Phoenix Suns: 5 options for pick No. 31 in 2018 NBA Draft

3. Shake Milton, SG/PG — SMU

Thanks to a poor performance at the NBA Draft Combine, Shake Milton has been sliding down recent draft boards. Other teams’ loss could be the Suns’ gain if he’s available at No. 31, thanks to his ability to play either guard spot in a pinch and his potential to guard multiple positions.

This automatically makes him intriguing to a team like the Suns, whose best defender last year was either a 35-year-old Tyson Chandler or rookie Josh Jackson. With a wingspan just shy of 7’1″, this 6’6″ guard is even longer than he appears and in a league where positional versatility is a necessity, Milton fits the mold.

For his part, the junior out of SMU would benefit from joining a team where he’s no longer expected to be “the guy.” Last year, Milton had to pick up the slack with both Semi Ojeleye and Sterling Brown entering the NBA. He did well for his part, averaging a well-rounded 18.0 points, 4.7 rebounds and 4.4 assists per game while knocking down 43.4 percent of his 5.9 3-point attempts per game.

This was no one-year fluke either; Milton made 42.7 percent of his triples in three years at college, so although he’s a bit older at 21 years old, the Suns already have enough youth to develop. Adding a “more experienced” rookie who can potentially defend 1-3, spread the floor and serve as a secondary or tertiary playmaker would do wonders for Phoenix’s future.

He’s not suited to be a go-to scorer or lead facilitator in this league, but as a guy who can do a little bit of everything, he’d be a nice fit on paper with the Suns.

However, there are also some concerns, including how his focus waned in and out on the defensive end, his underwhelming showings in the pre-draft process and his lack of speed to get by quicker guards in order to create. He’d be best in a complementary role, which the Suns could hopefully provide on offense, but his defensive versatility is the main draw here.