Phoenix Suns: 2018 NBA Draft grades
Entering the 2018 NBA Draft with four picks, including No. 1, the Phoenix Suns emerged with Deandre Ayton, Mikal Bridges and more. Here are their draft grades.
The Phoenix Suns entered perhaps the most important offseason in franchise history with the first overall pick in the 2018 NBA Draft, as well as selections at No. 16, No. 31 and No. 59. General manager Ryan McDonough looked to address glaring holes at point guard and center on his roster, while also keeping in mind that having a surplus of wings is never a bad thing in the modern NBA.
Depending on who you ask, it was an up-and-down night for the Suns. On the one hand, they made the no-brainer selection by taking Arizona’s Deandre Ayton at No. 1. On the other hand, they used very little brainpower in passing up European sensation Luka Doncic, opting for the more physically gifted but flawed prospect in a draft where as many as five guys deserved to go first overall.
They also emerged from the draft with Mikal Bridges, the 10th overall selection, but paid a dear price to do so, being forced to part with the No. 16 pick in this year’s draft as well as a potentially valuable first round pick from the Miami Heat in 2021 that is unprotected.
At the start of the second round, the Suns snagged a French point guard, Elie Okobo. With a score-first mindset and plenty of upside, Okobo was ranked much higher on Phoenix’s draft board than where they got him, per McDonough, and he could wind up being one of the best point guards in the entire draft class if he lives up to the hype.
Rounding out the draft, the Suns actually used the 59th overall pick, choosing Colorado’s George King. King will have to work hard to make the team on a Phoenix roster chock-full of wings, but his ability to play the 2 or the 3 could help him stick around.
After such an eventful night, how did the Phoenix Suns fare in this year’s draft? To sort it out, here’s a look at 2018 NBA Draft grades for each move McDonough made, along with a final grade for the night as a whole.