Missouri Tigers guard Tamar Bates drives to the basket against the Mississippi State Bulldogs. Steve Roberts-Imagn Images

Suns Land SEC Wing in Mock Draft

Originally posted on Phoenix Suns on SI
By Jeremy Brener | Last updated Jun 26, 2025 3:47 PM ET

The Phoenix Suns had a big night in the first round of the NBA Draft, taking Duke center Khaman Maluach with the No. 10 overall pick.

The Suns have one more pick to work with at No. 52 overall, and the team could look to add another player with the selection.

The Athletic insider Sam Vecenie conducted a second-round mock draft, where the Suns selected Missouri wing Tamar Bates.

"Bates was one of the big risers of the pre-draft process this cycle, going from a strong Portsmouth Invitational to earning his way into the NBA Draft Combine from the G League Elite Camp," Vecenie wrote.

"He’s a 3-and-D guard who is a real shooter but who needs to increase his volume from 3 and continue to get stronger to match up defensively."

Bates spent his first two seasons with the Indiana Hoosiers before transferring to the Missouri Tigers. His career went on an upward trajectory after moving to Columbia for his junior season.

At Indiana, Bates came off the bench, averaging 5.1 points per game across two seasons. However, he earned a starting job at Missouri, where he averaged 13.4 points per game in his time with the Tigers.

While the Tigers only won eight games in Bates' first year with the team, they went on to nearly triple their win total in the 2024-25 campaign, earning a No. 6 seed in the NCAA Tournament.

Adding a second-round pick with a lot of collegiate experience should help the Suns add a player that can play in the rotation rather quickly. The Suns don't have much cap space to work with, so finding a player in the second round of the draft that could be a fringe rotation player would be ideal.

The second round of the draft begins at 5 p.m. PT on ESPN.

This article first appeared on Phoenix Suns on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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