Phoenix Suns: 2017 NBA Draft grades
No. 32 — Davon Reed, Miami
The Suns made the perfect pick at No. 4, but their first selection of the second round was a bit of a head-scratcher.
It’s not that shooting guard Davon Reed is a bad prospect by any means; in fact, he brings many of the 3-and-D qualities the Suns need in a league centered around positional versatility and three-point shooting.
Davon Reed, the Suns pick at 32, is a 6'5 G/F with a 7' wingspan. During his workout, Reed was handling point guard duties in 3-on-3.
— Evan Sidery (@esidery) June 23, 2017
However, taking him this early in the second round felt like a bit of a stretch. Most mocks had him falling toward the end of the second round, where the Suns may have been able to land him with the 54th overall pick.
With Oregon’s Jordan Bell and SMU’s Semi Ojeleye both available at No. 32, Reed felt like a bit of a reach for this spot in the draft, even if he was one of the four prospects the Phoenix Suns worked out twice (Ojeleye, Villanova’s Josh Hart and Oregon’s Dillon Brooks were the others).
UM's Davon Reed goes earlier than many expected, 32nd to Phoenix.
— Barry Jackson (@flasportsbuzz) June 23, 2017
That being said, the 6’6″ wing out of Miami still has something to offer Phoenix, especially when it comes to his mammoth 7’0″ wingspan that will help him switch on the perimeter defensively.
"“He’s got pretty good size and strength and length for a shooting guard,” McDonough said. “He can defend his position and he can make an open shot. So when we took Josh Jackson with the fourth pick, if you look at our depth chart after that, we kind of had somewhat of a hole potentially at the 2-guard spot. That’s something we didn’t really have behind Devin in our young group.”"
At age 22, Reed provides a bit more experience and poise for a rookie selection — a possibly welcome addition to such a green locker room. In his senior season with the Hurricanes, he averaged 14.9 points, 4.8 rebounds and 1.3 steals per game while shooting 39.7 percent from three-point range.
Between that all-encompassing wingspan, three-point touch and hard-nosed work ethic that McDonough raved about all throughout the draft workout process, the Danny Green-lite potential is there.
I know nothing about Davon Reed but I'm certain he deserves playing time over Brandon Knight.
— Scott Howard (@ScottHoward42) June 23, 2017
Again though, considering he might have still been there at No. 54, it’s hard not to think about how someone like Jordan Bell — wisely scooped up by the Golden State Warriors, damn their all-knowing ways! — might have helped bolster the frontcourt that will see Alex Len and Alan Williams hit restricted free agency this summer.
Grade: C-