DREAM Phoenix Suns 2025 NBA Draft Prospects That Could SLIDE In 1st Round

DREAM Phoenix Suns 2025 NBA Draft Prospects That Could SLIDE In 1st Round

Slide to the left. Slide to the right. Slide all the way down to 29. I’m sorry. That was that that was really bad. So, Psychos and sickos unite for another draft deep dive edition of phnx suns as always. I’m Eric that’s Steven Noah behind the Mac making all of the magic happen. We have Ashley Optical Illusion this a Mike Patrick Leo already in the chat as more of you file in. Hit that like button hit that subscribe button as well. PHNX on the march to 50,000 subscribers and you can help us get there. Of course, if you’re listening on audio, five star reviews go a long long way in growing the show. Stephen, I love NBA draft season. I love diving into these potential prospects and every single year there’s always a surprise. There’s always a shock. Who’s sliding? Last year it was Dalton Connect. This year it feels like we’re poised to see a lot of movement based on of where everybody’s falling in these mock drafts and the lack of consistency that we see in them. For sure. And I think maybe something that Suns fans can be confident in is that they have the Suns have done a good job finding some gyms. Yeah. In each of the last two drafts and being able to go about getting said said gyms by maneuvering backwards. I think that’s relevant because they have a good pulse for the moves that are coming prior to theirs and what they can do to still get pieces from their big board. Yeah. What we’re doing today is we’re looking at players that the Suns might not usually be in a position to draft. We’re talking players mocked somewhere in the early to mid20s, sometimes even higher up into the teens and whatnot, but there’s been a lot of variance in the mock drafts. And we all know that a tradeup is also possible for the Suns. We’ll do a full tradeup episode at a later date. No Adiero today. We agree. We love Adu Thiero. We think he’d be amazing. He’s not mocked to go in the first round. So, he technically would not be a sleeper or somebody who would slide, but we will address him and multiple other players on a future podcast on a future Wednesday before we get into everything. Stephen, how are you doing today? I’m doing great. Um, there’s been a lot of great basketball being played. I said the same thing yesterday and yesterday to deliver. So, I’m going to repeat this exact same sentiment. Um, enjoy the basketball. It’s a great time of year for it. even if your team or your favorite player or players might not be playing. Yeah, we’re getting closer to an NBA Finals being set. It’s going to be exciting to see what’s going on there. But that is not the mode that we are in here on PHNX Suns. I wish it was, but we are not. Let’s just get right into things, Stephen. Let’s start talking about these prospects. Let’s start with a center out of Georgetown, Thomas Sorber. Sorber averaged 14.5 points per game, eight and a half rebounds per game, 2.4 assists per game, shot 53.2% from the field, averaged just about three and a half stocks per game, measures in at 610, 255. I would say Stephen, it took me about 10 seconds of watching Thomas Sorber tape to immediately think to myself, this guy would have the best touch around the rim on this team from a big man barn none. Did you walk away with the the same thoughts? Yeah, definitely one of the things that stood out. Um, and I think the touch around the basket speaks to his general feel on the court. So start with the finish in since that’s what you that’s what kind of caught your eye first. It’s in it’s on roles. It’s on short roles. It’s basing off of drivers. A lot of those scenarios that we saw Oso Gadaro in his pre-draft u film, but also in his time with the Suns last season kind of excel in in ways unique from all of the other centers that he was, you know, competing for minutes with with the Suns. Yeah, I think that’s something that’s very abundant here. In addition to that touch around the basket, the passing ability, there’s feel, there’s IQ, there’s awareness there, and the ability to deliver on what he’s seeing. I think there’s a lot there to work with. Um, just to those specific u skills with the offensive end. Yeah. Before we dive more into the skills, let’s just look at the measurables. 69 and a quarter barefoot coming in about 610 6’11 with shoes on 263 lbs a 76 wingspan and a 91 standing reach for a freshman by the way so he could still grow a little bit and we mentioned all his stats as a freshman he would automatically have one of the longest wings spans in the NBA just walking in the offensive touch along with the length makes his post moves extremely potent. Now, you do wonder if that type of offensive game would be able to translate to the NBA. I know that post play is not dead. Look at some former MVPs, Nicole Jokic, Joel Embiid, even Shay Gilas Alexander is a guard who operates out of the post a lot in today’s NBA. So, it’s not to say that it’s dead. However, posting up against college students at 610 versus posting up against NBA players at 610 is a very different world to live in. That being said, instead I think his instincts around the rim are incredible on both sides of the ball. What I noticed on the defensive end uh with him is he didn’t just use athleticism. He’s a good athlete. I wouldn’t say he’s a top tier athlete, but he’s a good athlete. It wasn’t just the fact that he had these long arms. It was he was in the spot he needed to be in. His his positional awareness as far as his body and his length and his arms go. Like there were times where he was not even jumping and he was stuffing other centers post moves. Again, not necessarily onetoone translatable to the NBA, but the instincts measurables combined equal somebody that you feel like can walk in and be an impact defender on the defensive end while having good touch on the offensive end. That’s what we’ve been salivating for from the center for the Phoenix Suns for the last couple of years since they’ve traded DeAndre Aton. And that’s the that’s the thing for me. you can have the versatility that I’m continuing to harp on and that’s really cool. That’s great. But are you relying on your versatility and your athleticism or is it coming in addition to you understanding positioning and timing and spacing from a defensive perspective? And I think he hits on those parts that I’m speaking to to then allow for his athleticism and his stand and reach and his uh his tangibles to come in addition to that. That’s when you have the makings of a player that’s going to sustain at a certain level. And then the other thing for me is, yes, he’s a rookie or rookie. Yes, he’s a freshman, excuse me. Yeah. He’s not even in his grown man body yet. No, he’s not. And that’s that’s daunting, honestly, considering all of the measurables he already has as a 19 years old, right? As a 19y old. So, imagine what that looks like getting into an NBA developmental program, lifting with an NBA trainer, and then going up against NBA athletes on top of all of that. Yeah, a lot of mock drafts are all over the place. I want to reference our All City Network mock draft that we have for Die Hards up at gophnx.com. They have Thomas Sorber going at pick number 24. Now, again, you never know if he’s going to be able to drop. However, he’s a traditional big. He can defend and score in the paint. He’s a good rebounder. He rolls to the to the to the basket. Not the best passer. He’s not a jump shooter. He does not have a great touch on his jump shot. and it’s it’s not something that I would say you should rely on going forward in the NBA. He’s not going to be the type of center that’s going to spread it out. He uh shot 16.2% from three in college. So, not great, but the stocks, the defense, the rebounding, these are things that you need out of your center. He has some playmaking abilities. I wouldn’t say that he is incapable of of passing the rock or he’s a black hole, but he is not one of these centers that you can look at and say, you know what, he can be a hub for offense. To me, he screams a nice play finisher that plays off of Devin Booker or maybe even Kevin Durant’s gravity for the first couple year years of his career as he grows into his body and his skill set. Yeah, that’s the thing for me. It’s not that he’s Jokic. It’s not even that he’s like a Nerkish type of playmaker. It’s not even that he’s a Mason Plumbley level player. That’s three different tiers of center playmaking, but he’s just good enough to get the job done to where if he sees something, if a if a cutter is available, he’s able to deliver on that. And I think that’s important naturally in the evolved manner, he’ll have to get to a point where short roll decision- making is something playing off of the attention Booker gets. But I think he can get there. And being able to see those little things now gives him a foundation to build off of. Yeah. And remember, all of these names are also somebody if the Suns move up a couple of picks or 10 picks, they could also be drafting in the first round and take a shot on. I could spend a lot of time talking about Thomas Orbert to be honest with you, he’s probably near the top of my list of players that I want the Suns to be able to to target with the 29th pick or trade up a couple of of draft slots to take. But we have eight other prospects that we need to get to. So, let’s go overseas. Let’s go to France. Joan Bering. Now, when you look at his stats, not impressive, Stephen. 