Gambo: Suns interested in Joshua Jefferson, Baba Miller and others
The Phoenix Suns have focused a bunch of six gamers they would choose in the second spherical of the 2026 NBA Draft, according to Arizona Sports’ John Gambadoro.
- Cincinnati ahead Baba Miller
- Arkansas ahead Trevon Brazile
- UCLA ahead Tyler Bilodeau
- Tennessee level guard Ja’Kobi Gillespie
- Iowa State ahead Joshua Jefferson
- St. John’s ahead Dillon Mitchell
Most of these gamers are anticipated to be unavailable if the Suns do not transfer up from the forty seventh general choose.
Gambadoro experiences it is unlikely Phoenix can maneuver into the primary spherical, however he provides the crew believes it is extra viable to maneuver into the 30s to get in an affordable vary to select a type of gamers.
Jefferson, Miller and Mitchell are typically considered simply outdoors the primary spherical of the draft, whereas Gillespie, Brazile and Bilodeau are seen as mid-second-round prospects.
Here are breakdowns of three of the six prospects by ArizonaSports.com’s Kellan Olson from a previously published piece.
Scouting report on Joshua Jefferson
Suns followers for years have been asking for a “power forward,” though the place basically does not exist anymore in the capability and’all are asking about. You need somebody greater than a conventional wing that rebounds and impacts the sport across the basket.
Jefferson is shut.
He’s a real playmaker. Great passing large males can fall into a number of completely different sub-categories, like how present Suns heart Ighodaro thrives when he is at a standstill in dribble-handoff eventualities or catching the ball on a brief roll. Jefferson, nonetheless, is utilizing his dribble to set it up, therefore the “playmaker” designation.
That skillset is deployed with a real NBA body. This is a large and robust man who makes use of deal with, too.
Scouting report on Baba Miller
Like Ighodaro, Miller is a fluid athlete, the place the pre-draft love a half-decade in the past nonetheless shines by. Mix in some passing really feel, which is extra direct to playmaking versus Ighodaro’s DHO-based appears, and you have bought some explosive stuff.
That’s what attracts all of the oodles of buzz, however that is extra of a supplementary a part of his recreation. The base will probably be on protection, the place Miller confirmed a tone of promise. The tape was inconsistent in phrases of his possession-to-possession impression however when it was all clicking, he was a monster. The exterior-to-interior protection is there.
You’re watching the highlights and are most likely confused as to why Miller is designated as extra of a giant, because it appears like he might deal with being on the wing. But we’re 4 years into its growth and have seen little progress on the jumper.
Cincinnati had him pull again on it, with the 1.7 3PA/G the bottom of his 4 seasons in school. This most notably hurts his playmaking, as a result of there isn’t any deep or midrange recreation for defenders to fret about past his back-to-the-basketball work.
Essentially, that places Miller in a tweener standing, like Ighodaro. As we noticed final yr, gamers of Ighodaro’s ilk could make it work if they’re nice athletes with some high-end abilities.
Scouting report on Dillon Mitchell
If we’re on the lookout for the following Toumani Camara, our greatest shot is Mitchell.
Mitchell has nearly as good an athletic profile as you will discover for a prospect definitively outdoors the top-40. Unlike Camara and like Miller, this was a “guy” popping out of highschool. Mitchell was ranked eighth in the nation by 247 Sports in the 2022 recruiting classsandwiched by two first-rounders in Ke’lel Ware and Keyonte George. He then went from Texas to Cincinnati earlier than ending with the Red Storm, the place his defensive skills continued to dream.
This carries over to him with house, the place as a curler, cutter or transition menace, he’ll glide on the bottom and in the air.
Two outlier abilities he brings on offense to compensate are rebounding and passing.
Some guys you watch the glass crash, and there’s a sense they’re enjoying their very own recreation inside a recreation. It’s like their sole want in life for these few seconds comes down to 1 factor and one factor alone — to get the basketball. Mitchell is a type of males on a mission, a real nut.
The passing was the most effective shock on the tape. It’s nothing horny, however a 3-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio is a uncommon sight to see in a draft prospect. He’s bought it.
Mitchell’s large holdup continues to be on offense, the place some sort of consistency as a slasher would do wonders for him. He actually wants it as a result of that is the worst taking pictures profile for a fringe participant I’ve seen in a number of years.
