Empire of the Suns NBA Draft Big Board 5.0, Part III: No change at No. 1

The NBA Draft season is really year-long, but it picks up in a hurry this time of year. Within the past week, teams learned where they will pick in the lottery and gathered loads of information coming out of the NBA Combine in Chicago.

With that in mind, it’s time for another big board update for Empire of the Suns.

We’ve had four different versions of our big board since November. Part one was our debut board with lottery rankings, part two was our mid-season update, part three was our pre-tournament look and part four was post-tournament, extended to 20 prospects and factored in both the Suns’ needs and tiers.

If you’re looking for more extensive analysis on some of the biggest names, you’ll find it there.

In part five, we decided it was only right to extend the list to 30 players considering the Suns, in addition to owning the Nos. 1 and 16 picks, select 31st and 59th overall as well.

After covering late first-round prospects in part one of the fifth update and favorites in the mid-first for part two, part three goes over the best of the best in the lottery.

* indicates that a player has not hired an agent yet, which means they could still return to school before the deadline on May 30

Tier 4 (continued)

13. Lonnie Walker IV, SG, Miami, 19 years old (▲7)

If someone can convince Walker to focus on 3-and-D skills while scoring naturally develops for him, he’s going to be the steal of the draft.

He is, essentially, a starter kit for what you want an NBA two-guard to be. Explosive, quick and long while being armed with a gorgeous shooting stroke he can enhance by scoring off the bounce.

Check out the catch-and-shoot flick here.

Lonnie Walker IV (@CanesHoops) has got a pretty clean shooting stroke. Have to think he’s able to improve his efficiency with continued work (34.6 3% / 73.8 FT%). Seemed to have more success in spot-up/catch-and-shoot situations. pic.twitter.com/OFEnP04VpT

— Luka (@preptopros) May 20, 2018

Then let me present to you what he can do with some space to let that athleticism flourish.

Think this is where Lonnie Walker IV (@CanesHoops) is at his best: going north-south, attacking the basket, and using his athletic ability to finish. pic.twitter.com/eOn6lxLtxW

— Luka (@preptopros) May 20, 2018

Walker was coming off a significant injury for the Hurricanes and had by far the most inconsistent role of any lottery prospect. I’m willing to hedge on his talent and upside with those two reasons in mind.

Like Kevin Knox, I doubt Walker is there at No. 16 and the Suns don’t have an opening for him, but if they are ready for a roster makeover, he’s a good prospect to target.

12. Jontay Porter, C, Missouri, 18 years old* (▼1)

Porter’s skill and shooting are awesome. Some variant of what Boris Diaw briefly was in Phoenix sounds awesome. A skilled, stretch big can make everyone better offensively on spacing and passing alone.

Season-high 24 PTS for #Mizzou's 18 year old freshman big man Jontay Porter, who went 9/10 on FG's + 4/4 on 3FG's in a 74-66 #Tigers win over #Vanderbilt

Jontay, Michael's younger brother, could be a Lottery pick in the 2019 #nbadraft >> https://t.co/LitgDLYsdn pic.twitter.com/43ERD26Kgr

— DraftExpressContent (@DXContent) March 1, 2018

Porter can really handle the ball as well, leading to the belief there’s some untapped potential to him as an individual scorer.

Another excellent Jontay Porter play from the Missouri-Florida State game pic.twitter.com/jzkE89wkPS

— Jackson Hoy (@JHoyNBA) April 3, 2018

That’s why I think he’s a lottery prospect, but he has red flags. He was out of shape at Missouri, is hot and cold defensively, and his length makes him a questionable finisher around the rim and shot-blocker.

Porter has more situational variables around his outlook so I bumped him down a few spots on a Suns board. But I believe he’s the most underrated prospect in this class and if he stays in the draft is almost certainly going to be available at No. 16 and could even fall to 31st.

11. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, PG, Kentucky, 19 years old (▲7)

I’ve warmed on Gilgeous-Alexander after letting prospect rankings marinate over the past couple of months.

His point guard skills, off-the-dribble acumen and length are all terrific. I struggled with where to rank a guy with an inconsistent jumper that isn’t a great NBA-level athlete right now but there’s still a lot to like once you get past that.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander seems to always find the open man. Definitely a name to watch. pic.twitter.com/YyuK9fLkbu

— PM Sports News (@PMSportsNews) January 15, 2018

For the Suns, he’s my highest-rated prospect for them that could be available at No. 16. All those positives I hit on are what you want for Booker’s running mate and there are reasons to like him no matter who Phoenix picks at the top.

Tier 3

The best trade-up options, ranging from “hey, maybe that’s realistic” to a “Danny Ainge’s first-round pick stash for Justise Winslow” level of an offer to move up and get him.

10. Miles Bridges, F, Michigan State, 20 years old (–)

Bridges deserves to be in this tier, especially after watching the NBA playoffs.