4.8 points per game, four rebounds, 4.1 rebounds per game, just about half of his assists per game, shot 60.4% from inside the three-point line, shot 0% from beyond the arc, 610, 230. So, why why Stephen is he somebody that not just is in the draft, but is a projected first round pick? Well, he’s I wouldn’t say draft and stash, but he’s a project younger player, but the mobility and a 610 230 stature, that’s what you want to build around. So, you’re getting something that’s inching closer and closer towards that Rudy Gobear type of um archetype in terms of a build of a player that has ability to defend in space and switch in ways that Rudy only shows at times. And the moments he has shown it at times have been when the Minnesota Timberwolves have found themselves getting to the conference finals, back-to-back seasons. Last season, unfortunately, hate to hit the rewind button, the throwback button, but we don’t need to do that. We very much saw that in the first round. That’s not something we saw from Rudy do doing in an effective manner in the regular season. That is last season. Anytime Booker or Durant or Bill were able to get the the goar switch, it was bad for the for the Timberwolves defense. Came playoff time. One of the major reasons why they got swept is because Rudy was able to contain space and contest and do so without fouling. Now you imagine that with Barry Jay, that’s something he comes into the door already having in his wheelhouse. The athleticism is off the charts. lob threat, vertical spacer, not even 19 at the time of the draft, been playing overseas ball, which I, you know, four points, four rebounds is not impressive, but when you watch the plays themselves, so many intangibles and tools pop off uh on our All City Network, mock draft, and big board, they call him a blank canvas of tools to create a modern-day big man out of. So, I like that. You have a base. Now, this is somebody that when you look at where they go in the draft, our big board has them at 26. You’ve seen him all over the first round. Mhm. It’s the type of player you might see a team take a big swing on early, but it’s also the type of player that you might not see a big swing on early and might drop because he doesn’t have the already developed tools. Also, a 73 wingspan and the way that he moves and he moves his feet, he’s able to block shots out on the perimeter. Now, spacing overseas is a lot different than it would be here. But a contest is sometimes just as good as a as a block, if not better, considering where that ball goes. I really like the idea of Baron for sure. He is, I believe, out of all the players that we talk about today, probably the biggest or the second biggest project. But I don’t hate that for this team. I don’t either. And I think that he he aligns with There it is. First one. First one. There we go. he aligns with everything that they’re looking to get to at that center position going forward to match the roster that they’re trying to build. So, that’s a team that’s going to be able to play with versatility defensively. Not always going to be a drop, not always going to be a switch potentially, but also having layers within both of those two defensive uh defensive schemes. Other thing though, being able to play with the big that’s more active defensively allows you to do a lot more in transition. That’s not a context of play where the Suns spent a lot of time. They were elite on the the low volume and low reps that they had, but imagine if they were able to do that more by having a more active defense. He directly aligns with them being able to unlock that. And he’s a player that’s not going to just cause deflections and allow for the rest of his teammates to play in transition. He’s going to be able to go get out and fill a wing or rim run in a way that’s effective. Live threat, he’s really good in transition. I can’t overstate that part in particular. and he has a style of defense that he can play that lends itself to that. Chris is telling me to tell you to put the ball down. Come take it. Chris knows that there’s no taking that ball at all. No, come on. He knows he would throw his back out if he tried to get in the defensive stats. So, I’m going to leave that. He called you old. Mhm. That’s crazy. Leave that alone. Uh, keep them keep hitting them bags. It’s not a basketball court. Anyways, also that touched the nerve. I could tell that in addition to the the athleticism part, it’s the the ability to play as a roller, too. And naturally, if you’re talking about playing with Deon Booker and other above average guards at worst, there’s going to be opportunity on the role to put pressure on the rim. And if you the Suns can have another elite level roller that adds more nuance to one of the context of play that Booker is one of the seven or eight best guards in the league with. Well, and that’s kind of what you need out of this draft is you need to add a layer, a singular layer, whether that’s a forward that can do a lot athletically and that can shoot. And we’ll talk about some of those here in a second. Whether that’s a center to shoot threes, uh whether that’s a center to rim run, whether that’s a guard to come off the bench and shoot. Jeff says, “Prefer Ryan Kulk Brener, Hansen Yang, or Roco Zakarsski at the center position.” We talked a little bit about Kulk Brener a couple of years ago. We or years ago, a couple weeks ago. Uh, Nathan Cook says, “As a Wolverine fan, I love Danny Wolf. However, I’m not sold on him in the NBA. So, what would y’all’s concerns be about him?” We talked Danny Wolf last week, but we could touch on that real quick. The mobility uh the Yeah, with sholess Joe Jackson. Uh, so check that one out. Nathan, we we went into Danny Wolf with a uh with with a lot a lot of detail. I love the fact that he can shoot threes. He’s big. He’s active. He can make good reads. But I think defensively, is he able to hold up as a five? because offensively he plays a little bit more like a four. So, what is that pairing going to look like? Especially in an NBA team that you need a lot of people to be able to switch out and defend on the perimeter. Uh especially for the Suns with their center position. So, there are definitely some concerns there, but I I wouldn’t hate Danny Wolf as a as a pick for the Suns. He’s mocked around 20 on our All City NBA mock draft. Yeah, I think he would be fun. Naturally, like I was mentioning last week, you spend three three seconds, even five to 10 seconds, and you’re seeing him take step step back three. Yeah. Which is like 71, right? He’s like 7 foot 71. You’re going to you’re going to instantly be sold based off of the reactions that we see from other players doing things similar to that. So, a very fun player, but how can you harness it into an NBA context and find sustainability within all of that is the probably the biggest question mark with it. Well, speaking of eye popping and off the bat, when I started watching the next player that we’re talking about, I I think that’s about the definition of it. Let’s talk about Georgia forward center Asa Newell. Now, Asa on our all city NBA mock draft, I believe, is around 16. So, this would be the type of player that the Suns might need to trade up for or for some reason he would slide. But when you look at his intangibles, when you look at his draft profile and you look at the tape, he is not going to slide. I don’t think this this is somebody if he does slide, this is take him