Phoenix Suns: 3 takeaways from 2018-19 Media Day

1.  Starting PG is still up in the air

McDonough believes the team checked off most of the checkboxes on its list this summer, but there’s still one glaring weakness at point guard.

The in-house options for the starting job are second round rookie Elie Okobo, second round rookie De’Anthony Melton, former G League call-up Shaquille Harrison and a five-year veteran coming off a horrific February ankle injury, Isaiah Canaan — not exactly the most proven group for a team that wants to start winning again in 2018-19.

McDonough said the team will head up to training camp with those four and continue to monitor trade options throughout the preseason and up until the trade deadline. For the time being, however, that leaves Kokoskov to decide what to do with an open, four-way battle for the starting gig at training camp.

"“We’re conceptually trying to turn what you’d call a weakness into a strength,” he said. “Nobody’s got that much depth at point guard. We don’t have one guy that we’re saying, ‘This is the starting point guard,’ but we have four point guards who can start anytime. So maybe those guys aren’t going to play longer stretches, they’re going to give us shorter stretches, play less minutes but more intense and be solid.”"

Okobo has potential as a scoring guard and passer, and McDonough said he’s stood out during summer workouts. Melton’s length and defensive potential makes him a good theoretical fit alongside Devin Booker, but like Okobo, he’s a first-year player who would likely struggle in a starting role.

Canaan is grateful to the Suns for helping him through his rehab and has a lot of motivation to prove he’s back, but he’s never really blown anyone away during his five seasons. Harrison is a pit bull on the defensive end, but desperately needs any sort of offense to warrant starter’s minutes.

On the nights when the point guard-by-committee approach isn’t working, the Suns could shift Devin Booker to the 1-spot and roll out small-ball lineups anchored by positional versatility and complementary skill-sets.

"“One of the things we’ve talked about is being creative with our playmaking wings,” McDonough said. “[Kokoskov’s] system is predicated on side-to-side ball movement, a lot of player movement, multiple pick-and-roll actions. So even if we might not have a traditional, established point guard, he and the staff have been thinking all summer about creative ways to get the ball moving side to side and then get it in the hands of our playmakers — Devin Booker, Josh Jackson, T.J. Warren.”"

The Suns need an upgrade at point guard, but until a trade can be arranged, they’ll rely on a a committee approach, training camp battles, small-ball lineups, Booker’s skill-set and Kokoskov’s system to try and hide the most glaring weakness on the roster.