GM Brian Gregory 2025 NBA Draft Night 1 Press Conference | Phoenix Suns

GM Brian Gregory 2025 NBA Draft Night 1 Press Conference | Phoenix Suns

all right Brian we’re gonna get started with Gerald Brigade from PHNX okay hey Brian good to see you uh just wanted to ask about the uh piece that you got in a deal that’s agreed upon in principle cayman model watch coming uh at number 10 i think he was a guy that not a lot of us were expecting to fall there what do you see in him and his fit both short term and long term with the Suns yeah obviously very very excited uh about this evening uh with common we had a great talk with him afterwards um you know one of the things that was really important to us was was the organizational piece that we had heading into it we had a lot of different options a lot of different things going on uh but to come away with a young talent like him comes from a great program well coached at Duke very versatile um you know last year we were um I think 27th in rim protection uh so he brings a a great defensive presence for us u we were also I think last in the league in our uh effectiveness around the rim and our ability to score at the rim uh and he’s definitely uh proven himself in in one year of college of being able to do that um we wanted you know we constantly wants want want to keep getting longer more athletic uh be able to play faster defend better and he definitely checks all those boxes plus I talked to uh Coach Sher yesterday had a long talk with him um just has some followup intel and you know everything was off the chart his work ethic his ability to be coach his desire to become you know the very best fits in exactly what we’re looking to build here in Phoenix next up is going to be Kellen Olsson with Arizona Sports hey Brian he’s a really fascinating kid for a couple reasons you guys know this much better than us but just how how simple it is about him starting basketball when he did just playing six years ago and the untapped potential that you guys see and in particular with that I was curious about the possibility of him shooting threes is this a guy that you see playing more than the five can he play the four for you as well what do you see in terms of the versatility he could have well I think a good question Kell the the the versatility on defense is already there he he can switch uh obviously guard on the perimeter um all those things which if you’ve watched the last eight weeks of the NBA playoffs and so forth is so critical to have versatility on the defensive end as well um but yeah offensively um his percentage wasn’t wasn’t great from the three obviously with that team wasn’t needed for him to shoot that uh through his workouts and through our research I do think you know he’s 19 years old so he has a pathway to improve on the perimeter offensively especially you know stretch threes from the corner above the break pick and pop action which is so important in in today’s NBA game um and and again one of the things that is is critical for us that we’re always looking at is do guys have any obstacles in their way to stop them from continuing to develop you know we talk about the different ways to to build your organization and build a better team the draft is one of them and I thought we did a great job of that tonight but then player development has to be critical so you have to bring in guys that want to develop want to be coached want to work and he definitely is all those things and more next up is Dwayne Ranken Arizona Republic yeah Brian um just a couple things um one obviously you got the 10th pick by with the trade um with with with Durant just curious your your thoughts on um how that transpired as far as the trade with with with Durant how how do you see um in terms of what you got in return for Kevin i appreciate the question but unfortunately due to the rules I can’t I can’t talk about it obviously it’s part of a some bigger movement that we’ve made um but I can talk about common all night long so if you have a question on him yeah sure i never have I never have just one question i I I I got it i got it well um but the thing the part about him uh two-parter one were you able to bring him in as far as a a a pre-draft workout because you know you get the pick and it’s maybe a a sped up process to try to get guys in to see that you could potentially draft that T and then and then two just his ability in terms of of of of lob threat um wasn’t a lot of that this past year with the Sun how much do you feel like that can be an integral part of what he’s able to do well first yeah obviously um he did not come in for a draft workout um at the same time you know I I I applaud our our scouting group you know last year uh at this time we completely revamped our professional and amateur scouting system and the entire group that we had um and really charged them with the with the opportunity and the challenge to you know kind of build a whole new system for us in in that and they did a great job um you know saw common play I think the the group told me today over eight times live during the year um and was able to be at practices and so forth and and obviously the connections throughout college basketball um you know really helped us in terms of gaining all the information that we needed heading into tonight on him um when it comes to the offensive game and the lob threats obviously that that’s a big part of the NBA game now being able to put pressure on the rim offensively how do you do that you do that by paint touches off of drives and cuts and then you do that by being able to throw the ball to various guys at the rim he is tremendous in that he’s a great on ball screener uh rolls extremely well has great hands can catch the ball which is really really really important so he is going to be a threat for us at the rim uh offensive rebounding again the possession game so critical in today’s NBA um and and we you know to be honest with you we just weren’t very good at it and um he adds to us immediately puts pressure on the rim in a lot of different ways on the offensive end hey Brian thanks for the time tonight uh two easy questions for you what was it like to go through your first draft as a GM and then second um the 20 days on the job I think maybe a little longer than that uh but uh are the suns better now than when you took this down it’s got to be more than 20 days because it feels a lot more like more than 20 days cuz