in 5 seconds. And if you trade to the teens, then you you want this guy. Okay. Ace Newell out of Georgia would be about 20 years old when he gets drafted. Uh 6 foot10 big man. He’s an insane interior threat. Average 15.4 4 points per game, 6.9 rebounds per game, just about an assist per game. Shot 62.7% from inside the ark, only about 29.2% from deep. 611 220. How would you describe Ace’s game? Um, efficient and effective. I was going to say ferocious as well. Well, yeah, I was going to go impactful after those two, but yes, and that translates to both ends of the floor. The verticality that he shows in terms of blocking shots and being a presence in contesting shots on defense translates to being able to be a vertical spacer in terms of catching lobs and just generally putting down dunks on the offensive end. You take that athleticism that it takes to be effective in both of those two. He has the ability to switch. He has the ability to play play in the post whether it’s turning face back to the basket a little bit. He can put the ball on the deck. There’s a lot of great things to kind of bring into again into an NBA context as a foundation that he’s already shown on the collegiate level. And he has shown his jump shot doesn’t look broken right now. Shooting 30% from college three is not exactly a great indicator that you’re going to go and be a really good player here in the league. However, it’s not completely broken. And he does have something that the Suns need in spades, and that is athleticism. And the athleticism on the wing, the cutting. He does make some mistakes in the passing game and some turnovers, but nothing too crazy. Only 1.1 turnovers per game. I love looking at the personal fouls for players who are super athletic and contest, which he is the type of defender that can switch out on the wing, use his length, use his athleticism to move his feet. He’s also a shot blocking threat as well, averaging about a block per game over at Georgia. Only 2.4 uh personal fouls per game. And I meant to bring this up with Thomas Sorber earlier, which is the the instincts and not just using his athleticism and and going for it. Sorber also averaged a very low amount of fouls per game as well. His free throw percentage for Newell is 74.8%. That’s sometimes a good indicator of will a young player’s jump shot be able to develop. You don’t mind 74.8% for a college kid. You want that to bump up maybe a little bit in the NBA, but it does prove that it’s not broken. It looks smooth. But you’re drafting this guy, Stephen, for rim running uh to have a versatile option that can be out on the wing, that can be down low and be that kind of spark plug that we saw Ryan Dunn and Oso Igodaro bring with his boost of athleticism. Out of all the players that we talked about today, he is one at the top of my list on pairings with Devin Booker and the versatility that can go with that. If he had a little bit of a better jump shot, he might be number one. Yeah, he gives a little bit of John Collins vibes for me and it’s John Collins not in the present day but John Collins when he first came into the league. Just tons of athleticism, tons of undeniable versatility. How can it be harnessed in and then added with skill around it ability to like John Collins got to taking finally and then making threes at a respectable rate and that just kind of adding years onto his um impact impact years across his career. For me though, it’s always about not always necessarily the the efficiency. Like obviously you want to knock down more shots, but are you willing to even take them? Cuz that’s the first step. Talked about it with Ryan Dunn last year. Everybody wanted him to, you know, take the threes, take the threes and make them. Like you can’t get to making them without taking them. Are you comfortable and confident enough to take the next one after you’ve missed three or four? Or are you going to stagnate that part of your growth because you want to, you know, you want to be more comfortable? I think the ability to take them even if they are coming with misses speaks to where he is in that development process. Yeah, his three-point rate is 25.3. So, it’s not something that he’s doing often, but he’s not necessarily he’s not passing up. He’s not afraid to to take threes. I do want to see if I can see how many three-pointers per game. Uh he took 2.7 three-pointers per game. Averaged a little bit under one make per those 2.7. So, not nothing. And I trust this staff specifically to evaluate young players like that because this is a much better offensive prospect than we’re talking about Ryan Dunn. Now, not the the generational defensive prospect that we were talking about with Dunn. So, there is a trade-off there, but as far as measurables go, he clears D. 6’11, 220, versatile, athletic, can move his feet, switch out on the perimeter, guard in the paint, good shot blocker, especially with his instincts, good rebounder, averaging almost seven per game. There there is there is definitely a place for him in the league. I would not be shocked if he goes in the lottery. And I wouldn’t be shocked if if the Suns trade up, they could target a guy like Asa Newell. So we’ve talked about three players so far, two centers, Thomas Sorber and Joan Baring. And then we talked about a forward center in Asa Newle. Let’s go to some more forwards. We’re talking Rasheed Fleming, Noah Penda, Nate Clifford, Will Riley, plus a couple of guards. And we’ll do all of that right after our first break. Noah Woolre. You don’t want Noah Woolre drafted and you don’t want some bum installing your patio shades. That’s why you don’t call anybody else, but All ProShade Concepts cuz All Pro Shade Concepts, not only going to take care of you because they are the most trusted local shade company, we’re talking voted number one by ranking Arizona for patio shades. We’re talking an A+ Better Business Bureau rating. We’re talking 1,000 fivestar reviews on Google. In business for over 20 years in the valley, but it’s not just how they treat people, it’s what they give to people. That is roll down patio shades to help lock out that sun. Keep your patio up to 20° cooler. Plus, in the winter as well, it can keep the warm air in and the cool air out. You can get so much more out of your outdoor living space with All Pro Shade Concepts. 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So, schedule that free inhome estimate today and PHNX listeners can receive a $350 off discount when using promo code PHNX. That’s right, $350 off when using promo code phnx. Restrictions apply. Visit empireday.com/phnx. For more details, shout out Jeff, Ashley, BS, Kaye, Nathan, Howie, Brian, all the friends in the chat. Nicholas as well. I did not forget you. And Zeke, hello Ziki. All right, Stephen, let’s keep things rolling. Let’s also have them hit that like button, hit that subscribe button. Like goal as always is 125. Let’s get more to the forwards. A name that I’ve seen a lot of Suns fans intrigued with and to be honest, I’m surprised doesn’t usually get mocked higher than he is on our AllNBA mock draft big board. He’s coming in at number 25 just ahead of Jean Baron. That is St. Joseph’s Rashir Fleming, 21 years old. A forward that can also play a little bit of center. He’s 69 with a 75 wingspan and a 91 standing reach who put up these stats in college. 