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This past season the Phoenix Suns were not very athletic and struggled to rebound the ball. The second part has a lot to do with the first part as they were 18th in the league in total rebounds. As the workouts are winding down there is a subtle theme in the players being brought in as of late... They are athletic and the bigs can rebound.
Today's workout featured Brandon Davies (No. 47 on the Big Board), Glen Rice Jr. (53), Gregory Echenique (NA), Angelo Sharpless (NA), C.J. Aiken (NA), and Colt Ryan (NA).
(See the bottom for notes on the workouts and some INCREDIBLE dunks from Angelo Sharpless)
Other than the son of former NBA All-Star Glen Rice, there are no locked in first round talents in the Valley today. Junior took a different route to the NBA as he played two years at Georgia Tech before being kicked off the team for a shooting incident outside of a night club in Atlanta. He has moved past that after a "clean year" in the D-League with no incidents.
Rice Jr. shot the ball well here after a porous shooting display at the NBA Draft Combine a month ago.
The other recognizable name here is Davies who was around for the Jimmer Fredette years at BYU. He was marred in a bit of controversy as well after "violating the honor code" at the school.
General Manager Ryan McDonough has said on the record that he will take a risk on a prospect if he feels they are a "special talent." Is Rice Jr. a "special talent?"
Outside of the controversy surrounding the group they presented some great athletic options as well as some workers on the glass. Davies and Echenique are grinders that are capable of maxing out their opportunities on the glass as Davies was 3rd in the WCC and Echenique 5th in the MVC this past season.
Here is a scouting take on the prospects:
- Brandon Davies -- BYU -- Senior power forward: Not the best athlete, but very active on the glass, high motor, and has improved his overall offensive game. Great length and size to play the four in the NBA with a high basketball IQ.
- Glen Rice Jr. -- NBDL Rio Grande -- Junior wing: The questions about his character are warranted, but he has a strong NBA frame for the two and can shoot the ball from NBA range. On offense he is a scorer, not a play-maker, but capable of getting points in bunches.
- Gregory Echenique -- Creighton -- Senior big man: Very high energy, works hard for everything he gets on the court due to his physical/athletic limitations, and has the intangibles of a typical bench rebounder.
- Angelo Sharpless -- Elizabeth City State -- Senior shooting guard: Incredible athlete that can explode to the rim effortlessly. Has a limited skill-set outside of that. He can rebound the ball from his position and has potential as a defender, but is not a consistent shooter or ball-handler.
- C.J. Aiken -- Saint Joseph's -- Senior forward: A classic tweener that is big enough to play the four, but not consistently. Aiken is a good defender and average rebounder for the position, but too slight to handle duties at the four full time.
- Colt Ryan -- Evansville -- Senior shooting guard: There is potential for him as a shooter and combo guard as he ran the offense in college. Good size for a combo guard, hit 1.9 threes a game, and has shown good range in college.
***The Suns have another workout scheduled for Saturday and they can workout players up to Wednesday night leading up to the NBA Draft
***The count is now at 68 total prospects worked out: PG (15), SG (17), SF (9), PF (16), and C (11)
***Some members of the coaching staff appeared to be in attendance today including newly promoted Mark West