Suns notebook: Holiday, Brown, Diallo highlight guard-heavy workout

PHOENIX — The Phoenix Suns picked a good year in the draft to need a point guard.

They have selections at Nos. 16, 31 and 59 after the first pick in a class that is full of perimeter players.

On ESPN’s NBA Draft big board, there are only seven bigs ranked in the 14-60 range.

That means Suns fans should get used to seeing guards show up for draft workouts. Monday’s was the second in a row to feature predominantly guards.

UCLA’s Aaron Holiday was the biggest name on the list and has a big name to live up to.

As the brother of New Orleans Pelicans guard Jrue and Chicago Bulls wing Justin, Holiday received the first-hand look at how to approach the pre-draft process.

As a matter of fact, that’s why he hasn’t actually received much advice from them.

“I’ve seen pretty much all they’ve done and I’ve talked to them when they were going through those situations so I know a lot about the NBA and how to get through certain situations,” he said after the workout. “They just told me to go out there, play hard, play defense and just have fun.”

Holiday proved his work ethic by coming out on top in the team’s infamous three-minute run, setting the high mark of 28 and lapping every other prospect in the run. That’s one number shy of Shaquille Harrison’s record of 29.

Holiday said that growing up with his brothers he sort of had to be in that type of shape.

Along with what he learned from his brothers, Holiday has a good skill-set to translate to the NBA. He has a built, 6-foot-1, 187-pound frame and the foot speed to defend at a high level.

He was a career 42 percent three-point shooter for the Bruins.

Holiday also went through two different situations at UCLA. As a sophomore, he had to pick his spots playing around Lonzo Ball, while as a junior he was “the guy” and led the Pac-12 in scoring.

He was All Pac-12 First Team and made the conference’s all-defense team.

“I didn’t really change much, I just stepped into a bigger role,” Holiday said.

Holiday was vocal in the workout, and the Suns liked that from a floor general.

“He’s not afraid to talk, which as a point guard, is really, really important because you’re kind of the quarterback of the team,” assistant general manager Pat Connelly said.

Holiday is projected to go anywhere from the mid-first round to the early second round. The Suns have picks in both spots at Nos. 16 and 31.

Miami ties

Miami guard Bruce Brown Jr. knew he could call an old teammate to get the lowdown on his workout in Phoenix.

Davon Reed, the Suns’ selection at No. 32 last year, played with Brown last year for the Hurricanes and told him what he needed to know.

“He told me it was going to be a lot of running — he told me about the three-minute run — and just shooting,” Brown said.

Despite being one of the team’s best players both years, Brown was always fighting for playing time in a crowded group on the perimeter. That included a then-senior Reed in Brown’s freshman year, who Brown said played a big role in his development.

“Definitely with Reed being in my freshman year helped a lot,” Brown said. “Gave me guidance, I learned a lot from him and the seniors that were there.”

Brown is a hard-working two-way guard who can do a little bit of everything but has to prove his jumper is legit. After shooting 34.7 percent from deep as a freshman and being a potential top-20 selection, he came back to school and posted a 26.7 three-point percentage as a sophomore.

Defensive specialist

For some prospects and players, they want to be more than a defensive specialist.

While former Kentucky guard Hamidou Diallo would like to be a dynamic player, he knows that defense will be his bread and butter in the NBA.

“I know that’s gonna be my way to get me minutes on the court as a rookie,” he said after his workout Monday. “That’s what every coach wants — a guy that’s reliable on the defensive end.”

Coming from Kentucky, Diallo has a lot of links with current Suns players and has spoken with Tyler Ulis for a bit about the process.

“He’s a hard worker,” Diallo said. “He gave me the blueprint when I was at Kentucky and I’m just trying to stick to it.”

Diallo declared for last year’s draft after never playing for the Wildcats, but elected to come back to school despite having buzz as a potential selection in the mid-first round.

While limited as a ball-handler and scorer, Diallo is a freak athlete, measuring at 6-foot-5 and a 7-foot wingspan with great agility and leaping ability. He will have to either improve as a shooter or provider, as he shot 33.8 percent from deep last season and averaged only 1.2 assists a game.

A projected second-round pick, Diallo could be a defense-first option for the Suns at the start of round two.

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