14.7 points per game, 8.5 rebounds per game, 1.3 assists per game, shot 64.6% 6% from inside the ark, 39% on a high volume from beyond the ark as well. Again, 69, 220, 75 wingspan, 91 standing reach. Also average 1.5 blocks per game, 1.4 steals per game. So just about three stocks per game. Mhm. That is quite the physical specimen, Stephen. Quite the stats. What pops out about Rasheir Fleming to you? And why is he not higher with all these measurables? Yeah, I can’t answer to the why he’s not higher part, but what I can answer to as far as what pops out, everything. The athleticism is ridiculous. The the measurables are incredible and the skill within all of that, especially defensively. Um I I think the kids call him defensive demons. He’s very much one of those. He understands with his with his instincts more than anything. And he’s also great with versatility. He can guard forwards and centers. And that gives you a layer of versatility that you can build lineups around. You can also kind of put them in in a pinch and kind of have them help to bridge the gap when things are missing. And the other big thing is also 44% on catch and shoot threes. Gez that you have that too. Come on, man. If you So, if you are not a draft person, and I get it, some people just like NBA ball. I prefer NBA ball, but I love this time of the year. I love watching college basketball. Watch some of his highlights. His defensive instincts and his shot blocking ability. Now, to be fair, uh it was an A10. That’s the conference that St. Joseph is in. So, not a powerful conference in college basketball, but still dominated that competition. Still was a good team. St. Joseph was a good team last year. The combination of the size, the athleticism, the positional versatility, the three-point shooting, the interior rim pressure, and the stocks, the defense, Mhm. if the Suns walk away from the first round with Rashier Fleming at whatever pick, I think that’s a home run. I genuinely think that that is a home run. When I mentioned earlier uh earlier in the show that I felt like Ace Newell would be one of the top players that I would like to pair alongside Devin Booker as far as fit. This is number one. This is the type of player that if the Suns walk away with him and now you have a wing rotation of Ryan Dunn and Rashier Fleming defensively, that’s incredible. Rashir Fleming’s offense is going to help make up for some of the deficiencies that Ryan Dunn showed. Plus, will give him more space and room to operate from the three-point line and then inwards would just be an awesome pick and pop pick and roll partner for Book would help cover up defensively on the interior and the perimeter. The only real question with Rashir Fleming, which again it shocks me that so many mock drafts have him going so close to pick number 29, is can he do it against better competition, but Stephen, the measurables are there, the stats are there, the eye test is there, he dominates against these players. That’s not a concern for me. I’m extremely high on Rashir Fleming. Yeah, I’m high on Fleming as well for all of the reasons that you mentioned. Also very very reliable on the boards as well. So, he’s checking off all of these boxes. You want to say, you want to bring up the the the level of competition part, but that’s not really in his control. All he can control is the production. And he put out such great tape that I feel like it’s not ignorable in terms of the level. He’s not in a Power Five conference, but he’s a player that shown that’s shown that there there’s levels of translatability to his game. And the fact that he can operate in so many different contexts, he could even potentially be a small ball five. That gives you such a level of versatility that only takes but so much game field to see if a player has that or not, regardless of what level they might be on. Yeah, he’s a pure athlete. He and as a small ball five, his vertical reach, his wingspan will help you protect that. A little undersized for that position, but in the modern NBA, if you can shoot threes and you have the instincts, the athleticism, that doesn’t matter as much. That’s definitely like a five years down the line type of thing though at a small ball five. Maybe not five. It’s a long time. But going from A10 power forward center to the NBA is a little different. Howie are Bears in the chat wants to know comps for Rashier Fleming. H like he he’s just so I was going to say he’s very unique. I don’t know if I got one that’s coming to mind right now. Uh Jeff says former Pacer Dale Davis. Hm. You’re going to want a more modern name. Yeah. Than Dale though. That’s a good That’s a good pick. 69 6869 defensive prospect that can shoot three. Rashard Lewis. But I mean Rashard Lewis and that’s the then that’s what I was going to say. I see players that have some of it but comprehensively Danny Granger how he says but DG was more of a three than a four until later until later. But but maybe but maybe in the modern NBA DG would have would have slid a little bit more into that four four range. For sure. Yeah. I I don’t know if there’s a direct comp. I think if you just look at it positionally, ultimate three and D is how I see Rashier Fleming. Ultimate defensive athleticism, catch and shoot, off the dribble shooting, and and also not just a three-point shooter, right? Could still be efficient, put pressure on on the rim. Noah might have a comp. Somebody said it earlier in the chat, but Pascal Seakum, I I don’t think he has the on ball creation skills. That’s not that’s not the same as as as Seakum. Seakum can literally initiate an offense and be a self-created. Maybe that’s like the ceiling, right? But I I didn’t see the put the ball on the ground off the dribble midi type game out of Rasher Fleming. And that’s what stopped me from making the Josh Smith comparison. Yeah. Yeah. But you see the you see the archetype though. These are a lot of three. Yes. Elite on 2K. By the way, these are a lot of 100% 100% 100% a lot of three four tweeners that can do just a bunch of different things that align with fours as well as threes that can also triple as small ball fives. So, you see where we’re getting at with that archetype. Yeah. Howie says Cliff Robinson or Sharif Abdul Raheem. Yeah, I can see I can see both of those two. Again, I don’t think there’s a there’s a perfect comp for him just because he’s a very unique talent. Ziki says Royce. Royce. Royce is just a lot smaller. If Royce had his athleticism, if Royce was bigger with that athleticism, it’ be a similar skill set. The Suns would have been in the playoffs this season if Royce was had those intangibles. Yeah. And with Rashier, you know, I said maybe a couple of years before he’s able to play that small ball five, but I do think that he’s the type of player that’s instant impact. He will make your rotation instantly with his raw skills and ability. So, I agree. I think we’re both high on Rashir Fleming. Is he your favorite prospect we’ve talked about so far? So far, yeah, for sure. I think for me if I had to go top to bottom as far as favorite prospects I would go Rashier Fleming. I’m going to put Thomas Sorber 2, Asa Newell three, and I’m going to put Joan Baron Jay F uh four just because yeah, he’s a little bit more of a project. I’m right there with you on that. You ready to go back to France though? I love going to France. One of my last names is Pon. So there you go. Vu Fon, please clip that. Noah Penda, a forward out of France. Noah Wreck. Noah Walrech, a small guard out of Michigan. Small. Yeah, I’ve played one-on-one on Noah and I don’t think he’s getting drafted respectfully. Sorry, Noah. Okay, let’s go ahead and put Noah’s stats up. Can we, Noah? Thank you, Noah. 10.2 points per game, 5.1 rebounds per game, 2.6 assists per game. Sean 53.4% from inside the ark, 30.4% from beyond the ark, 68225. How would you describe Noah Penda’s game? Uh, versatility. That’s a that’s pretty much a hot word with most of these topic or names that we’re speaking on on today’s topic for the show. What can he do with the athleticism and just the feel again? The feel for the game part is what what stands out most for me with some of these players we’re talking about today. Because if you have that already, that’s something that’s not going to go away from you. When athleticism kind of deteriorates or when you’re going against high level competition, the feel is still going to continue to show in respects that are aligned with a number two that align number three with a person’s strengths. And I think that’s something that you can really build around if someone has that and shows it in specific pockets of their game. Yeah, he moves very fluidly, especially for somebody of his size. play a little bit more power forward in France. I think he might slide in as a more prototypical three in the NBA at 68. Does have a seven foot wingspan, which you like to see as far as perimeter defense goes as well. He is the type of guy that he is not projected in all first rounds. So, he out of everybody here is probably the least amount of a reach, but he would still be I think an okay pick at 29. Now, if you’re able to somehow get him in the top of the second round or maybe a little bit later, that’s that’s elite. He’s a good cutter. He moves well off the ball, finds space on defense. Not the best shooter, but the jump shot form looks good and he he was taking some of them. And again, spacing over in the international game is a lot different than spacing in the NBA. He’s got range. He could face up. He could drive the ball. He’s not I’m not going to say he’s unathletic, but I wouldn’t