Mock Draft Lands Suns Pair of Forwards

The Phoenix Suns have two picks in this year's NBA Draft, and based on the team's limited ability to spend in free agency, the team should be looking for players who don't need much development before appearing in a game.

The team's first pick comes at No. 29 overall, and in Bleacher Report writer Jonathan Wasserman's NBA mock draft, the Suns selected Israeli forward Ben Saraf, who played for Ratiopharm Ulm in Germany this season.

"Ben Saraf has scored double figures in every playoff game through two rounds in Germany's BBL," Wasserman wrote.

"Slashing, mid-range scoring and playmaking IQ are behind the 19-year-old's consistent production and NBA interest. But with questions about his three-point range and defense, and no opportunity yet to get in front of NBA teams with Ulm still going strong, the first round no longer seems like a lock."

Ratiopharm Ulm produced two draft picks last season in Pacome Dadiet, the No. 25 overall pick, and Juan Nunez, the No. 36 overall pick who stayed in Europe. Unlike Nunez, Saraf has every intention of coming over to the NBA.

Wasserman compared Saraf's game to that of San Antonio Spurs legend Manu Ginobili, so that has to be a promising sign for Suns fans.

Phoenix also has a late second-round pick to work with at No. 52 overall. In Wasserman's mock draft, the team selected Villanova power forward Eric Dixon.

"There are a lot of questions about Eric Dixon's fit at the next level, such as who does he defend and will he create separation offensively. But late in the second round, teams will at least talk about the nation's leading scorer who just hit 94 threes at 6'8", 265 pounds," Wasserman wrote.

"He may have become a sharp enough shotmaker for teams to see some type of stretch-4 and pick-and-pop role."

The NBA Draft is scheduled from June 25-26 at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn.