Suns new coach Jordan Ott explains how he plans to prove his talent
Phoenix Suns news head coach Jordan Ott talks about his philosophy and general manager Brian Gregory speaks to why they chose Ott.
The Suns may make trades involving players and draft picks.The Suns need more size and are looking at several big men and guards.
The Phoenix Suns currently have four draft picks (10th, 29th, 52nd and 59th) entering the June 25-26 NBA draft in Brooklyn.
That could very well change if they make deals during the draft and package their picks with players to obtain assets.
For now, the Suns have four selections after obtaining the 10th overall pick in the first round and the 59th overall choice in the second round from Houston as part of the Kevin Durant trade.
Here’s what direction the Suns could go with each selection.
10th overall (1st round) – Derik Queen (Maryland)
The Suns need size as 7-footer Nick Richards and Oso Ighodaro are the only big men they currently have under contract going into the 2025-26 season.
Richards’ deal for $5 million becomes fully guaranteed June 29.
While South Carolina’s Collin Murray-Boyles may be the right pick here because of his ability to play on both ends, he’s just 6-7, 245 pounds. Queen is not only taller at 6-10, but he can score with his back to the basket, off the dribble and with the one-legged fadeaway shot, a la Dirk Nowitzki.
If he can expand his range to 3, Queen will have the complete package offensively.
Arizona freshman Carter Bryant is also someone to consider here.
The 6-8 forward is very explosive around the basket. He has 3-point range (shot 37.1 from 3) and could be a force defensively in being able to guard multiple positions on switches.
If he’s still around at 10th, Bryant could be the best talent available.
29th overall (1st round) – Maxime Raynaud (Stanford)
While Creighton 7-footer Ryan Kalkbrenner ranked fourth in the NCAA in blocked shots at 2.66 a game and has a good offensive foundation to develop, Raynaud is the more explosive athlete who looks more comfortable shooting 3s (34.7% from distance this past season).
He averaged an impressive double-double of 20.2 points and 10.7 rebounds in his senior year. Raynaud was second in the country in double-doubles with 25. He has some fire and energy, but needs to get stronger. Raynaud can score off the bounce from the 3-point line all the way to the rim.
52nd overall – (2nd round) Chaz Lanier (Tennessee)
The Suns brought in Lanier for a pre-draft workout. He can flat-out shoot the ball, knocking down 123 from 3 in his one season with the Volunteers.
Lanier won the Jerry West Award for the country’s best shooting guard over Baylor’s V.J. Edgecombe and Texas’ Tre Johnson, two projected top-five selections in this year’s draft.
Anyone who can catch-and-shoot and then attack closeouts by putting the ball on the floor to score or create for a teammate is a steal late in the second round.
59th overall (2nd round)– Ryan Nembhard (Gonzaga)
He probably won’t be around for the final pick in the draft, but Nembhard plays very much like big brother, Indiana Pacers guard Andrew Nembhard, but shorter at 6-0.
He led the nation in total assists (344), assists per game (9.8) and ranked third in assist-to-turnover ratio (86 turnovers) as a senior at Gonzaga.
He has fearlessness to his game when attacking the rim with bigger bodies awaiting. Shot 40.4% from 3. The Suns brought in Nembhard for a pre-draft workout.
Have opinions about the current state of the Suns? Reach Suns Insider Duane Rankin at dmrankin@gannett.com or contact him at 480-810-5518. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter, at @DuaneRankin.
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