say he’s like an above the rim type player. Would you agree with that? Yeah. Not above the rim, but still good around the basket without having that type of like hit to his game, if you will. He was around around between like 55 and 60% at the rim, which is very good. Um, and it’s a different context of that. Sometimes it’s via drive, sometimes it’s via rolls, sometimes it’s as a cutter. Again, that all encompassing ways in which he goes about it. It’s continues to speak to that field dynamic. I think that feel honestly that might be one of my one of my favorite things. I know the athletic the athleticism and shooting and things like that typically catch people’s eyes first but when a player has feel whether it be offensively, defensively or on both ends that’s something that I see as sustainable as anything else. Yeah, a lot of people comped him to Yako Lendenberg a little bit as well who of course is a power forward who’s going to Michigan which will probably bump up where Noah Penda is looking to get drafted. maybe bump him up into the end of that first round. So, it could line up perfectly with what the Suns are trying to do. I see him as a good fit in the modern NBA, a good fit alongside Devin Booker. Can play the three and could play the four. Crafty can shoot a little bit, can drive a little bit. Not a terrible passer either. Like you mentioned, a good feel for the game. I wouldn’t say I’m necessarily like salivating at the idea of No Appenda. He feels like almost the opposite of Jean Baron who we talked about earlier who has a lot of like raw potential. I know there is potential there with Penda, but he just feels solid in every category. He’s trying to trying to get a gauge on what the floor and ceiling are. And I think some of the some of the floor part goes down a little bit when you don’t see him having the create the creatability of some of the other players we’ve talked about in terms of putting a ball on the deck whether it being pick and roll, whether it be the navigating isolation. He doesn’t have that part to his game quite yet. Like he’s leaving some to be desired there. But again, this is a prospect. This is not something that he might not necessarily be able to add down the line. But just assessing him as right now outside of catch and shoots or if someone else is setting the table for him, it’s not going to be too much creation coming off of that. No. And and you don’t need that out of him right away. For sure. We’re not in this spot with the Suns where you’re looking at this next rookie to bring them in and save the team, right? Or to draft a 22, 23, 24 year old that’s instantly coming in and contributing to a playoff team. You have a little bit of time afforded to you to help him develop his skills. Now, you need to be able to give him the room to develop those skills. Like, you refuse to give Ryan Dunn this year. Jeff says, “A lot of international players have to be skilled and team first or they don’t play. Our team could use smart skilled players who listen to the coach and then it says Brooklyn as a bunch of our picks.” You’re you’re completely right for the international player stuff. A lot of people look at international player stats like Joan Baron or we talked about Ben Sif uh at an earlier show and they get a little down on these international draft or international draft prospects because the stats just don’t line up right. But when you play a against pro players, it’s more difficult than college basketball. I’ll I’ll put that like playing overseas is more difficult than college basketball. It is harder competition. It is tougher rules. Like Victor Wimpyama had a way more successful offensive year, his rookie year in the NBA than he did the year before for the Metropolitan what 96ers. Is that who they were? The 92ers. I don’t know what they were. But he had a way more successful offensive year. So you have to give them a little bit of grace with that. And I do like the mindset of these international players like Jeff said who you have to be smart, make the right decisions, and play team first basketball to to get minutes over there. Especially as somebody who’s under 20 years old. I know a lot of people got mad with Luca a couple years ago when he said that it’s harder to score in Europe than it is in the United States. And I mean, you feel how you want to feel, but if you go and watch some of these prospects and you apply the context to why their numbers are down and so many come to the States and they see a significant boost in volume and efficiency and impact of their numbers, the answer lies within that alone. And we’ve seen multiple international prospects over the last couple of years. in the literal what five of the top seven or eight players in the league now. Yeah, we uh there hasn’t been an American MVP since James Harden in 2018. Yeah. Yeah. Cuz Canadian Yeah. So Shay, Joic, Embiid, Giannis. Yeah. There has not been an American MVP since 2018. Look at the most recent number one picks. Of course, Cooper Flag this year, presumably number one is an Americanb born player, but Zachary Reach, Victor Wanyama, who was before that. Who was three drafts ago? Before Wimi. Um, why am I blanking? Yeah, I’m blanking right now, too. Number one. Oh, man. This is tough. Was it Cade? Was that the year before the one? No, I think Kade was the year before that, if I remember. Kade. It was Paulo. Yeah. So, he’s he’s United States. The number one pick before that. It was a nice run of of United States players before you hit Mhm. DeAndre Aiden. So, we like No Appenda. Mhm. And the the last thing I wanted to say on the international part though, Yeah. I brought that up because there’s a certain way that they have to think the game through. Yes. And you see it with even the older players like Nick Batum. He’s always able to find room on someone’s rotation because of the way he thinks it and he keeps things moving offensively and defensively. Those players come into the NBA context with that at their foundation because you can’t even get minutes in the Euro League if you’re a great athlete that can’t think the game through in certain respects. Yeah, 100% agree. We have a question from Mario and Mario asks, “Do you think the Suns should target win now players versus upside projects? IMO. I feel like there’s no point to get win now players unless they’re too good to pass up since we’re not competing for a few years. Talking about win now through the draft or just Yeah, like win now players like more like league ready players. You walk in, you contribute, but maybe like a lower lower ceiling, higher floor versus higher ceiling, more of a project type player. I lean more towards the ladder side, the higher ceiling, lower floor project type if you bank on your development. But it might just come down to who’s the best player available at 20. And that’s what I was going to get at. There’s a middle ground there. And this for me is just the best player available at the pick that you ultimately end up with. Whether you trade up, trade back, get that best player available and then make things work around that. Yeah, Ashley says a bit of both. I I agree. I think there is a balance there. Well, we’ve talked about international players. We have one more international player left. The rest are college hoopers. And some of them are downright buckets. We’ll break those buckets down right after our final break. I like getting buckets in my branded Bills hats. It’s a rare no hat day for you, boy. But when I am wearing a hat, you bet your bottom dollar it’s going to be a branded Bills hat. Snapbacks, truckers, fitted, beanies, or TE’s, Brandon Bills has you, me, all of us covered with performance and style. Looking for some gear to make your brand stand apart from the crowd? Well, we have that over at PHNX. We have our own PHNX Phoenix branded Bills hats, plus a couple more styles up on our website right now. But you can get your own whether you have your own small business, a large business, maybe a fantasy football league, or your own custom logo for your own YouTube channel, your own content creation. 