With tonight’s first round of the NBA draft, the Phoenix Suns will be on the clock twice with the 10th and 29th pick in the draft. General manager Brian Gregory recently acquired the 10th pick in the Kevin Durant trade, but reports have indicated that the franchise has been scouting prospects projected in the lottery beforehand. Plenty of suitable names for the Suns to take 10th overall, but Arizona Sports John Gambadoro might have the crystal ball for the team.
Gambadoro releases “The Gambo 5” of five prospects that an Arizona team will take with its pick in the draft. He has had a great success rate of predicting correctly, with Gambadoro nailing the Arizona Cardinals taking Walter Nolen 16th overall in April’s NFL draft. The quick turnaround of the Durant trade to the draft has sped up the progress, but regardless, Gambadoro released his list.
– Asa Newell, Georgia F
– Noa Essengue, Ratiopharm Ulm F
– Carter Bryant, Arizona SF
– Derik Queen, Maryland C
– Collin Murray-Boyles, South Carolina F
Asa Newell and Collin Murray-Boyles both played in the SEC and had similar counting stats of 15+ PPG and 7+ rebounds. However, Newell is a year younger and four inches taller than Murray-Boyles, having a much more enticing wingspan for NBA teams. Each of them shot below 30% from 3 and don’t have much of a reliable jumper, but the athleticism and defensive prowess make them an option for the Suns at the 10th pick.
Noa Essengue is an 18-year-old 6’9 Frenchman forward that averaged 12.4 points in 18 games for Ratiopharm Ulm this past season. His shooting is similar to the previous two prospects, shooting below 30% from beyond the arc. However, he still shot 58.6% from the field and has great feel going downhill and towards the rim.
Bryant and Queen fill two different needs for Phoenix, but both just as important. You can read more about each prospect below and why one of them might be the right pick at 10th overall.
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