EOTS’ No. 31 preview: Second round offers seasoned, skilled PG choices

After running through the potential top choices at No. 16, Empire of the Suns runs through five position groups the Suns could be looking to strengthen at No. 31 in the 2018 NBA Draft.

Sure, this year’s draft class has an extremely promising top section. But, as you’ll learn with us, there is a surprising amount of depth beyond that. Specifically, that depth rests once we get past the top-20 or so, where plenty of needs can be filled for teams in the end of the first round and the start of the second round.

The Suns have one at point guard. Brandon Knight has two years left on his deal that has uncertainty surrounding it with an ACL recovery on top of the question of whether he could be a meaningful contributor. Tyler Ulis followed a promising rookie season with a disappointing sophomore campaign but showed signs of life at the end of the year. Shaquille Harrison’s capped ceiling as a point guard is absolved because he’s absolutely a good NBA defender right now.

Ulis and Harrison’s contracts are not guaranteed, meaning if the Suns wanted to create roster space for someone in this range of the draft, they could.

Do they want an immediate contributor with a signature NBA skill?

West Virginia’s Jevon Carter fits that bill. The 22-year-old is a bulky 6-foot-2 defensive menace, who shot 39 percent from three-point range on five attempts a game in his last two seasons. He also bumped his stats from 13.5 to 17.2 points per game and 3.7 to 6.6 assists per game from his junior to senior seasons.

Even if he’s far bigger than Ulis, Carter will still have to battle with being undersized and doesn’t project as anything much when it comes to scoring. Carter, though, does have enough size to have his signature itchy, annoying defense be an impact for the Suns this October.

What if we are looking for a straight up floor general? There’s no one better in this range than Villanova’s Jalen Brunson. The consensus National Player of the Year plays a methodical game at the lead guard spot, navigating himself into efficient scoring situations while taking care of the ball. He shot over 52 percent in his last two seasons for the Wildcats and is a career 38 percent shooter from deep.

Brunson isn’t a signature playmaker and is not the best athlete, but you can’t teach his intangibles and he seems more than capable of being a reliable NBA point guard.

What about versatility and shooting? That’s where we hit on Witchita State’s Landry Shamet.

Shamet is a sniper. The 21-year-old shoots it quick and you’re never going to see him hesitate to pull the trigger. Perhaps the best trait in Shamet’s locker is how the Shockers’ system had him moving around the court in a motion offense, providing evidence his off the ball movement is in tip-top standing.

On the ball, Shamet is more of a combo guard. He’s not a natural attacker of the basket off the dribble, which every NBA point guard must not only do consistently but do well. Ask him to space the floor, work hard defensively and make heady plays, though, and you’ve got something.

We get it Kellan — experienced, smart point guards. Where’s the guy who can really score and pop athletically? How France’s Elie Okobo has played in the past month or so is why he’s unlikely to be on the board in round two.

At 6-foot-3 with a 6-foot-8 wingspan, we’ve got our first true NBA point guard body. Okobo possesses a little James Harden equity as a scoring and always attacking lefty with a tight handle who looks unbothered with defenders around him. He can make tough looks with consistency. All of this can set up his passing, where he’s fine with the potential to be great.

Okobo has been inconsistent and has had turnover problems throughout his career, which could kill some of his stock despite all the buzz currently around him.

Beyond those four, there are even more names the Suns could look at. Kansas’ Devonte’ Graham has had tremendous success in Lawrence, Duke’s Trevon Duval has NBA tools physically and Penn State’s Tony Carr is one of the most productive players in this class.

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