we’ve had a lot of activity but it’s been it’s been great uh lot of preparation went into today um we were we were really really well organized um and and we were able to you know kind of in the last phase today sit down not only with the scouting group but with Josh and and and Matt Telum and Matt Ishbia and we were able to present our game plan for today to to to everybody um and they executed it extremely well the collaborative effort that we had during uh the actual draft with all the different opportunities and offers that come in during that time um I think the fact that our our communication lines are really open and we’re able to discuss a lot of different things in our preparation phase heading into today really made it go go smooth and and I’ll be honest with you it it’s an exciting time it really is and and uh to have someone who have has been through it before like a Josh Bartlestein like a Matt Telum our scouting group Arande Telerero who who leads that group uh you know just off the charts and and so um it was definitely a collective effort a team effort to come out as successful as I think we did tonight all right next up is going to be Jake Garcia with 12 News two-part question for you uh first of all were you surprised that he fell to you at 10 and then what part of his journey to the United States uh from South Sudan uh Sagal you gone to separate you the most yeah um we we had targeted him we we thought if he was at 10 that was someone uh that we would take in immediately um I told Matt this morning I don’t I don’t think he’s going to be there um and then just through our constant calls and different things like that it started trending that way and and sometimes when that happens it’s just that uh other organizations feel that they have a need and maybe a different spot um maybe they’re secure at at at the particular position uh so it it’s funny when it comes to the draft it is one of the hardest things to get proper intel on luckily about 2 hours before we did so we started doing even more preparation for that um so we’re we’re excited you know that that he was available to us at 10 um you know through my years of coaching I I I’ve been very fortunate to uh have multiple players from Sudan on on our team and they’ve all had different journeys um some have gone through Australia and different things like that um so you you just know that there’s a there’s a a a daily passion for being successful and and working hard and and there’s a humility that comes um that I think is one of the reasons you know he’s such a special person outside of basketball outside of basketball all right we’ll do three more next up is Dana Scott with the Arizona Republic yeah I was wondering about the 29th pick uh you traded to get uh Mark Williams what did you see in him that you know basically made you want to pass on picking at 29 as you’re trying to accumulate more draft capital yeah I can’t talk about anything along those lines all right next up is gonna be Greg Moore with the Arizona Republic hey thanks man uh Brian good to see you good to see you can you talk to me about the intangibles um come on you know it just seems to me you’ve prioritized toughness um the kind of players that you’re looking for you know does he fit that am I right am I seeing something there what can you say about his intangibles yeah you you’re 100% right uh physically tough uh great conditioning uh so you know there’s there’s a work ethic there and an understanding of how the game is played now and and and being able to run up run up and down the court and and play with pace um there is a mental toughness there you know there there’s something to be said uh about bringing guys in that are you know have been part of you know a high level collegiate program that there’s demands and standards that those guys have to uh meet every day um I think Coach Sh’s one of the best coaches in the country uh I know there’s there’s daily habits that the those Duke players you know have and you bring guys in like that and and there’s a a much easier transition because of that and I think um you know we’re excited about that we really are um when it comes to the pure toughness all you got to do is watch one game and you see his physicality uh you see the fact that he’s not afraid uh to to to lay bodies on guys when it comes to rebounding we were not a very good rebounding team offensively or defensively there’s got to be a physical aspect of that to be successful and he definitely brings it all right final question is going to be Robbie Baker with Fox 10 hi Brian uh thanks for doing this tonight no problem just curious Coach A’s history working with uh in Cleveland with guys like Evan Mobley and Jared Allen how much did that kind of factor into the selection you made tonight and what coach I can do for Kaman’s development yeah it was a big it was a big part and and and you know in all these meetings uh Jordan was lockep with us you know watching film with us talking about different things you know again how we’re going to play what are things that are important to him um and with his experience uh you know obviously the LA you know last year in Cleveland his time with the Lakers um you know having bigs that are versatile can protect the rim but can still get up on ball screens and not just play the drop be more aggressive defensively on the perimeter um was a big big big part of our decision process um again when when it comes to decisions as important as this um those those communication pieces and those discussions are are critical and they’re they’re part of what we’re all about and so having him and having him be able to to actually break down film with us uh in terms of you know watch this play look at his movement here different things like that was critical in our decision tonight all right thank you Brian thanks thanks everybody

Phoenix Suns General Manager Brian Gregory speaks to the media following Night 1 of the 2025 NBA Draft.

#SunsUp

Subscribe to get all the latest Phoenix Suns Content: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLxlWVVHz2a8SdCfxzVXzQw

Connect with the Phoenix Suns online and on Social:
🔵 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/suns/
🔵 Twitter: https://twitter.com/Suns
🟣 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/suns/
💻 Website: https://www.nba.com/suns/?tmd=1
🟢 TikTok: @phoenixsuns
🟡 SnapChat: phoenix suns

🎟️ Join us for a Game: Suns.com/Tickets