Center of the Sun: The Fantable grades the Phoenix Suns Draft picks

Welcome to the weekly news roundup of your Phoenix Suns.

Well, the last few days leading up to the draft were rather exciting (nerve-wracking?) with all of the rumors involving the Suns flying around but when it was all said and done the Suns wound up drafting at the same three spots that we were expecting them too before it all started. We didn't trade away any picks or players, move up or down and the team is essentially the same except for our three newest Suns, Josh Jackson, Davon Reed and Alec Peters.

Will it stay that way over the summer and into training camp? I doubt it but that's a discussion for another time. Right now let's get down to our Fantable's evaluations of this year's draft.

GuarGuar: Overall I felt the Suns did a great job this draft and filled a lot of team needs. Defense and shooting were the two big weaknesses and McDonough drafted those types of players. Whether they turn out well or not we will see but as of right now I give the Suns an A for their 2017 Draft.

Josh Jackson - Probably one of the safest picks we could make. I don't think we are really sure what his upside could be because it revolves around his offensive development. His defense is why he is rated so high and we needed D badly. I think he fits great next to Booker. I give this pick an A.

Davon Reed - This pick shocked probably everyone in the NBA when it was announced. I definitely feel we could of got him at 54. However, for the player type I really like who we chose. A 3 and D wing (especially after PJ leaving) would be very valuable for us. Overall I give this one a C+.

Alec Peters - I love this pick. This kid if he wasn't hurt should of been a late first-early second rounder. He already has the NBA 3 pt skill and I really expect it to translate immediately. I followed his 4 years at Valpo and I wrote him up on my Big Board a month ago. Great value pick by McD so I give this one an A.

Sun-Arc: I'm sitting in my hotel breakfast room in Muenster Germany the morning after the draft. It occurred in the middle of the night here, so I absorbed it all at once after the fact.

I don't think one can give the team a grade lower than a B+ when there is only one first round pick. We can complain about the second round picks if we want, but people often expect too much from late picks anyway. What Ryan needed to address most was 1) defense and 2) shooting. And I think he did that.

Overall grade for me: A-

Josh Jackson: A

He was #2 on my personal big board. I would have been happy with several players, but I really loved watching Jackson all season and into the Tournaments. He appears to be a leader, hard competitor, and someone with a high BBIQ. Considered one of the best defenders in the draft, he definitely checks the first box of defense. He's also a great, if not perfect, fit next to Booker and bled. His shot hitch causes concern, but if he can keep improving on that he could be a true star. The only way Ryan could have done better would have been to somehow snag Fultz, which would have required some serious wizard power. This was the smart and easy pick to make at #4.

Davon Reed: B+

I get the idea that there were possibly better players still on the board and that Reed might have even lasted to 54. However there were reports that Reed was moving up on people's boards. And the Suns had him in twice to work out. They obviously really wanted him, and in a situation like this I think you take the player you want with the pick you have to be sure. Davon should check both boxes (defense and shooting), has a high BBIQ, toughness, high motor, and competitiveness. If he can translate his shooting (particularly when he is contested) to the NBA game he could be a really great pick up.

Alec Peters: A

Having addressed defense and some shooting with Jackson and Reed, Ryan took a pure shooting pick-and-pop wiz near the end of the draft in what I think is a bit of a steal. 22.5 ppg and 9.9 rbds per game is absolutely nothing to sneeze at. Plus Alec has all kinds of potential to be more than just a pick-and-pop threat. He has a bevy of post moves, he can put it on the floor and get to his spots, takes contact, hustles on D (though not highly ranked there), gets to the line a lot and hits at a high %, though needs to make it all work in the NBA. Will he be able to do that? By all accounts he is a really hard worker and tough competitor. Maybe he's poor man's Ryan Anderson. Maybe he's the offensive version of Lou Amundson. Maybe he won't get out of the D-league. Who knows? But seems to be a smart pick because his late season injury dropped him down to 54. He could be quite good if he puts it all together.

SDKyle: Overall draft grade: A

Josh Jackson: A+. I'm basically over the moon about this selection after having essentially given up on seeing Jackson in a Suns uniform. Jackson was a no-brainer decision at #4 as the clear best player available, and the Suns got the versatile two-way wing they desperately needed next to Devin Booker.

Davon Reed: B. It's hard for me to judge a second-round pick too harshly and I think Reed's three and D ability have appeal. That said, I don't buy him as anything close to BPA at #32 nor do I think backup shooting guard was a particular area of need for the Suns at this point. Given the uncertainty of Len's and Alan Williams' situations, the Suns could have gone with Jordan Bell (an excellent rebounder and defender if somewhat undersized) or Ivan Rabb (a rebounding machine who was once considered lottery talent). Reed is a solid pick, but a bit of a reach as an early second-rounder despite reportedly impressing in his workouts.

