NBA mock draft roundup: Who will the Phoenix Suns pick 29th?
Jul 29, 2021, 7:24 AM
The NBA Draft takes place on Thursday night, and the Phoenix Suns are going to have to wait a bit longer to make a pick than they have gotten used to the last few years.
Phoenix selects 29th after finishing with the second-best record in the NBA.
As always, mock drafts are flying around with final revisions on draft day.
With that in mind, here’s which player some of the prominent mocks have the Suns selecting at No. 29.
ESPN: Nah’Shon “Bones” Hyland, G, VCU
If the Suns want to go the route of scoring and shooting, it would be hard for them to do better than Hyland.
ESPN’s Jonathan Givony went with that line of thinking.
After a memorable playoff run to the NBA Finals, the Suns’ timetable could cause them to go in several different directions on draft night as their window of contention is clearly right now. Hyland’s deep shooting range could be attractive here, along with his ability to play both on or off the ball in different lineup configurations. He had a strong showing at the NBA combine, boosting his stock firmly into first-round territory.
Hyland averaged 19.5 points, 4.7 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game for the Rams last season.
The Athletic: Sharife Cooper, PG, Auburn
Cooper is a consensus first-rounder on nearly every big board, but an inconsistent jump shot and concerns about his size could see him slide down the draft, which The Athletic’s Sam Vecenie conveys in his exercise.
Cooper would be a killer fit here in that regard. He could end up going about 10 spots higher than this on draft night as well. He has a very wide range, and it’s a bit telling that he has not been invited to the NBA Draft Green Room yet.
In regard to Cooper, I believe he’s likely to hear his name somewhere in the back half of the first round. This is on the lower end of his range. He could end up going higher than this, it’s just hard to find the landing spot.
In his lone season with the Tigers, the freshman averaged 20.2 points, 4.3 rebounds and 8.1 assists per game.
The Ringer: Miles McBride, G, Virginia
McBride is a prospect that makes a lot of sense for Phoenix based on what the Suns have targeted the last two years. He’s a hard-nosed, strong defensive player that can also shoot and provide for his teammates. His 6-foot-9 wingspan gives him a good shot of locking up ball-handlers and multiple positions too.
The Ringer’s Kevin O’Connor sees the fit as well.
Cam Payne is an unrestricted free agent and could be in for a big payday following his breakout season, so there’s no guarantee he re-signs. Drafting a point guard like McBride would make complete sense. He brings similar scoring potential off the bench and more defensive intensity.
A 20-year-old sophomore, McBride posted 15.9 points, 3.9 rebounds and 4.8 assists per game last season.
Bleacher Report: Nah’Shon “Bones” Hyland, G, VCU
Another mock with the Suns going the direction of Hyland. Like O’Connor, Bleacher Report’s Jonathan Wasserman is grabbing a potential replacement for Payne.
Hyland makes sense for the Suns, assuming Cameron Payne signs elsewhere and Phoenix is looking for another ball-handler who can create and shoot.
CBS Sports: Tre Mann, PG, Florida
Mann is in the same territory as Cooper, where him being on the board at 29 would be a mild surprise.
The sophomore point guard is one of the best scorers among the point guards in his class, and CBS Sports’ Kyle Boone likes that skillset in Phoenix.
Phoenix in the Finals lacked enough playmakers on its roster so here, I have them getting a potential table-setter in Tre Mann, who could potentially step into a reserve role with the Suns. The shooting (from any range) he provides from the 2-guard spot is a plus, but it’s his vision and passing that makes him a potential value add.
Mann bumped his scoring from 5.3 points per game as a freshman to 16.0 this past season, along with 5.6 rebounds and 3.5 assists.
Sports Illustrated: Quentin Grimes, SG, Houston
The 6-foot-5 wing started at Kansas as a freshman in 2018-19 but continued to grow his game the past two years at Houston. He averaged 17.8 points and shot more than half his attempts from three-point range, hitting 41%. He also does work on the boards (5.8 rebounds per game) and can make the extra pass (2.0 assists per game).
He would fit the prototype of what the Suns have talent lately, though that of course leads to redundancy, writes SI.com’s Jeremy Woo.
Grimes reinvented himself at Houston as a ball-moving, complementary jump shooter, and plays with a level of maturity and confidence that should endear him to playoff teams in this part of the draft. The Suns have valued prospects with multiple years of college experience under James Jones, and Grimes would be a nice match here as an extra wing.
