SUNS DRAFT KOA PEAT

[JJ Slim]

Yeah if we had gotten him at 31 no one would be complaining and it would have been considered a genius move.

[pickle]

Here’s another perspective. I don’t know who this guy is but his point that you have to take fewer dribbles and play hard all the time in the NBA rings true.

[Flagrant Fowl]

This is from David Aldridge’s pre-draft column where he surveys scouts and college coaches on the prospects.

Koa Peat | 6-7 forward | 19 years old | Arizona

College basketball assistant coach No. 2 (his team played Arizona): I’ll be honest; I thought he should have gone back. He was, if they had five starters, he was the last one we talked about. Physical, great frame. But what does he do? He’s not productive. We were fine if they threw it to him in the short roll; we were fine if he shot 3s. We told (our players), just go at him. Works hard, does all the good stuff. I don’t know what his NBA skill is.

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/736805 ... tsa-wings/

"What does he do?" is a bit harsh.

Even so, this would only concern me if the Suns drafted him with the 10th pick. Very low risk with the move they made to get him at 30.

[pickle]

One more. Interesting video.

[TOO]

Yeah if we had gotten him at 31 no one would be complaining and it would have been considered a genius move.

Nah, I just don't think he has a clear NBA skill or talent. And "winner" isn't a skill.

[Mori Chu]

Losing three 2nds to get up to #30 to draft a guy at the end of the 1st round is not the worst thing in the world. Teams demonstrated just the other day that you can scoop up 2nds just for the privilege of moving down a few spots in the 1st round.

[INFORMER]

Love Gregory taking big swings.

It's a breath of fresh air after Mr "always looking for a solid 8th man" James Jones.

Not sure I would qualify this as a big swing, but I can tip the hat to the effort and ability to make something happen, especially regarding the draft.

Strangely, I do see some James Jones "solid 8th man" approach here. While Koa is younger than what James Jones usually targeted, I do think his limitations put him in the low ceiling category that seemed to characterize Jones talent evaluation.

[INFORMER]

I know they were hot for Colin Murray Boyles last year, this just feels like a reach to obtain a similar player. I tried to find something exciting about this pick and I just couldn't. I don't like it.

Boyles is a good reference. I thought he was one of the most overrated prospects last year, but to his credit he had some great moments last year. So maybe I was wrong about him, but hopefully I'm wrong about Koa.

[INFORMER]

I get the UA trauma, but give the guy a chance.

I would have loved Carter Bryant last year. I don't think it makes sense to blacklist a school, at least not off one player.

At least he wasn’t Michigan St

Ironically, I was hoping Jeremy Fears, Jr. would stay in the draft; the one time the MSU bias could have worked in our favor. Maybe he'll be available for our pick next year.

[INFORMER]

Best case: poor man's Zion. Worst case: Millsap. Not bad for a #30 pick.

Koa's worst case scenario is a guy that averaged 16-18 ppg/7-9 rpg for several years?! I think you're higher on him than Gregory is.

[INFORMER]

Yeah if we had gotten him at 31 no one would be complaining and it would have been considered a genius move.

I'm not sure what that is based on. I don't think people view 30 drastically different from 31. I think it matters more that the Suns used three picks to move to that spot.

Ultimately I just think it's a matter of how bothered you are by his shortcomings. All prospects have at least a few flaws, but not all flaws are equal in terms of how much of a barrier they will be to becoming an NBA player.

[INFORMER]

I didn't think there was a lot of variance in talent after the top 25. I personally didn't see the need or incentive to trade up.

People poo poo 2nd rounders, but to an asset depleted team like the Suns, I think they carry more value. Is it the worst thing in the world they did a 3-for-1 deal to move to the 30? No.

In terms of alternatives, I probably would have preferred going with Baba Miller at 30. But I would have been fine staying at 47 and going with TKR, Henri Veesaar, or Qadir Copeland.

[Shabazz]

Sam Vecenie:

Phoenix Suns

• Acquired Koa Peat (No. 30) for No. 47 and two future second-round picks

I loved Phoenix jumping in to grab Peat for only three second-round picks, one of which was No. 47 this year. I had Peat ranked No. 16 and think scouts overreacted drastically to changes in his shooting mechanics during pre-draft workouts. This was probably my biggest draft-day value for any team.