Versatility is a funny thing to value. Bridges may never be a great or even good NBA defender, but he can do a job on four different positions. Switchability like that matters, especially when you watch what the Boston Celtics and Golden State Warriors are turning the NBA into.

Bridges was a high-volume and accurate 3-point shooter who could take two dribbles and make the right decision most of the time.

At 6-foot-5 and 220 pounds, Bridges is undersized as a combo forward, but with top-level quickness and strength, he should be a great contributor because of a balanced game.

Put Bridges in the category of “the Suns could sure use a player like him but they don’t have room for him.”

9. Mohamed Bamba, C, Texas, 19 years old (–)

In a lot of drafts, an upside pick like Bamba absolutely goes top-5.

This class, though, is just too good and the undeniable fact that he needs to get stronger and improve lands him at nine.

Don’t get excited by this ranking as a trade-up option. A 7-foot-10 wingspan is not falling in this draft.

8. Mikal Bridges, G/F, Villanova, 21 years old (–)

Bridges feels like a safe bet to not be selected in the top-six but slide no further than 10th.

In terms of targeting a player in a key NBA role, he’s the best ready-now prospect of this class with his shooting and defense.

As I’ve said in this space numerous times, Bridges would be perfect next to Devin Booker and the Suns should absolutely consider moving up for him if the roster shakes up.

7. Marvin Bagley III, C/PF, Duke, 19 years old (–)

Ranking 3-7 is very, very tight for me. That’s not going to stop someone for roasting me if Bagley ends up being better than Jackson, but that’s the gig.

For Bagley, the defense, man. The freaking defense. Please, please watch Duke’s NCAA Tournament exit against Kansas before putting Bagley top-five on a Suns board.

He is a great NBA prospect. He has loads of offensive upside but somehow retains the gamble with a realistic floor as well.

I just don’t know if he can shoot, pass or defend. Do not put a young big like that on this roster right now.

6. Trae Young, PG, Oklahoma, 19 years old (▼1)

Speaking of those three aspects of the game, Young’s meteoric shooting and passing make up for his terrible defense enough to be a respectable sixth on a Phoenix board.

If Ayton is the pick and Young is on the board past the sixth pick, I’m offering a decent asset or two on top of No. 16 to move up and snag him.

Go all-in on offense at that point, honestly.

5. Michael Porter Jr., F, Missouri, 19 years old (▼2)

If you take a look back at what we went over with Kevin Knox, Porter is essentially everything teams will want out of Knox. Porter is even better than that.

If he falls in this draft, it’s going to be because of his back, so unless the Suns and their medical staff don’t agree, a trade-up wouldn’t be wise.

With that said, Porter believes he is the best player in the draft and the Suns will very likely bring him in and get all the information they could want. So, if his back checks out and he’s within range, I’d give up a whole lot to pair him with Deandre Ayton or give Luka Doncic an athletic shooter to play with.

4. Wendell Carter Jr., C, Duke, 18 years old (–)

I will not give you a rational response for what I want the Suns to give up if they take Doncic at the top spot and Carter is available after the sixth pick, which he almost certainly will be.

The Suns need balance. They need reliability. Carter is that, gives you what you want out of a center and could blossom as a shooter and scorer on top of that.

Right now, he is projected in the 7-10 range and some speculate he could drop as far as 12th. That’s where we arrive at a legitimately realistic trade-up scenario for the Suns, and a Doncic-Carter haul would be an A++ draft.

Tier 2

The two best bigs in the draft.

3. Jaren Jackson Jr., C, Michigan State, 18 years old (▲3)

Friend of the show but not really friend of the show Jackson Hoy from The Stepien and I went back and forth on Twitter regarding Jackson a few months back.

What has stuck with me since then was Hoy calling Jackson “a 3-and-D center.”

Whoa. He is one, isn’t he? How many of those exist? Sure, there are centers who can shoot and protect the rim or centers who can protect the rim and defend on the perimeter, but what about all three things?

Jackson has a limited offensive game at the moment that I joked on our last big board would make Devin Booker want to leave because of another raw top-10 big who was supposed to do stuff.

I think Jackson is much more than that. If we go back to shooting, defense and passing, he is the best prospect in the draft at those three specific things put together and he’s a center!

Doesn’t matter, though, because the Suns aren’t taking him first overall and it would take an absolute haul of assets to trade up into the top-5 to get him.

2. Deandre Ayton, PF/C, Arizona, 19 years old, (–)

More on Ayton being second instead of first coming from me in the future, but I want to maintain I think he’s one hell of a draft prospect. Read our own Kevin Zimmerman on why he’s the favorite to go No. 1 if you haven’t already.

Tier 1

Yup, I’m still being that guy.

1. Luka Doncic, F/G, Real Madrid, 19 years old (—)

Sorry not sorry.

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