Phoenix Suns ‘put a premium’ on player interviews at NBA Pre-Draft Combine

PHOENIX — Though its headquarters are in New York, the NBA epicenter this week is Chicago, where representatives from all 30 teams, including the Phoenix Suns, converge for the annual pre-draft combine.

General Manager Ryan McDonough will lead a contingent that includes members of the front office, scouts and head coach Jeff Hornacek as well as head athletic trainer Aaron Nelson.

More than 60 draft-eligible prospects — the league lists 62 players — have been invited. Not among the attendees are projected top 10 talents Karl-Anthony Towns of Kentucky and Jahlil Okafor of Duke in addition to international players Emmanuel Mudiay (Congo), Kristaps Porzingis (Latvia) and Mario Hezonja (Croatia).

Five players with Arizona ties will be in the Windy City: Stanley Johnson, Rondae Hollis-Jefferson, T.J. McConnell and Brandon Ashely from the University of Arizona plus UC-Davis’ Corey Hawkins, who spent one season at Arizona State after graduating from Goodyear Estrella Foothills High, where he won three state championships and set state records for the most points scored in a career (3,164) and season (1,152).

The six-day combine features player interviews, athletic and medical testing as well as a series of drills, both dribbling and shooting.

The interview portion, like at the NFL scouting combine, is considered to be the most important.

“Our window to interact with these guys individually is so limited,” McDonough said. “I think a lot of people would be surprised that despite the fact that we have scouts who travel all over the country and all over the world to watch these guys practice and play in games and workout…we’re really not allowed to interact with them until we get the official early-entry list from the league. You can watch the guys 12 months of the year for the most part, but really only interact with them in May and June, so we do put a premium on that. That combined with all of the work we’ve already done helps paint a clearer picture of the guys not only as players but also as people.”

The NBA allows for teams to meet with up to 18 players.

“We try to get in front of as many guys as we can, get to know them a little bit,” said McDonough, whose draft combine itinerary will begin with GM meetings on Wednesday. “It’s a good way to start getting to know the guys and you can tell them a little about your team and your franchise and the city; and also get a feel for them and their personality and kind of what they’re hoping for in the draft. It’s a good starting point. It’s our real first face-to-face interaction with most of these guys.”

Starting to establish a relationship with players is key, according to McDonough.

“Because whether we draft a player or not,” he said, “I think it’s pretty rare nowadays that a guy gets drafted for and plays with one team his whole career. Most of the guys move around some point either via trade or free agency. We like to start to establish a baseline in terms of the players’ personality and kind to get know a little bit more about them.”

The Suns currently own two picks — Nos. 13 and 44 — in the June 25 NBA Draft.

Next week the league holds its draft lottery, where the Suns have a 0.6 percent chance of landing the first overall selection and a 2.2 percent chance of moving into the top three. However, odds (96 percent) are they’ll remain at 13.

This year’s pre-draft combine marks the return of 5-on-5 play for the first time since 2009.

Now, teams will get a better gage of players — at least those who are willing to participate — in game-time situations.

“It’s certainly helpful,” McDonough said. “If they are able to get most of the potential draftees to play — I think we’re all realistic about who won’t play; the guys projected in the high-lottery don’t have a lot to gain and I don’t expect them to play — but I think, yeah, any time you can get high-level players playing 5-on-5 in an environment that hopefully simulates NBA competition, then that’s certainly a good thing.”