T.J. Warren aiming for starting role with Suns
It would be forgivable to forget that T.J. Warren was a lottery pick a year ago.
Drafted 14th overall by the Phoenix Suns, Warren was hardly a rumor as a rookie, averaging just 15.4 minutes in 40 appearances thanks in part to a broken thumb and in part to the reality of getting drafted by a 48-win team not exactly intent on forcing minutes to a rookie during a playoff race.
A quiet freshman season shouldn't confuse the fact that Warren is a uniquely gifted offensive player, nor should it take the shine off a prospect the Suns still appear high on.
With a year under his belt and the team's wing rotation in flux, Warren is looking to take a step forward as a sophomore. That includes entering camp with the goal of securing the starting small forward position.
"I feel like it's right there for me to get," Warren said last week to Joe Giglio of the Charlotte Observer. "I just need to be patient and keep working."
His primary competition for the spot will be P.J. Tucker, who started 63 games there last season. Tucker is a solid and versatile defender and a better outside shooter than Warren, which may make him a better fit in a starting unit that already has plenty of offensive talent.
Warren should be able to carve out a larger role in 2015-16, even if it's as the second unit's primary scoring threat.
The 6-foot-8 NC State product averaged 6.1 points on 52.8-percent shooting as a rookie and dominated in nine D-League appearances, averaging 26.8 points while shooting 54.4 percent from the floor. At Summer League in July, he again showed he can destroy inferior competition, averaging 18.7 points on 54-percent shooting.
That production may not translate to the NBA level, and inside-the-arc forwards aren't exactly all the rage in the modern NBA. But Warren is a creative scorer who can put the ball in the basket in a variety of ways, and at 21-years-old, he's one of the Suns' best bets to raise their long-term ceiling if he develops. Funneling minutes and touches his way could have a short- and long-term pay off for Phoenix.