Suns likely looking for perimeter help with 13th pick

There are many who feel like the Phoenix Suns are not in a
particularly good spot when it comes to the June 28 draft,
as they hold the 13th pick and little chance of landing
one of the top prospects available.

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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