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NBA: 5 All-Star Bench Players Of The West

By Colby Giacubeno

Oct 16, 2015; Denver, CO, USA; Denver Nuggets guard Will Barton (5) guards Phoenix Suns forward T.J. Warren (12) in the second quarter at the Pepsi Center. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 16, 2015; Denver, CO, USA; Denver Nuggets guard Will Barton (5) guards Phoenix Suns forward T.J. Warren (12) in the second quarter at the Pepsi Center. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports /
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Dec 30, 2015; San Antonio, TX, USA; Phoenix Suns small forward T.J. Warren (12) shoots the ball against the San Antonio Spurs during the first half at AT&T Center. Mandatory Credit: Soobum Im-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 30, 2015; San Antonio, TX, USA; Phoenix Suns small forward T.J. Warren (12) shoots the ball against the San Antonio Spurs during the first half at AT&T Center. Mandatory Credit: Soobum Im-USA TODAY Sports /

SF- T.J. Warren, Phoenix Suns

2015-16 Statistics: 11.3 PPG, 3.4 RPG, 0.8 APG, 49.7 FG%

In his second year as a professional, T.J. Warren is starting to look like he did in college, where he showcased a tremendous knack to score.

The Suns haven’t exactly been shining with all the chaos that has come about with Markieff Morris wanting to be traded, Eric Bledsoe‘s season-ending injury, and questions of whether Jeff Hornacek will keep his job for the remainder of the year, but Warren can at least provide hope to fans that the Suns have a scorer for the future.

Warren ranks third on the team in scoring despite playing just 23.2 minutes per game. Questions of Hornecek’s handling of the rotation have been stated time and time again, and Warren is a big piece why those questions have surfaced. There will be games he plays 25 or more minutes, and then 10 the next. His numbers show that the more time he sees the floor, the more production.

It isn’t like Warren is a guy who is going to come off the bench and chuck shots up, he scores at an efficient rate (see FG% above).

Warren posted a career-high 29 points on 11-of-17 shooting this season in a loss against the Oklahoma City Thunder.

The Suns are 13-28 and show no signs of making any type of push for the playoffs.

There have even been rumblings that they will quietly tank in order to get a high draft pick for the 2016 draft. Instead of playing around with Warren’s minutes, Hornacek should focus on helping him develop a rhythm whether that is becoming the starting small forward, or getting him accustomed to coming off the bench and knowing he will get 20 ir more minutes per game.

The best thing the Suns can do now is plan for the future and Warren should be a big piece of that puzzle.

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