Peat fits exactly what the Suns want to be because he’s a team-first, selfless player and a winner. At 6-7 with a 6-11 wingspan and a strong 245-pound frame, Peat is a smart basketball player who can dribble, pass, defend and think on the court. I wouldn’t call him a standout in any of those qualities, but he does a little bit of everything in an era when teams want versatility. He moves well without the ball, does the little things, can take advantage of mismatches with his strength and excels in the midrange. Even if you think NBA teams are more right than I was by ranking him No. 16, I don’t think anyone can complain about the price point Phoenix paid, especially since the Suns entered the draft with only a late second-rounder.

Grade: B+

[pickle]

[virtual9mm]

Spoiler: show/hide

Best case: poor man's Zion. Worst case: Millsap. Not bad for a #30 pick.

Koa's worst case scenario is a guy that averaged 16-18 ppg/7-9 rpg for several years?! I think you're higher on him than Gregory is.

I think you and O Gardino are right -- I am undervaluing Millsap quite a bit. But I don't think I am crazy, either.

He plays bully ball and has good bbiq and is a playmaker. I think the Dario Saric comparison makes sense.

Everyone is concerned about his shooting and I think this is legit. However, I also think he can improve his athleticism and strength just a bit, meaning that a 22 year old version of him should continue to be able to play bully ball in the NBA.

Biggest red flag for me is his agility. But Millsap wasn't agile, either. Neither was old Saric. If you have bbiq it substitutes to some degree.

I don't think he is Barkley or Larry Johnson. But imagine how useful a Rodney Rogers would be in today's NBA. Develop his shooting and he could be like that or a Millsap, maybe somewhere in between. And if you remember, young Saric was looking like a potential Kukoc before injuries slowed him down. I am not sure Koa has that level of agility but even an old and slow Saric produced at an almost 6th man of the year level.

Unless he turns into pot bellied Ish Wainwright, I think he will be worth the move up. And it's not like we picked him in the high lottery.

[Superbone]

Love Koa Peat, but he hired a shot coach before the draft & drastically chanced his mechanics. It's a big red flag atm.

He's 19. I'm sure an NBA shooting coach can get things squared away.

Jeff Hornacek changed his shot early in his career and he did pretty well.

[Superbone]

I don’t think anyone’s complaining. People don’t have to love a prospect just because the Suns drafted him.

But no viable alternative pick either that we should have made instead. "Not a very good pick. Peat has a lot of flaws. Wouldn't have picked him. Should have picked.. ummm.. hmm.. well somebody else instead!"

What about staying at their spot and save those picks for something more?

Granted, on this discussions, second rounders’ value are tilted on the direction of every argument’s sake. But that was also an option nonetheless.

So then you end up landing an even further stretch. At least Peat has real potential to amount to a player that will contribute vs the second rounder crap shoot we really would have wound up with had we stayed put at their spot. I just have a little bit of issue with the uproar considering this was the 30th pick, not a lottery selection.

At least we have a record to go back to in a few years to see how everybody’s first reactions age. I have no idea. I don’t follow college basketball and haven’t seen him play. On vacation and haven’t had a chance to watch highlights yet.

[Superbone]

Yeah if we had gotten him at 31 no one would be complaining and it would have been considered a genius move.

Nah, I just don't think he has a clear NBA skill or talent. And "winner" isn't a skill.

The winner skill worked pretty well for mvp Brunson of the Champion Knicks…

[JJ Slim]

I don’t think anyone’s complaining. People don’t have to love a prospect just because the Suns drafted him.

But no viable alternative pick either that we should have made instead. "Not a very good pick. Peat has a lot of flaws. Wouldn't have picked him. Should have picked.. ummm.. hmm.. well somebody else instead!"

What about staying at their spot and save those picks for something more?

Granted, on this discussions, second rounders’ value are tilted on the direction of every argument’s sake. But that was also an option nonetheless.

So then you end up landing an even further stretch. At least Peat has real potential to amount to a player that will contribute vs the second rounder crap shoot we really would have wound up with had we stayed put at their spot. I just have a little bit of issue with the uproar considering this was the 30th pick, not a lottery selection.

At least we have a record to go back to in a few years to see how everybody’s first reactions age. I have no idea. I don’t follow college basketball and haven’t seen him play. On vacation and haven’t had a chance to watch highlights yet.

Hopefully it doesn't end up being 279 pages long

[TOO]

Yeah if we had gotten him at 31 no one would be complaining and it would have been considered a genius move.

Nah, I just don't think he has a clear NBA skill or talent. And "winner" isn't a skill.

The winner skill worked pretty well for mvp Brunson of the Champion Knicks…

Lol, that 35ppg helped way more.