Welcome back to another year of NBA Draft coverage on the Phoenix Suns.
Our 29 for 29 series will roll through 29 different prospects we think you should know about ahead of the draft that sits less than two weeks away. The general idea here is to cover the entire canvas for who Phoenix could select at No. 29, as well as a few names that could come up later with its second-round pick at No. 52. There is also a solid chance the Suns acquire more picks in a Kevin Durant trade, and these prospects could apply to those selections too.
The five-part series began with five names who would be a “best player available” type of selection. Then we broke down another five who have some hidden upside that could be untapped.
Up next, think of this group as the Gregory Grinder All-Stars. In just a blind swing of the bat that I’m going to guess I at least crack a double into the gap on, these are prospects who have a mix of either definitive college resumes that will appeal to Suns general manager Brian Gregory’s past there and/or do all the little things he harped on in his introductory press conference: Toughness, effort, physicality, etc.
You know when a football coach mentions “football character?” That stuff. All five come from highly respected programs and/or played for big-time coaching names that Gregory would surely tout in the post-draft press conference.
The main goal with this collection of prospects is finding who fits the bill most as a “Suns Guy.” Some of these wouldn’t even be seen as a traditional selection at No. 29, but Phoenix would rank them higher on its board because of how aligned the young player would be with the style Phoenix’s regime wants to cultivate.
For help on knowing where guys might or should go, refer to ESPN’s big board ranking for each prospect, as they are the most “intel-based” and generally have a good idea of the range.
Which 2025 NBA Draft prospects might fit Suns GM Brian Gregory’s criteria?
Sion James, G/F, Duke, 22 years old
Measurables: 6-foot-6, 218 pounds, 6-foot-7 wingspan Stats: 8.6 PPG, 4.2 RPG, 2.9 APG, 0.3 BPG, 0.8 SPG, 1.2 TPG, 51.6 FG% (5.6 FGA/G), 41.3 3P% (1.9 3PA/G), 81 FT% (2.6 FTA/G) Big board rankings: ESPN: 46, The Athletic: 38, The Ringer: 40, Yahoo!: 42
A tale as old as time: Many second-round draftees will be compared to role players on the NBA Finals teams. James will owe Luguentz Dort a couple meals for that blessing.
To be clear, James is not the prospect that Dort was out of Arizona State, and this is not serving as an attempt at projecting him to become the terrific player Dort is now. But James is a brick you-know-what house, like Dort.
The four-year starter at Tulane came to Duke and immediately established himself as one of the few essential glue guys surrounding the three lottery picks. James filled in just about every gap you could, showing extreme efficiency in knocking down shots while owning a 2.45 assist-to-turnover ratio, the latter being a freaking unicorn in college hoops. The “winning player” trope fits nicely here.
Unfortunately, he is just your classic NBA2K draft prospect, where if we could just go into the edit player feature and move a few of his physical attributes up, James would be a lock for the first round.
James is 6-foot-6, a passable height for a wing, but his wingspan sits at just 6-foot-7. Dort is 6-foot-4 with a 6-foot-9 wingspan and an unbelievable athlete agility-wise to make that work as an all-world defender. James is pretty good, but not that good, and doesn’t have the potential Dort showed in Tempe, either. He can hang his hat on the defensive end, but it’s a nice purchase at Lids as opposed to something you’d wear at the Kentucky Derby.
The 3-point percentage is appealing, but James is a career 35.8% shooter on 2.3 tries an evening. That’s not enough volume to warrant one of the highest bullet points on his scouting report being “shooter.”
But with that said, he’s got a good shot to be a positive contributor on an NBA team and help ’em win ball games. Cooper Flagg was out of this world against Arizona in the Sweet 16 and it overshadowed how much James did in that game on the side.
Despite Cooper Flagg stealing the show vs. Arizona, the unsung hero of the game was Duke’s Sion James.
? 16 PTS (5-6 FG, 3-4 3P), 3 REB & 4 AST
A true X-factor: consistently hitting clutch shots, facilitating on the perimeter & being active on the glass. Impact & selflessness. pic.twitter.com/G4vYrhdLPS
— Mohamed (@mcfNBA) March 28, 2025
It’s fair to slot James in the early-to-mid second round, and it’s fair to guess a contender in the 20s might not want to wait that long.
Kam Jones, G, Marquette, 23 years old
Measurables: 6-foot-5, 202 pounds, 6-foot-6 wingspan Stats: 19.2 PPG, 4.5 RPG, 5.9 APG, 0.3 BPG, 1.4 SPG, 1.9 TPG, 48.3 FG% (16.3 FGA/G), 31.1 3P% (6.1 3PA/G), 64.8 FT% (2.6 FTA/G) Big board rankings: ESPN: 47, The Athletic: 32, The Ringer: 39, Yahoo!: 36
The adage of a player being “a coach’s dream” goes for hoopers like Jones. Gregory was a college coach for two decades and at any point would have traded his entire starting lineup to coach a player like Jones.
