Suns draft PG Kendall Marshall with 13th pick

The Phoenix Suns have found their point guard of the
future — and possibly present, depending on what Steve
Nash decides to do.

Phoenix selected point guard Kendall Marshall with the
13th pick in Thursday’s 2012 NBA Draft, addressing the
team’s need for a player at the position.

“We are ecstatic,” Suns GM Lance Blanks said of the pick.
“That was the guy we were targeting all along.”

The 6’4″, 195-pound Marshall played two seasons at the
University of North Carolina, averaging 8.1 points, 2.6
rebounds and 9.8 assists per game while shooting 46% from
the field last year.

He worked out twice for the Suns during the process, and
impressed the Suns each time.

“He represents everything we want to be about as a player
and a person,” Blanks added. “Most importantly, if you
look in his background, in his history, he’s a winner.

“And that’s exactly what we want to be here.”

Marshall has been regarded as the best pure point guard in
the draft. Last season, the 20-year-old tallied 311
assists, setting the all-time ACC record in a single
season. He also recorded 17 games with 10 or more assists,
preferring to distribute rather than score.
Marshall ranked second in the nation in assists per game,
behind only Scott Machado of Iona.

Marshall is coming off a fractured wrist suffered during
the NCAA Tournament, and there are concerns about his
ability to score and defend in the NBA, as well as his
athleticism.

But that doesn’t matter to the Suns.

“I can tell you now, we did not get Kendall for his
athleticism, and Kendall knows that,” Blanks said. “We got
him for his brain, his ability to make people better, who
he is off the court for our locker room.”

Follow @AZSports