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We’re talking about dream prospects that could fall to the Suns at the end of the first round. It could also double as a what if they trade up a little bit, even though we’ll dive more into that on a later Wednesday. Wednesdays, of course, when we dive into the draft. Tuesdays are trade machines. Fridays are free agent Fridays. We have lots of fun here every single day on PHNX Sun. So, hit that like button, hit that subscribe button, and go to gophnx.com right now for a flash summer diehard intro offer sale. Scan the QR code on your screen. Become a diehard today. An intro offer for just $36. So many so many people in the chat. Sean, a current diehard. Kaylee, I don’t believe you’re a diehard yet. But talking about how great this community is, we have Nathan who says, “Yo, I just love this community, guys. Everyone’s so nice, especially Kaylee and Eric Ruby. Thanks, guys. I think you’re extremely nice, too. Stephen as well. We’re all nice and we’re even extra nice in the Die Hard Discord, which you get access to when you become a diehard today. Plus, you get exclusive content. Steve and I have done some NBA playoff live streams during the season. We’ll bring you availability in full from the players as dieards. We have so much going on for dieards, but it’s not just for Suns. It’s for Cardinals, Diamondbacks, ASU, U of A, Mercury. Brian says, “I just love Noah. He’s so cool.” He’ll pop in the Discord every once in a while. The one person likes Noah. I’m glad that we found one. But you also get so much more than just that. You also get a free t-shirt, which is basically like your $36 for free. You can get some of our son’s designs as well. But man, we have so much fun with our dieards. And of course, Gerald is on paternity leave right now, but when Gerald is back, you get all of his articles completely unlocked and free adfree on gophnx.com. So go pHx.com/join for our summer flash going on right now. Ready to talk about a bucket? Noah’s graphic saved my soul a bit during the sun season from shine. Noah, you know, I’ll say something nice about Noah. Noah is very good at his job and Noah is very, very good at making graphics and thumbnails. A thank you. I take it back. You suck. Oh, let’s throw up that sexy graphic about Nick Clifford, Colorado State. His position is bucket. 18.9 points per game, 9.6 rebounds per game, 4.4 assists per game, 49.6% field goal percentage, 37.7% from deep. 66 200 lb. Stephen, he might be the longest shot as far as falling down for the Suns, but my lord, this guy screams buckets. Indeed, he does. And I think obviously the the 18.9 is nothing to scoff at in any capacity, but I want to touch on the rebounding real quick. Yeah, I mean almost 10 per game. Almost 10 a game. There’s a lot of impact there. And that’s something again, you have to have a certain motor and a certain care factor for grabbing rebounds. Sure. That’s not something that just falls off a cliff when you go up in terms of the level of competition and the level of physicality. 62, right? He’s not just walking into that. Exactly. So, there’s a certain motor you have to have if you’re quote unquote undersized for most like 67, 68, 69, and then obviously plus sevenfooters that you’re contending for these rebounds with. 9.6 is nothing to scoff at. And then you get back to the scoring. Such a bucket, dude. He He is the type of player that you might not look at the Suns right now and think that you need an offensive option, but he is a true three-level scorer. He will drive to the paint. He will shoot an offbalance midi. He will handle it. He’ll shoot threes. He’ll catch and shoot. He’ll give you post moves, post fades. He really can do it all. Now, there is the same question about the competition that he played because at Colorado State, you’re not exactly playing the best competition. You’re not playing the best athletes either, which might play into some inflated rebound numbers, but he is a great athlete. He’s on the older side of things. He’s going to be about 23 and a half years old at the time of the draft. Currently slotted in at number 21 on the All City big board, but I’ve seen him going as close to the top 10. Uh, Howie says Nick Clifford equals Nick Batum. I’d say his ceiling is much higher. So much more off the dribble creation, so much more threelevel scoring from a guy like Nick. Uh Jeff says, “We aren’t looking for a guy that will automatically come in and be an instant star, but guys like Yang, Rayard, Caulk, Benner, and Sarah can come in and be a surprise.” Nick Clifford, I don’t know if he gonna if he’s going to come in and be a star, Stephen, but I think out of all of the players that we’ve talked about today, I think he has the highest ceiling to do so. Yep. like like you mentioned the elite three level scoring and the ability to operate in multiple capacities on offense and still have efficiency and effectiveness in doing so. You can’t place a value on that, especially because coming into the league, he’s a number one option with Colorado State. He’s not going to be a number one or number two or maybe even number three or four with whoever ends up with him out of the draft. So, how can you take your strengths and kind of spread those across multiple contexts to be more malleable? Yeah, on an actual team roster. And if you find someone that can score at three levels and also be elite with spot up, not just catch and shoot, but also putting it on the deck, you have someone that you can build around and putting your your rotation almost immediately. Yeah. Mario says Clifford is a mustkit, but no way he falls to 29 sadly. You know, people felt like Dalton Connect wasn’t going to fall out of the top 10 last year. Ended up going near 20. It’s possible. Now, if you want to nitpick some of the stuff about Nick Clifford and his scoring, a lot of his scoring did come on very heavily contested shots off the dribble, off of post moves. Now, in the NBA, that becomes a lot harder to make a translatable skill. Some guys can do it, right? KD’s, Devin Booker, Shay Gilis Alexanders, like the best of the best can continue to dominate in that sense. You do wonder because he was playing a lower level of competition, being able to get those shots off against smaller overall less than average defenders on the college level will make an impact. But the way that he shoots, the way that he gets to the ball off balance, he’s a good cutter. He’ll drive to the rim. He can just do a little bit of everything. And you know, he playmakes, too. It’s not like he can’t pass. You know, he’s good at finding cutters. He he makes some pretty difficult reads as well. He loves this little little two-handed overhead pass. He loves doing that little cross quarter. Mhm. He He’s a beast. He He’s a He is going to be a bucket. I think he’s going to be the type of player at his age and his skill set that is going to be one of the favorites and one of the contenders for rookie of the year. If you can get him at 29, must get. If you trade up to the early 20s, late teens, I I would not be mad if you targeted him either. He fits well next to book because he can be a release valve on the scoring end. He’s not a liability defensively either and he can pass the ball. I think if you keep him and you keep Katie, KD would be an incredible person to learn from, especially for his game. For sure. And I think especially you bringing up Booker and Durant. That’s what I think I see in him more than anything else. And that’s what I kind of hinted at earlier is a shift in role, but having a shot profile that shift that shifts with that role. So, like you talked about looking at his film, a lot of contested jumpers, a lot of self-creation. What if, let’s just say 50% of his offense shifts more towards playing off of spot ups, and it’s a lot of catch and shoot, catch and drive, catch and make a quick decision. How does that look for him? I think if you have someone that has this tough shot making ability to take those shots and make those shots effectively enough to be a MVP of his his conference you can take a lot of that shifted to there in a new role and still have those foundational pieces to fall back on in a pinch but it’s not your end all be all right for sure. And that’s and you know when you get drafted higher up you’re going to be expected to do that if you do fall you’re gonna be expected to slot into a different role. Phoenix kind of an interesting spot for being so late in the draft, but also in need of and we talked about with injuries and and how much more did we need somebody else who could create off the ball and to to attack these double teams that Book is going to get. And if you’re without KD, how many more double teams is is he going to get and having a player like Nick Clifford would be awesome. Again, 66, 200 lb, athletic three level scorer. Doubt