It’s always great to see four-year players take a big jump somewhere, and Jones went from undersized do-it-all wing to floor general last season, putting up a tremendously productive senior season. Markelle Fultz and Ja Morant are the only two NBA Draft picks in the last decade to put up Jones’ of 19.3 points, 4.5 rebounds, 5.9 assists and 1.4 steals per game, per Stathead. Let’s double-check our work here, but I believe that’s the No. 1 pick in 2017 and No. 2 pick in 2019. Not bad.
Jones jumped from 2.4 assists per game to those nearly six a night — he took on a lot more with the NBA exit of point guard Tyler Kolek. He did so with ridiculous individual creation for his own shot as well. So for him to go almost 59% on his 2s is laughable shot-making at the collegiate level, considering this is not a guy with an explosive first step.
The polish and poise he has compared to just about every other guard in college is an outlier. His assists skyrocketing also resulted in his turnovers bumping from just 1.4 to 1.9. That is rare.
Marquette guard Kam Jones in a win over Maryland:
▪️ 28 PTS ▪️ 10-18 FG ▪️ 3-5 3PT ▪️ 4 REB
Potential player of the year season loading⁉️ pic.twitter.com/qVlpFRXhy1
— B/R Hoops (@brhoops) November 16, 2024
Jones’ 3-point percentage from this year might trigger a warning alarm, but he was at 36.6% over his career, and vitally, jacked up an unheard-of 6.3 a night across four years. It’s 861 attempts and he will become just the ninth draft pick in the last 25 years to clear 850, according to Stathead. While Jones can be streaky and the free-throw percentage (67.1%) is worrisome, that’s too much volume and accuracy to brush aside.
He does a little bit of everything in other parts of the game too, all with this high-level, lead-guard resume.
Age (23) and athleticism (blah) are the only things really holding him back. Given how Jones is firmly outside the first round for most evaluators, scouts must be pretty confident that the lack of serious burst is going to be one hell of a wall he smacks into, because his profile screams valuable third guard with a chance to be more.
RJ Luis Jr., F, St. John’s, 22 years old
Measurables: 6-foot-7, 210 pounds, 6-foot-11 wingspan Stats: 18.2 PPG, 7.2 RPG, 2.0 APG, 0.6 BPG, 1.4 SPG, 1.7 TPG, 43.9 FG% (14.9 FGA/G), 23.6 3P% (3.9 3PA/G), 74.7 FT% (5.1 FTA/G) Big board rankings: ESPN: 59, The Athletic: 58, The Ringer: 34, Yahoo!: 56
I watched Caleb Love play for Arizona on a lot of nationally televised games, and analysts always felt the need to defend the criticism he endures with some type of take in the vein of, “I’d take Caleb Love on my team any day of the week.” That’s sort of the deal with Luis.
He was the Tasmanian devil of college basketball, spinning circles around all ends of the court and impacting the game everywhere with a certain brand of chaos. Offensively, he’s using bully ball, driving into defenders, shooting pull-up jumpers, out-working on the offensive glass and much more.
It was a man against boys most nights. The defense he would play was overwhelming (in a good way). If you caught a glimpse of him for a game or two without knowing anything about him and on the right night, you’d assume he was a surefire lottery pick. This video below is from last year and it is still the case.
RJ Luis has missed some time due to injury this year, but he’s been one of St. John’s best players when he has played, and is probably their best NBA prospect
The size, defense, and athleticism mixed with some offensive flashes is a very intriguing combination t.co/GHu4HsYUUP pic.twitter.com/qWjbDohZbK
— Zach Milner (@ZachMilner13) January 12, 2024
Luis is a very good basketball player. Sometimes those don’t work in the NBA. He’s not a good shooter and had 37 more turnovers than assists in his three-year career. One of those skills has to be not only developed into a positive.
To the Love comparison, he’s wild and you’re going to be on the ride with his shot selection. Luis is a guy nowhere near the shooter that Love is, who still got up lots of jumpers (especially middies). Despite having a style on offense suited around the basket, Luis shot under 40% in 12 games, had 14 when he didn’t make a 3 and 15 of the 35 when he ended up with less than two assists.
When the Red Storm was upset by Arkansas in the second round of the NCAA Tournament, Luis shot 3-for-17 and was shockingly benched for crunch time, the type of performance and decision that speaks to his eclectic nature of overheating. He was the conference player of the year and still had to sit because of how out of control he got.
This is an easy evaluation for NBA teams, where it all comes down to the interview and workout. If Luis gives them an idea that he understands what type of player he has to be in the NBA and can harness it from the great stuff he does, there’s a home for him as soon as the end of the first round.
