Josh Gray realizes his NBA dream, could debut for Suns vs. Jazz
Feb 2, 2018, 12:49 PM
Orlando Magic's Josh Gray (5) goes up for a shot in front of Charlotte Hornets' Tyrell Corbin (23) during the first half of an NBA summer league basketball game, Thursday, July 6, 2017, in Orlando, Fla. (AP Photo/John Raoux)
(AP Photo/John Raoux)
PHOENIX — Three high schools. Three colleges. And two seasons in the G League.
It’s been quite the basketball journey for point guard Josh Gray, one that ended at the ultimate destination on Friday: The National Basketball Association.
Gray, 24, signed a 10-day contract with the Phoenix Suns, handing him his first-ever opportunity at the game’s highest level.
“It’s kind of surreal. I kind of still don’t believe it that I’m actually in the NBA right now,” he said.
Gray’s arrival comes at a much-needed time. The Suns are thin at the point guard position. Isaiah Canaan is done for the season following successful ankle surgery, while Devin Booker (ribs) and Tyler Ulis (back) are nursing injuries.
Booker will play, though there is some concern about the availability of Ulis for Friday’s game against the Utah Jazz.
“Tyler was able to go through shootaround, but (his back) still a little bit sore and we’ll have to judge how it feels at gametime and then how he can play and whether he can go through it,” interim head coach Jay Triano said.
Triano added center Alex Len will not play. Len has missed five of the last six games due to right ankle soreness.
After going undrafted in the 2016 NBA Draft out of LSU, Gray participated in three different G League tryouts, including one in Phoenix. He paid his own way from Atlanta, where he was working out, plus a $150 registration fee.
Impressed with Gray, the Northern Arizona Suns invited him to training camp where he made the team.
In 31 games with the NAZ Suns this season, Gray averaged 17.9 points, shooting 44.7 percent from the field and 42.1 percent from 3-point range, 6.0 assists, 4.0 rebounds and 2.3 steals.
Gray leaves the NAZ Suns as the team’s all-time leader in several statistical categories, including points, assists and steals. Plus, he recorded the only triple-double in franchise history with 24 points, 13 rebounds, 11 rebounds and five steals against Sioux Falls on Nov. 27, 2016.
“It is a neat story,” Triano said. “He’s deserving of the hard work that he’s put in. It’s one of the things that’s great about our organization is having Prescott Valley and that team so close so that in an emergency, like, in two days we can have him here, signed and ready to play for us.”
And should he be called upon, Gray, a college teammate of Philadelphia’s Ben Simmons, said he’s ready. The Suns and the NAZ Suns run similar offenses, so there’s some familiarity with a lot of the playbook already.
“The rest of it is just playing basketball,” Gray said.
“This was the goal, this was the vision. I prayed so much. I worked so hard; and I’ve been through a lot and that’s why it’s, like, more rewarding to me and my fan base. But I’m just happy to be here, I’m grateful and I’m going to maximize the opportunity.”