Alec Peters: A-. At the end of the draft, a good pick is one that looks to have some kind of skill the translates clearly to the NBA and which could address a team need. The Suns needed shooting and defense, and took two good defenders earlier in the draft. Peters brings a nice shooting stroke to the team, but his limited athleticism and upside make it hard to imagine he'll see much meaningful NBA playing time. I might personally have gone draft and stash with one of the European bigs, but Peters made decent sense for the Suns.

SouthernSun: Suns overall draft grade: A+

Pick #4 Josh Jackson: A+++

Of course Josh Jackson is an A+. This very well might be the best player in the draft. Numerous media personalities are saying just that. But not only did we get the player who may end up being the best player in this draft, we got the definite best fit for this roster. This was perfect. He can slide right in next to Booker, take on the harder matchup on the wing, do some much needed additional playmaking from the forward position, and just be an all around bulldog on the court. I can't wait to watch him develop, and that's not to say he won't make an immediate impact, because I definitely think he will.

Pick #32 Davon Reed: B

Davon seems like a solid pick. He wasn't projected to be picked until the latter part of the 2nd round, but McDonough must have done some intensive scouting on him, because it seems like a reach. He seems to be exactly the kind of player you would want coming off the bench behind Booker though. Good 3 point shooter and a tenacious defender with a 7 foot wingspan for a player who's 6'5. Great size for a guard. We'll have to wait and see on this one. I expect him to see a good amount of time playing for the Northern Arizona Suns.

Pick #54 Alec Peters: A

Alec Peters was apparently supposed to go in the late 1st round, but a broken foot prevented him from attending workouts for teams, causing him to plummet down draft boards. It appears we got a steal late in the draft. It will be interesting to see if he develops and actually ever sees floor time with the Suns, unlike his Alec predecessor, Alec Brown. He's a SF three point bomber who averaged 36% on 5 attempts per game in college, on his way to 22ppg. He's almost 6'9" in shoes. Looks like he could play SF or perhaps some small ball PF. I'm not really sure what he'll turn into in the NBA, if he ever makes is out of the Northern Arizona Suns and becomes anything, but my extremely lazy comp is Chandler Parsons.

Overall, the team gets an A+ because Josh Jackson is that good. I'm not sure if the #4 pick can be considered a "steal", but I think that's what it was.

Once again many thanks to our Fantable... GuarGuar, Sun-Arc, SDKyle and SouthernSun! And a special thanks to Sun-Arc for continuing to contribute even while he’s vacationing in Europe... lucky dog.

Phoenix Suns Draftee Highlights

Josh Jackson Season Highlights

Davon Reed Season Highlights

Alec Peters Highlights - Horizon League Player of the Year

Quote of the Week

“There’s a lot of toughness up here with high character. That’s really rare. We know these three young men are going to fit well into our community and into our family. We’re excited to get them here.” Earl Watson on the Suns three new draftees.

News & Notes

Jackson, Reed and Peters: How they became Phoenix Suns. Arizona Sports

Hurricanes guard Davon Reed ‘at a loss for words’ after being taken by Suns with 32nd pick. Miami Herald

Watson: With shot, Jackson ‘becomes elite on Kawhi Leonard’s level’. Arizona Sports

NBA Draft 2017: How Alec Peters fits with the Phoenix Suns. Mid-Major Madness

No. 32 overall pick Davon Reed covers Suns’ needs of defense, shooting. Kellan Olson/Arizona Sports

Bickley: Josh Jackson gives Phoenix Suns exactly what they need. Dan Bickley/AZCentral

Five Key Offseason Questions: Phoenix Suns. Hoops Rumors

NBA sets $99 million salary cap, lower than expected. SB Nation

Summer League News

D-League Highlights from the 2015-16 season

Suns History in Video

Shawn Marion Full Highlights 2005 WCSF Game 6 at Dallas

Suns Trivia

Former Sun Shawn Marion is 4th in career points (12,134) scored as a Sun, 2nd in career rebounds (6,616), 2nd in career steals (1,245), 3rd in career blocks (894), 4th in career 3 point shots made (652) and 16th in career assists (1,332).

Statistics courtesy of Land of Basketball.com.

Previewing the Weeks/Months Ahead

Las Vegas Summer League: July 7 - July 17.

Friday July 7 @ 7:30 pm: Phoenix Suns vs Sacramento Kings (ESPN2)

Saturday July 9 @ 1:30 pm: Phoenix Suns vs Dallas Mavericks (ESPN)

Monday July 10 @ 3:30 pm: Phoenix Suns vs Houston Rockets (NBA TV)

Free Agency begins July 1st.

Last Week's Poll Results

The question was, "Do you think that the Boston/Philadelphia 1st/3rd draft pick trade was "the first domino" and more 1st rounders will change hands before draft day?" The results were:

73% - Yes

22% - One or two trades could happen but no more top 10 picks will be moved.

05% - No

There were a total of 167 votes cast.

This week's poll is...