pick, and hopefully we can do just as good as we did last year."
Morris averaged 7.4 points and 4.4 rebounds per game in his first year, shooting 39 percent from the floor and struggling when inserted into the starting lineup. However, he showed promise, which is about all you can ask for from a team picking where the Suns are.
As for who the Suns will be taking, Blanks understandably could not give too many hints. He jokingly referenced the number of different players mock drafts have the Suns selecting, adding that things will become much clearer following the NBA Draft Combine, which takes place in Chicago from June 6 to 10, and then after the team brings players to the Valley for individual workouts.
He did, however, say that at first glance this draft seems to be filled with more "scorers" than "defenders," and that he'd like to see the Suns get younger on the perimeter.
So, that likely means the team will target a point guard, shooting guard or small forward. But, more than that, he said they just want someone who can help.
"We want to add basketball players, which may sound a little generic, but it's true," Blanks said. "We want to add guys that can continue to help us get better.
"We didn't make the playoffs and yeah, that means guys that can score and do things on the perimeter because we need that."
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