Drake Powell, F/G, North Carolina, 19 years old
Measurables: 6-foot-7, 200 pounds, 7-foot wingspan Stats: 7.4 PPG, 3.4 RPG, 1.1 APG, 0.7 BPG, 0.7 SPG, 0.7 TPG, 48.3 FG% (5.7 FGA/G), 37.9 3P% (2.6 3PA/G), 64.8 FT% (1.5 FTA/G) Big board rankings: ESPN: 31, The Athletic: 34, The Ringer: 21, Yahoo!: 16
Powell is a dinosaur in that he was a one-and-done freshman who did not really set the world on fire and sits on the edge of the first round, yet he remained in the draft despite the better financial decision likely being another year at Chapel Hill or elsewhere. He tested very well at the combine, so that certainly helped his case.
Part of those positive results were his 7-foot wingspan, which strengthened his profile as one of the most well-regarded perimeter defenders in the class.
He’s going to need to ride the momentum of that because the tape is limited.
You’ll watch extended segments of games without noticing Powell out there on offense. On a guard-heavy team, he barely touched the ball, and 2.6 3s a night at 37% isn’t the type of prolific output you’d want to hang most of his resume on. When he did get the ball off the catch, Powell was looking to attack, and he showed some touch on jumpers that is mildly intriguing.
The defense really has to lift him, and it’s putting in a great attempt. Powell moves sort of bizarrely, in a way where it looks like a guy trying to maximize his movement by getting in a low stance and exploding from there. Some guys just slide their feet, but it’s more forceful what he’s doing.
He has absolutely no problem getting up in dudes. In the first seven minutes of a Duke matchup, he forced a backcourt turnover on future lottery pick Kon Knueppel and then drew an offensive foul from future No. 1 pick Cooper Flagg by drawing a forearm when he had his face at the level of Flagg’s hip.
It appeals directly to what the Suns want.
Drake Powell has the potential to be the best wing stopper in this draft class.
6’6, 7’0 wingspan. Opposing P&R ball-handlers shot 32% (!) when guarded by Powell. Exceptional screen navigation, physical tools + point-of-attack defense.
99th %-ile in max + standing vert testing. pic.twitter.com/wO0P7gAXfc
— Mohamed (@mcfNBA) May 18, 2025
A key observation here is that Powell had only 51 total stocks (blocks and steals) in 36 games on pretty decent minutes, numbers that normally will be higher for prospects getting picked primarily for defense at this level. Playmaking as a defender does matter for this type of profile, so it’s a noteworthy red flag for a guy who by all accounts was a very good defender in his freshman season.
It’s lazy to watch someone like Powell and declare him the next OG Anunoby or Kawhi Leonard, a precarious trap that has doomed similar prospects of past drafts. But that is part of the idea here, in that Powell has a lot left to untap that will require patience and time. It’s the type of player development project that seems like a match for the player development guys in Gregory and head coach Jordan Ott.
Adou Thiero, F, Arkansas, 21 years old
Measurables: 6-foot-8, 218 pounds, 7-foot wingspan Stats: 15.1 PPG, 5.8 RPG, 1.9 APG, 0.7 BPG, 1.6 SPG, 1.7 TPG, 54.5 FG% (9.4 FGA/G), 25.6 3P% (1.6 3PA/G), 68.6 FT% (6.5 FTA/G) Big board rankings: ESPN: 32, The Athletic: 27, The Ringer: 29, Yahoo!: 35
Thiero was a three-year player under John Calipari between Kentucky and Arkansas, seeing steady growth in his role, undergoing a PPG rise from 2.3 to 7.2 to 15.1.
The offensive progression is noteworthy because watching Thiero effortlessly bounce and glide through defensive responsibilities is tantalizing. It’s one thing for someone to be in the argument for best athlete in the class, but Thiero is constantly using the high-end traits in applicable ways on both ends.
The sizzle reel meets the hype, and the buzz words of “force” and “physicality” in the Suns’ alignment lexicon are ever-present.
Adou Thiero: the most athletic wing prospect since? pic.twitter.com/7FnYbxr63R
— Mohamed (@mcfNBA) May 11, 2025
There has been a contingent of Suns fans clamoring for the team to get more athletic for years, a gap that became even more pronounced last season. Thiero would be the best pick to help with that.
We will rarely bring up fit this month because of how open-ended the roster is at this time, but the question does have to be asked if Phoenix should spend back-to-back first-round picks on wings with concerning offensive profiles.
To flesh out the Ryan Dunn comparison, it is not to that level for Thiero with that aforementioned offensive production, but he only took 74 total 3s in college and shot 28.4% on them.
The off-the-bounce game as a slasher is where Thiero made his money, and the confidence in that part of his game is there. His combination of quickness and length-of-stride allows him to get to the rim off the weak closeouts.
He uses euros, spins and different dribbles to create that extra bit of space to finish. Shooting over 60% on his 2s is a testament to the pinch of self-creation he has, as does nearly seven free-throw attempts per game.
Jumper doesn’t look bad, either, for what it’s worth.
C&S Adou Thiero Highlights pic.twitter.com/xUHtPrV56p
— Phillip Smith (@philaugust30) May 31, 2025
There are absolutely worse ways to go with roster construction than grabbing quick-twitch wings to put alongside Devin Booker and playing with loads of pace. Thiero and Dunn could be the poster children of that cause.
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