It’s hard to believe given the Phoenix Suns’ season just ended, but the NBA Draft is right around the corner.
Thursday, in fact. See? Hard to believe.
With that, it’s mock draft season, and the Suns could add another piece to the rotation with their first-round pick at No. 29 overall.
The latest rendition of the exercise for ESPN’s Jonathan Givony has Phoenix going offense in the backcourt with VCU’s Nah’Shon “Bones” Hyland.
After a memorable playoff run to the NBA Finals, the Suns’ timetable could cause them to go in several different directions on draft night as their window of contention is clearly right now. Hyland’s deep shooting range could be attractive here, along with his ability to play both on or off the ball in different lineup configurations. He had a strong showing at the NBA combine, boosting his stock firmly into first-round territory.
The guy they call Bones would certainly be one of the most fun selections possible for the Suns.
Hyland is a high-level shooter. At 6-foot-3 and 165 pounds, the 20-year-old attempted nearly eight 3s a game last season on a 37.1% clip. That’s a terrific percentage because Hyland is taking a handful of those on deep range, sometimes beyond 30 feet.
He averaged 19.5 points, 4.7 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game for the Rams last season.
The Suns have backup point guard Cameron Payne entering unrestricted free agency, and the only other guard off the bench under contract for next year is Jevon Carter.