he’ll be there at the end of the first round. Here’s another forward though. Will Riley, the fighting Illinois out of Illinois, 12.6 points per game, 4.1 rebounds per game, 2.2 assists per game, 43.2% from the field, 32.6% from deep, 68, 180. Great frame as far as size goes. Needs to add some more muscle, but there was a lot that popped for me for Will Riley. But what popped for you from his tape? Honestly, he’s I think I see I see the potential with him. I think I see a little bit more on the weakness side in terms of obviously playing in the Big 10 is going to it’s going to bring the the ceiling of your numbers down because it’s power five conference. Whole lot of defense, whole lot of just wide range and wings flowing around. That being said though, 12.6 six in comparison to obviously we just got done talking about NE so I feel like that leaves a little more to be desired from Will that’s not anything to scoff at with that and I think that him being able to that’s a very respectable number for uh for the Big 10 in particular so I think I like the scoring chops that he shows the creation ability but I just kind of question how well some of these numbers translate to the league for him yeah we have some comparisons on our all city uh big board that we have up for diehards only at gophnx.com uh Cam Johnson, Keshan George, and Otto Porter Jr. He can be a a good shooter. Now, I think he does leave a little bit more to be desired from the shooting range, especially for somebody his frame, but he could dribble, he could pass, he could shoot. He is fearless when driving to the rim, which was one of the first things that I saw out of him as well. I really do think that he’s going to be a good player. Now, he’s not somebody I would necessarily trade up for. Right now, we have him mocked at number 19. But he is younger. I think he could become one of those prototypical winged type players. He could play good defense. He just needs to get bigger and a little bit more refined. But I I think you can get that. The guy’s 19 years old, right? And he’s got the frame. He just needs to add a little bit more muscle to it, which I I think you can do on an NBA level. You can still be thin, but you could be strong. Yeah. I mean, look at Giannis when he first came in. He’s getting pushed around. Look at where he’s at now. Yeah. I mean, look at look at a guy like Male though, too, where Male is not exactly the biggest person in his frame, but his his his frame itself is so beneficial because of how long his arms are. And you know, it’s ironic because a lot of people are complaining about this with male, but this guy is not afraid to go to the rim. He is going to drive. He has some really creative finishes around the basket. To me, realistically, I could see him being one of the players that does slide based off of some of the weaknesses that you talked about. And out of everybody we talked about today, besides maybe who was that bid, it was Noah, not that Noah, but the other Noah, Noah Penda, who is not mocked in a lot of first rounds, is maybe the most attainable at 29 for this team. So, there is a reason to look a little bit more into his tape, but I agree with you. He’s not perfect. Yeah. And I like I I really enjoy watching his creation on the film. But my question becomes, which you kind of hinted at, was he was it 681 180? 66 180. 66 180. So the 66 part doesn’t doesn’t like kind of push me off much, but it’s the 180 part. Sure. Because what he was comfortable doing on the dribble, on the drive in college, when you got more physical defenders and less of a whistle, how does that creativity look? Sure. And that’s something you say with any guard that has one of playmaking is one of their best skills. When you get able to get touched and you get into his body, is the playmaking still that effective? Is the creativity still there? Well, he’s he’s willing. He’s willing to go to the rim, right? So, if you’re going to continue to do that in the NBA, I wouldn’t say his jumper is enough to go away from that. He does have a good jumper, especially a contested jumper. He seemed pretty comfortable with playing with that. with him. I see him probably slotting in more as a two guard going forward at 66 a little, but a 66 200, which is I think realistic for somebody on an NBA weight training program, 66200 is a good two guard with the the type of length and the shooting touch and the the paint presence that we can see out of him. Not at the top of my list, but definitely somebody who intrigues me for sure. Yeah, definitely intriguing 100%. There’s another player that’s been mocked really high that intrigues me, but I’ve gotten a lot of push back when I said it. That’s Jace Richardson. Michigan State Mhm. guard. 12.1 points per game, 3.3 rebounds per game, 1.9 assists per game, shooting 49.3% from the field, 41.2% from deep. Now, his height and weight, his height is listed at 63, 185. At the combine, he measured at just about 6 foot without shoes. So, he is a smaller guard, not the craziest scorer, but Stephen, you can speak to the fact that not a lot of Michigan State players are one and done. What did you see out of Jace Richardson this season? Yeah, I I I definitely had questions about Jace going into the league just because of the the the size part more than anything else. However, there is a lot of game with Jace Richardson. There’s a ton of feel. There’s a ton of toughness. There’s just a gritty a gritty nature about his game on the offensive end. It just hits differently. He’s stubborn in a positive way. And I think that is probably one of the qualities that’s most translatable if you look at smaller guards across the league’s history that have been successful. Look at someone like Iverson. Probably the most stubborn guard to ever touch the hardwood, especially considering the physical attributes that were against him and the ways he overcame those. Not saying that Jayce is Iverson, but I’m saying he has some of those small guard qualities is what I’m getting at. And I I have some stats that back that up as well, but I want to remind everybody that is watching on TV that the party always continues over at gophnx.com. And you know what that means? It’s time for overtime. Hit that like button. Hit that subscribe button. Wow says he’s not aligned with the Suns. Uh MSU is definitely aligned with the Suns. Uh Nathan says as a rival of MSU, he’s Michigan fan. Jace Richardson is pretty good. I think he could have had a better points per game, but that’s just me. Uh he is mocked at 14 and that’s why if he’s there at 29, if he slides because of size, I do think that you are able to snag somebody that shot 50% on open catch and shoot threes, 40% on guarded catch and shoots, and 40% on off the triple jumpers. Shot 68.6% 6% on non-dunk shots at the rim, which for a smaller guard is absolutely elite. Had a low usage rate at just 20%, but he could still run some pick and roll. He is more of an offball player, which I think fits next to Devin Booker. He’s a lefty, not a bad athlete, but he’s not Jason Richardson. I’ll I’ll tell you that for sure. Uh he can get to his own and and he can be maybe one of these new generation smaller guards that that is very feisty like you mentioned. I think he just has a very high floor as a as a shooter in this league is maybe the most valuable thing. He’s going to add on a little bit weight. He’s also only 19, so he might grow a little bit, get to 6’1 without shoes. 