The Suns drafted really well?

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The Phoenix Suns are known for their questionable draft choices. To name a few, Josh Jackson over Jayson Tatum. Jalen Smith over Tyrese Haliburton and Deandre Ayton over Luka Doncic. But I think it appears that for the first time in over a decade, the Suns front office has finally done the work and gotten the necessary pieces in place to help round out the edges and kickstart the offseason.

The Suns took what seemed to be a more conservative route in the first round as they decided to trade up six spots from pick 22 to acquire picks 28 and 56 from Denver. I believe James Jones and Matt Ishbia were confident that Ryan Dunn or Tyler Kolek would still be on the board by the end of the first round. When pick 28 finally arrived, the Suns decided to draft defensive threat from the University of Virginia, Ryan Dunn.

Going into the second round, I was personally told by sources that Phoenix was either going to go in the top half of the second round or trade back up once again. PHNX Sports lead writer Gerald Bourguet also reported this. I was also told by sources that Phoenix was planning to draft a big man in the second round instead of a point guard, which is what most of the fanbase wanted.

Going into the second round, Phoenix had pick 56 (acquired via trade from Denver). Many fans were expecting the Suns to move up as early as the second round to draft Marquette guard Tyler Kolek. They actually had other plans, as Kolek was selected by Portland at pick 34, but was then sent to New York (via trade).

When pick 40 arrived, the Knicks were on the clock. About 3 minutes after the draft clock, Adrian Wojnarowski reported that Phoenix was trading the 56 and 51 picks. Fans and media were very confused about the 51st pick, given that Phoenix only had pick 56 in the second round of the draft. But Gerald Bourguet helped clarify the explanation as he pointed out that Phoenix traded a protected 2028 second-round pick to Boston for the 51st pick. Then the Suns packaged picks 51 and 56 to trade up to 40. With the 40th pick, Phoenix selected 6’10 big man Oso Ighodaro from Marquette.

looking at possibilities

Looking at the prospects I think they have some interesting strengths and weaknesses. I myself am still learning about the possibilities, as I am not as crazy about college sports as other people.

Ryan Dunn

I think Dunn will be a fan favorite because of his trampoline-like vertical and defensive skills. Ryan is listed as 6’6″ without shoes, but has a 7-foot wingspan. If you’re asking me, it sounds very similar to another fan favorite named Mikal Bridges. Dunn also has a spring-like vertical, as he has a standing vertical of 32 inches and a maximum vertical leap of 38½ inches.

Dunn will be looked to to guard some of the league’s key forwards, such as Luka Doncic, Jayson Tatum, Anthony Edwards and others. With Dunn’s defensive impact, this will reduce defensive responsibilities for Beal, Booker and Durant. On the offensive side of things, Dunn is seen as a player who still needs to develop his three-point shot, which is very important in Budenholzer’s offense, as Budenholzer’s previous offenses have shot a large amount of threes. There is a tendency to impose.

Luckily for Dunn, he’s very young and still has plenty of time to develop a serviceable shot. If Dunn can put things together in terms of shooting, we could potentially see him become one of the highest paid 3 and D players in the NBA. Now, one thing that Dunn provides offensively is rim pressure. With such an athletic frame and high vertical, Dunn will be a lob threat and cutter in the Suns offense.

My player compound for Ryan Dunn is Jaden McDaniel, as they have similar frames and player archetypes.

oso ighodaro

Ighodaro is a player I’m still familiar with, so my knowledge of him may be vague. Ighodaro was actually a serious prospect for the Suns with pick 28 (via John Gambadoro). Around the Suns community, Ighodaro has been comparing players to the more athletic Draymond Green.

Ighodaro is listed at 6’10” with a 6’11 wingspan. According to HoopsHype, Ighodaro worked as a playwright in college. He is also a skilled and well-rounded defender, which is something the Suns were looking for. Oso is also a strong screener and lob threat on the offensive end.

Now he, like Ryan Dunn, is not a shooter by any means, so I wouldn’t expect a lot of shooting from Oso. Now HoopsHype says Ighodaro “doesn’t collect rebounds or provide elite rim protection”, which is pretty contradictory since they also say he’s a complete defender and formidable shot blocker. Oso averaged 6.9 rebounds in 32 minutes with 1.3 blocks per game during the 2023–24 NCAA season.

Category

If I had to grade the Suns on the 2024 draft, I would give it a solid A. The guys drafted have high ceilings and can come in and make an impact right off the bat. The Suns also left the draft with two future second-round selections that could potentially be used in future trade packages.