Phoenix Suns NBA Draft notebook: Dillon Brooks’ bad memories, Paul Watson’s homecoming

PHOENIX — For only the second time since Ryan McDonough became the general manager, the Phoenix Suns do not own multiple first-round draft picks.

They do, however, hold a pair of second-round selections, Nos. 32 and 54; the latter of which falls in the projected range of Oregon forward Dillon Brooks, who was part of the Suns’ six-player group workout on Wednesday.

As a junior, Brooks helped lead Oregon to its first Final Four since 1939. He averaged a team-best 16.1 points on 48.8 percent shooting from the field and 40.1 percent from 3-point range.

Brooks seemed to perform at his best when the spotlight shined the brightest. Three times he hit game-winning shots — against Tennessee, UCLA and Cal — on his way to earning Pac-12 Player of the Year honors.

“I love having the ball the last second. I can take the criticism of missing that shot or the success of making it. I’m not scared to fail. The shots come easy,” he said. “Every time I come on the court to work on drills or anything, I practice late-game situations.”

The Suns were Brooks’ ninth pre-draft workout. He was joined by Georgetown senior guard Rodney Pryor, Fresno State senior forward Paul Watson and Central Florida senior guard Matt Williams plus international prospects Laurynas Birutis, a 7-foot-1 center from Lithuania, and Yoan Granvorka, a 6-foot-7 forward from Switzerland.

At 6-foot-6 and 220 pounds, Brooks feels he can play either forward spot at the next level.

Assistant GM Pat Connelly called Brooks an energy creator.

“You saw with Alan Williams,” Connelly said, referring to the Suns backup center, “guys that can come in with their energy and their motor — and obviously have the ability to hit a lot of shots — but also the toughness, I think, kind of carries over and sometimes to his teammates. You could see at Oregon, when he got going those guys got going, too. It’s something he has that helps him.”

Being back in Phoenix brought back a lot of memories for Brooks. Bad memories, he said, smiling.

Oregon’s 78-year wait for a return to the Final Four ended in heartbreaking fashion, 77-76 to North Carolina at University of Phoenix Stadium. The Ducks had three chances within the last 10 seconds to tie or win the game.

“It was a learning lesson,” said Brooks, who had 10 points and six rebounds in 33 minutes. “A lot of players can’t say they went to the Final Four and played in front of 75,000 on a football field. It was a great venue. We got treated like kings. It will be one of my best memories and one of my worst. Phoenix was a great city to be in for the Final Four. The whole atmosphere and everything, it was great and it was a blessing for us.”

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— It was a quick turnaround for Watson, who got to his hotel at 4 a.m. following a layover in Atlanta flying from Toronto.

Having grown up in Phoenix and winning a state championship at Paradise Valley High School, Watson called it a blessing to work out for the Suns.

“It’s amazing,” he said. “Growing up here, being able to come here and watch the games, see different players come through this organization. It’s amazing just to have this opportunity. I’m truly, truly grateful.”

Watson added he was a Shawn Marion fan and tried to pattern his game after Joe Johnson.

Connelly liked Watson’s length, which should help him defensively. It’s on the offensive end, specifically the NBA 3-point shot, where Watson needs to improve.

“A 3-and-D type of guy as he works at it,” Connelly said, “but he’s got a good, natural frame to kind of start working on it.”

— Both Birutis and Granvorka have less than a week to decide whether they want to be draft eligible. Players who have applied for early entry have the right to withdraw their names from consideration no later than June 12.

Connelly has watched Birutis play several times, most recently in December.

“Is he quite ready for the NBA now? I’m not sure,” he said, “but he’s made good progress in terms of his physical development and he’s in a good system. He played well at the end year in Lithuania.”

— With the exception of Brooks, Wednesday’s pre-draft workout lacked in the household names department. Still, especially given the limited amount of face-time the Suns get with prospects, it served a purpose according to Connelly.

“It’s not just first-round, second-round, it could be for summer league, it could be for the Northern Arizona Suns,” he said, referring to the team’s other ventures in need of talent. “At every level and every time we have a workout there’s different evaluations for each guy. It’s potential. Some of these guys are a little bit older, but I think they still have a lot of room to develop so it’s kind of a wide spectrum you’re looking at.”

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