NBA Draft 2011: Possible Phoenix Suns Picks
The Phoenix Suns currently have the 14th worst record in the league and are going to miss the playoffs. They have been in a free fall and play three playoff teams in their last five games.
While there isn't much reason for optimism in the desert nowadays, at least the team will have a lottery pick. Depending how they finish off the season, they could very well be on the edge of a top 10 pick.
Plus, with the rumors that Steve Nash could be traded, the Suns could possibly find themselves with even more draft picks and could really make a splash.
There are several players such as Marcus Morris and Terrence Jones, who could possibly be available when the Suns draft.
Read on to see who else could be the next Phoenix Sun.
Marcus Morris
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Marcus, the better of the Morris twins, could potentially fall to the Phoenix Suns on draft day. He would help improve the frontcourt and could provide decent minutes off the bench.
Marcus is a physical power forward who can step out and hit the three ball. He hit 34 percent of his threes and showed he can stretch the defense consistently, something the Suns love to do.
The Suns would love to have such a well-rounded player and he could be a great fit in Phoenix's system.
Markieff Morris
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On the topic of the Morris brothers, why not mention Markieff Morris. Markieff also plays power forward and plays very similarly to his brother.
Markieff is the bigger twin but still plays very similarly to his brother. He can stretch the floor or bang down low when necessary. Markieff showed huge improvement across the board and could be a productive bench player in the league.
He could be the physical presence the Suns have needed for a long time. A Markieff Morris and Marcin Gortat combo would be extremely physical.
Terrence Jones
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Terrence Jones is one of the more interesting prospects in the entire draft. He has the size to play small forward, and maybe even power forward, but at the same time, he has the handles to dribble like a guard. He is a great all-around player and should not be available outside of the lottery.
Terrence Jones could be the ideal successor to Grant Hill. If Grant could stick around for a year or two, Jones could learn the ropes and take over when the time comes for Grant to retire.
In my opinion, Terrence Jones would be a steal outside the top 10. If the Suns could get him at the 12th or 13th pick, then they should definitely draft him.
Alec Burks
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Alec Burks is the prototypical NBA shooting guard. He has the size, shooting ability and athleticism to succeed at the next level. I watched Burks play a couple times and he is all that people are saying.
You may be wondering, "how is he a possibility to go to the Suns?" Like any other player, he could drop in workouts or get injured. Hopefully he does not get injured, but I'm sure the Suns would love to see a player of his caliber fall to them.
If Burks is available, the Suns should pick him.
JaJuan Johnson
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JaJuan Johnson was one of the better college basketball players. Yet if you asked anyone who was the best player in the Big Ten, most would say freshman Jared Sullinger. The crazy thing is that JaJuan Johnson, not Jared Sullinger, was the Big Ten Player of the Year.
In my opinion, JaJuan Johnson is one of the most underrated players in the 2011 draft class. He isn't even projected to be in the lottery. Both nbadraft.com and draftexpress.com list Johnson as a late first or early second-round draft choice.
That being said, Johnson could easily make an impact on the Phoenix Suns. He averaged 20.5 points, 8.6 rebounds and 2.3 blocks per game this past season. The Suns could use help in each one of those stats and Johnson could provide that.
Look for Johnson to be the Suns sleeper pick if other options are gone when they draft.
