If Ja Morant slides to third overall, the streets of Phoenix should be lined with parade floats and confetti. It’s no secret that the Suns’ biggest need is point guard, which in retrospect sounds insane considering at one point Eric Bledsoe, Goran Dragic, and Isaiah Thomas were all crammed into the team’s 2015 depth chart.
Morant was the most electrifying story of the season, rising up big boards everywhere as most analysts had written him off behind other point guards like Quentin Grimes and Coby White.
Ja proved there was substance behind his flashy antics, as he continued blazing through records and setting in history. Last season, Morant become the eighth person to record a triple double in the NCAA tournament, averaged the second highest assists total ever, and became the only player in the last 25 years to average 20 points and 10 assists per game.
Morant’s leadership helped spearhead Murray State over Belmont and into the NCAA tournament where they had no place being. He didn’t stop there, continuing on to upset fifth-seeded Marquette in a blowout victory. In his four postseason games, Morant averaged 27.5 points per game while silencing critics by shooting 56.3 percent from deep on four attempts per game.
On paper, adding a playmaking point guard to a roster with the lethal scoring machine Devin Booker, a pick-and-roll match made in heaven with Deandre Ayton, and a litany of athletic wings such as TJ Warren, Josh Jackson, and Mikal Bridges sounds like a recipe for success. Whether Phoenix can finally put those puzzle pieces together and make the playoffs for the first time since 2011 remains to be seen.