I like this kid. I just hope he’s there at 52.
Over the next few days, we’ll continue diving into NBA draft prospects, zeroing in on who the Phoenix Suns might target with the 29th overall pick, their most valuable draft asset this summer.
But let’s not forget: they also hold a second-round selection. And for longtime Suns fans, that pick carries a certain emotional weight. It’s the 52nd overall pick, the same slot they held two summers ago. Back then, it was their only pick. And with it, they selected Toumani Camara.
We never saw Camara suit up in purple and orange during the regular season. He was shipped off to Portland in the ‘blockbuster’ deal that brought in Jusuf Nurkic, Grayson Allen, Nassir Little, and Keon Johnson as a part of the Deandre Ayton trade. And now? Camara just earned a spot on the NBA’s All-Defensive Second Team.
Yeah. That stings.
The “disease of what if” creeps in hard here. And if there’s a vaccine for it, the Suns haven’t found it yet.
But the only way to move forward is to keep swinging. And once again, they’re back on the clock at 52. Can they find another Toumani? Maybe not defensively. But there’s one prospect on my radar who has me genuinely excited.
Tyrese Proctor, G, Duke
- Height: 6’5”
- Weight: 183 pounds
- Age: 21 years old
- Experience: Three years at Duke
- 2024-25 Statistics: 12.4 points (45.2 FG%, 40.5 3PT%, 87.5 FT%), 3.0 rebounds, 2.2 assists, 1.1 turnovers, 0.8 steals
I love what I see from this kid. He reminds me of something Grayson Allen said a couple of media days ago, how during his four years at Duke, he played four different roles. That kind of experience breeds versatility, the kind that prepares you for the NBA. Tyrese Proctor, who stands nearly 6’6”, fits that mold to a T.
He spent three years at Duke and served as the team’s primary facilitator during his first two seasons, leading the Blue Devils in assists both years. But everything shifted this past season. With the arrival of 6’7” freshman phenom Kon Knueppel, a surefire lottery pick, and the looming presence of Cooper Flagg, Proctor had to reinvent himself. And he did.
Playing alongside future NBA stars, he still managed to finish third on the team in scoring. He attempted more threes than anyone on the roster — 5.8 per game — and knocked them down at a 40.5% clip. That’s not just efficient. That’s dangerous.
This is someone who has played in high-stakes moments. Someone who can facilitate. Someone who can score. And his jumper? Smooth. Pure. Repeatable.
More importantly, he’s shown he can adjust and adapt his game based on what the team needs. If we’re talking about fit relative to what the Suns need? He checks a lot of boxes. A combo guard with size, athleticism, and a killer jumper who can come off the bench and make an impact.
That’s the kind of swing you hope connects at 52.
As always, I made my usual stop at No Ceilings, a trusted resource for deep, analytical breakdowns I can only aspire to match. When it comes to understanding a prospect beyond the box score, few do it better. So naturally, I was curious: what did Nick Agar-Johnson have to say about the Duke guard?
Turns out, quite a bit.
I’ve written about Tyrese Proctor before in a previous edition of Editor’s Notes, and it’s been fascinating to me to follow his evolution as a player since then. He’s continued his upward trajectory as a jump shooter, ranking in the 94th percentile on jump shots per Synergy, and he’s mostly maintained the steps forward he took as a finisher (shooting 51% inside the arc this season after finishing last season at 52% on two-pointers). The shot, once a swing skill for Proctor, has become his main selling point.
Interestingly enough, though, Proctor has stepped into more of an off-ball role this season despite his passing chops being the main selling point of his prospect hype heading into his college career. After Proctor led Duke in assists in each of his first two seasons, it seemed like all but a given to me that he would be Duke’s primary point guard in Year Three. Instead, Proctor took a backseat to Duke’s star freshmen Cooper Flagg and Kon Knueppel in that department—Proctor finished fourth on the team in assists behind those two and Tulane transfer Sion James.
It’s not like Proctor’s passing abandoned him by any means. He still finished the year with an assist-to-turnover ratio of 2.2, and he can still sling the ball all over the court when it comes his way. Proctor’s offensive growth outside of his point guard skills, though, makes him an easier fit. With his size at 6’5”, Proctor was always big enough to play at either guard spot. Now, though, he has the complementary offensive game to match. He might not reach the heights of his pre-college lottery projections, but his game now is more versatile than it has ever been before. If he plays at even an average level for the rest of the tournament, he will get looks in the 2025 NBA Draft. If he maintains a little heat after the first two rounds, though, Tyrese Proctor could be the next prospect in a long line of players to ride a March Madness hot streak into the first round of the draft.
There’s plenty to unpack when it comes to his offense, which is expected for a combo guard. But his defense? That part of the conversation tends to fade into the background. Still, a glance at his College Basketball Reference page tells us he posted a career defensive rating of 102.4 over three seasons at Duke. Respectable. Steady.
That said, I’m not about to assume every 52nd overall pick will bring the same defensive tenacity as the guy taken 52nd in 2023. That bar, set by Toumani Camara, casts a long shadow.
Looking at the latest mock drafts…
- ESPN: 51st to the Los Angeles Clippers
- Bleacher Report: 40th to the Washington Wizards
- NBA Draft.net: 46th to the Orlando Magic
- HoopsHype: 42nd to the Sacramento Kings
As of now, he’s projected to be out of the Suns’ range. But you never know how the board will fall. Just last year, Phoenix entered the draft with the 22nd pick, traded back to 28 to land Ryan Dunn, and in the process picked up a second-rounder. They flipped that pick to move up to 40, where they took Oso Ighodaro.
The point? They have options, even if the narrative says they don’t. Picks can be moved. Positions can shift. Possibilities can emerge.
Landing Tyrese Proctor would give me a reason to smile. A second-round rookie-scale deal would be a welcome addition to the Suns’ cap sheet. And if it’s Proctor? You’re not just getting flexibility, you’re getting upside. Serious upside.
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