Suns see good value in second round of NBA Draft

PHOENIX — Three days ahead of the 2017 NBA Draft, the Phoenix Suns held another pre-draft workout on the practice court at Talking Stick Resort Arena.

It was their eighth one since Memorial Day and eighth that they have acknowledged publicly and opened up to the media.

The six-player group, highlighted by early entry candidates Dillon Brooks of Oregon and Semi Ojeleye of SMU, featured projected second-round talent — though Ojeleye may sneak into the first round, according to some mock drafts.

The Suns, in addition to the fourth overall pick, own two second-round selections, at Nos. 32 and 54.

“You can get good value in the early second round, especially in a deep draft like this one is,” general manager Ryan McDonough said.

The second round is where the Suns drafted point guard Tyler Ulis a year ago, selecting him with the 34th overall pick. Ulis played very well down the stretch last season, leading all rookies in assists (7.2 per game) after the all-star break.

McDonough pointed to Ulis and Milwaukee shooting guard Malcolm Brogdon, drafted 36th overall, as second-round examples “who made an impact right away their rookie year.”

Brooks, the Pac-12 Player of the Year, and Ojeleye, the AAC Player of the Year, were joined by Notre Dame senior forward V.J. Beachem, SMU senior guard Sterling Brown, Villanova senior guard Josh Hart and Miami senior guard Davon Reed.

“If you look at this group we had here today,” McDonough said, “there are a lot of guys who fit that criteria of guys who may be a little bit older, might not measure the best or test the best, but when you get in games, they’re pretty darn effective. I think three or four guys in this group fit that description, and if those guys are there in the early second round at 32, we’ll take a long look at them.”

Brooks, Hart, Ojeleye and Reed were repeat visitors. They had all worked out previously but not on the same day.

“This one was a little bit high level, not to say the last one wasn’t, but a lot of highly regarded guys,” said Reed, who also worked out twice for Indiana. “We got after it today, so it was a good workout.”

Getting a second look at a draft prospect is certainly a strong indication of that team’s interest in the player. It also provides the team with more information, perhaps either affirming their initial opinions or give pause to a prospect’s consideration.

“We’ve done this a few times,” McDonough said. “We don’t do it every year, but most years or whenever we can, we try to go through our first round of workouts and say, ‘alright, who stood out, who do we like’. This was the best workout we’ve had in terms of level of play and intensity. I think that tells you about, kind of the character and experience of this group that they’re willing to come out and grind and beat each other up a little bit and try to earn the 32nd pick.”

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