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Jahii Carson: A Star in the Making

Jahii Carson is currently leading the NCAA freshman class in scoring with 21.0 points per game. He is the best talent that ASU has seen since James Harden and the Suns should keep an eye on him.

Rick Scuteri-US PRESSWIRE

I know, the Suns are set at point guard for now. Goran Dragic has been impressive in his return to the Suns and Phoenix just drafted Kendall Marshall. Sebastian Telfair has also been a serviceable point guard off the bench, making point guard one of the areas on the court that the Suns aren't actually lacking in.

Enter: Jahii Carson, a talent that could possibly exceed the guard depth that the Suns currently have.

It's still early in the 2012-13 NCAA basketball season, but it has become clear the Carson has potential that made him one of the top guard recruits in the nation in the class of 2011.

We're not the only people who have noticed the potential either. Jeff Borzello of CBS Sports ranked him fifth in his Freshman of the Year rankings after Carson's impressive showing at last weekend's Las Vegas Invitational (most notably the 30 points and seven assists he dropped against No. 11 Creighton).

Ryan Bafaloukos from House of Sparky has also noticed Carson's talents in his piece about the Las Vegas Invitational:

Through five games Carson is averaging 21 points and five assists per game. Former Sun Devil star James Harden averaged 17.6 points and two assists per game in his first five games in Tempe. Carson has shown the ability to score in different ways and he is able to set up his teammates with easy shots.

Worried about his size? Why shouldn't you be, it is a valid concern since Carson only measures in at 5-foot-10. It is not impossible, however, for small guards to succeed in the NBA. Nate Robinson, Spud Webb, Muggsy Bogues, Earl Boykins and others have proved doubters wrong in the league before. It also doesn't hurt that Jahii can jump out of the gym and has explosive athleticism. Take a look for yourself:


Now I am not advocating for the Suns to start making room for him right away and have him on top of their draft boards come next summer. I am simply saying Phoenix should keep track of him. Having a player like Jahii, a hometown product out of Mesa High School who could captivate the local market, would have the potential to be something special.

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