Was Kendall Marshall the right man to draft with the 13th overall pick in the 2012 NBA draft?

That has to be in the minds of ownership and fans alike as Marshall rides the pine for the Phoenix Suns.

During training camp, the former North Carolina Tar Heel couldn't win the backup point guard role and has appeared in merely 11 minutes all season.

Marshall has effectively been a non-factor, and it doesn't look like he will get more minutes anytime soon, as point guard is pretty much set for the year with Goran Dragic and Sebastian Telfair.

Marshall is the point guard of the future, but in a "what have you done for me lately" league, that might not be good enough for the fans and the team.

During the combine and summer league, Marshall proved to be a skilled passer, but at this point, he does little else to justify earning minutes.

Can Kendall Marshall be more than just a passer?
Mark J. Rebilas-US PRESSWIRE

That could be fine for maybe a year or two, but Phoenix needs to start seeing his game evolve from a pure passer to an all-around player.

One can't deny that Marshall has talent but has to round out the edges of his game, namely shooting and defense.

Looking at who else was available with the 13th selection, names like Perry Jones, Tyler Zeller and Jared Sullinger jump out as possible selections.

These are established talents and players who would have filled much more pressing needs on the current Phoenix roster.

That's not to say these three are better than Marshall, but rather they could fill an immediate need.

If Marshall figures things out fairly soon, I have no doubt Phoenix will not regret drafting him in an overall weak draft.

If he doesn't figure things out, then Phoenix will regret yet another terrible draft selection in the past five years.