6’3 really because I think 63 is a fake listing for him right now. But he’s an 84% free throw shooter. Again, over 40% from deep, 54.5% from two. That’s 49.3% overall on field goals. not the greatest passer, but somebody who could develop with that. I’m I like him. I would not trade up for him, but if he fell to the Suns, I wouldn’t hate it. Now, yes, I get the concerns about there being a small guard, but shooting like that is an elite skill in this league. And if one of the best shooters, if not the best shooter in this draft falls to you, I I think you take that. That’s the best player available type conversation that we were having earlier. Yeah. Yeah, for sure. And I think that maybe more than any of the other players that we spoke to on today’s episode, coming from a program that runs a lot of NBA type of actions as well, that helps to the learning curve part. I know we always focus on skill and potential there. That learning curve part is equally as much of a um kind of piece that helps a player get into a rotation sooner than later. Yeah. So having that will help a ton, too. Well, I’m playing in in Michigan State’s system as well and and thriving off the ball, not taking a lot of shots. And you know, Michigan State again is not a not a school that puts a lot of one and done out there. So, you know, the few one and done, well, the most recent one and done uh would have been Jiren Jackson Jr., right? Other than that, I think it’s I think it’s like under five or six for all of time at Michigan State. One last prospect. You ready? Let’s go back to France, baby. Nolan Trayori 11.6 points per game, 1.7 rebounds per game, 5.1 assists per game, 45.2% from the field, 30.4% from three. He’s 65, 174. This man is not a jump shooter by any means at all, but I don’t know if I’ve ever seen a guard love the rim more than Nolan Treyoli when I was watching his Trayori when I was watching his film. even that ability to the willingness and want to to put the ball in the deck and to be that effective and impactful in doing that, that’s fun. There’s a there’s a there’s a force that he plays with when he has the ball. And I think that ability to put pressure on the rim, if we continue to talk about archetypes around the Booker centric roster, that’s what you need. That’s what’s been missing for the most part. Even in even in the most successful seasons outside of a Aiden role, there wasn’t much pressure being put on the rim. That was in a respectable manner. Yeah, he screams project for sure. He’s huge. I mean, 6’5 as far as far as tall. He is a skinny skinny skinny skinny guy. But like we mentioned before with the overseas game, don’t downplay it. They’re very very physical over there. So, if he could develop a jump shot, which to be honest with you, I’m not super high on him developing a consistent jumper. Kind of in the same category of a Ben Sif that we talked about last week as he takes jumpers, he’s hit jumpers, but he’s not the type of player that you’re going to go in and say that’s going to be a jumper. So, I would like to see a little bit more from him defensively and in the NBA, you want to see him add to your frame. Uh I I would not look at him as somebody that I would trade up for. However, on our all city big board, uh he is at 18. A couple years ago, he was projected as a top five pick in this draft. That’s when I first heard his name. Yeah, there is a lot put on his plate. Mhm. I don’t know if he is going to end up living up to that, but he can dribble with both hands. He’s a really great passer. Like, he’s a really good passer. Five assists per game in that system in that like playing overseas is just really great. He needs to get better with his jumper. His form is decent, but it’s just not consistent. He did shoot 48.3% on open threes and 72.3% from the free throw line. So, there is something there, but he needs to get bigger and even better in the paint or he needs to to develop that jump shot. His player comparison, by the way, on the AllNBA mock draft is Taius Jones, but he’s 65. I wouldn’t But he’s 6’5. I would love to talk about the the Tus Jones comp. Sure. Not Not with you, but with whoever it was that that gave him that just because he’s a Well, from everything I saw, he’s a score first guard, and Tus is the pass first. Yeah. I mean, he was he’s definitely score first, drive first. And that’s where I was going to get to too because with Ty even when he was in college, I didn’t see him as like in some elite rim pressure type of guy that finished over people and through contact to the extents that we see with Chori. So yeah, I I agree. Definitely a player that if he falls when you you could take a top five potential and that’s that’s a guard that can pair alongside Devin Booker hypothetically for the rest of his career if he’s able to fill out a little bit and and be a nice passing point guard who maybe doesn’t need to shoot as much. He can set Deon Booker up a little bit more. Out of all the names we talked about today, can you give me your top three? Uh yeah, number one I’m going to go with Rashir Fleming. I can’t help but laugh when we say the name because dude’s just a just a stud. Yeah, he is. I cannot believe he’s mocked as low as he is in so many so many mock drafts. For sure. Uh number two, I would probably go with uh Jean Beeringer. Bearing Jay, excuse me. Jean Beering J. Okay. And number three, I’m kind of torn between Thomas Sorber and Nick Clifford. So no Ace Newell. He’s on a cusp, but I kind of I like what I saw from the three names I mentioned just a tick more. I I I’m gonna go with Rashir Fleming one. Mhm. I’m going to go with I’m going to go with Thomas Sorber, too. I’m not mad at him. I I I really like what he brings for this team. Yeah. Give me It’s between Nick Clifford and and Ace Newell. You know what? Give me Nick. There’s just so many more buildable tools there. I I’ll go Nick three and then if I’m throwing in a fourth it’ll be as new. I’m not as I’m not as high on on Joan Baron as I I Okay, let me get let me I’m high on him as I think he’ll be a good player but right now all the other players that we talked about not all of them but most of them I I want to bet on on their upside. I would take Baron over Trayori. I would take him over Richardson and I would take him over Will Riley. Everybody else which would be Will Penda that’s basically it. it would be Will Penda that I I would I would take over him. But I do like him. A lot of people talk about Walter Clayton Jr. We’ll be talking about him in future weeks. Always feel free to drop down in the comments below uh players that you want to see us talk about in the 2025 NBA draft. Very quick predictions for Thunder Minnesota tonight. Is it over? Yeah, that’s over. I hope it’s not. I want to see more basketball. I’ll give one number for this game. Okay. 12. 12. If Minnesota could have 12 or less turnovers, we might see a game six. If we see more than that or even that exact number, it’s probably curtains. Cuz that’s going to double into 18 to 20 points. And this is in OKC, correct? In OKC to go to the finals. They haven’t won a game on that court yet. Yeah, I think OKC cleans up here tonight. Hope I’m wrong. Uh Eastern Conference Finals tomorrow night. Of course, tomorrow afternoon, we will be here again. But if you’re looking for something in the meantime, Stephen and I did record a trending podcast on the couple of reports talking about how this might be the craziest NBA offseason of all time and what that would mean for the Phoenix Suns and a potential Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal trade that’s going to be coming out at some point later tonight on YouTube and on audio as well. So keep your eyes and ears out for that. And while you’re doing that, hit that like button. Make sure you subscribe to PHNX Sports. Don’t miss a show. A Sun show, a Diamondback show, a Cardinal show, a Mercury show, an ASU show, a UFA show. Don’t miss any of them. Don’t miss the rising show either. I’ll be watching all right here on PHNX Sports. Once again, become a diehard for $36 today. Our flashome intro sale is live at gophnx.com/join. And if you want to follow along with the show until tomorrow, you can follow us at phnx_son. You can also always tweet at us, tweet us questions, whatever it might be. Shout out Noah behind the Mac making all of the magic happen. You can follow Stephen, don’t call him Steve, at StephenPG3. That’s Stephen with a ph. You can follow me at ribb y. We’ll be back tomorrow for a tears day Thursday and I’m looking forward to it. We’ll talk to you then like the mayor.

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The Phoenix Suns NEED to nail the draft this year, and every year draft classes see players mocked to go high fall to the end of the first round. Who are the top names Suns fans could keep their eyes on to fall this year?

Erik & Stephen dive into a few names like Nique Clifford, Thomas Sorber, Jase Richardson and more! Should Phoenix target the best player available, or focus more on positional need?

PHNX Suns breaks it down on another 2025 NBA draft deep dive! Follow the show @PHNX_Suns, @StpehenPG3 & @ErikRuby!

0:00 Intro
3:30 Thomas Sorber breakdown
10:00 Joan Beringer breakdown
16:15 Asa Newell breakdown
25:00 Rasheer Fleming breakdown
33:00 Noah Penda breakdown
46:45 Nique Clifford breakdown
53:45 Will Riley breakdown
57:15 Jase Richardson breakdown
1:01:30 Nolan Traore breakdown
1:05:15 Favorite prospects
1:07:00 Playoff talk

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