New Chad Ford mock draft has Phoenix Suns drafting Wisconsin’s Frank Kaminsky
Apr 21, 2015, 4:29 PM | Updated: 4:29 pm
Another year, another appearance in the NBA Draft Lottery for the Phoenix Suns.
While the actual draft order has yet to be determined, the Suns, with the second-best record among non-playoff teams, would be slotted to draft 13th if nothing changed in the lottery process.
Chad Ford of ESPN.com released his latest mock draft Tuesday morning, and has the Suns selecting a familiar name with the 13th pick — Frank Kaminsky of Wisconsin.
Big man Alex Len really started to come along this year, but the Suns don’t have a lot of options in the middle behind him. For a team that will once again be eyeing the playoffs next year, Kaminsky should be a good fit. He’s a different type of center than Len — he thrives facing the basket and stretching the floor — but he’s an adequate rebounder and shot-blocker to play the middle. Some scouts love him and some think he’s a potential bust, but this is the right point in the draft to roll the dice on Kaminsky.
Kaminsky is the reigning AP and Naismith College Player of the Year after averaging 18.8 points and 8.2 rebounds per game while leading the Badgers to their second straight Final Four appearance.
The Illinois native stands 7-feet tall and showed off a very diverse offensive game last season. Kaminsky hit 41.6 percent of his three-point attempts, good enough to rank seventh in the Big Ten.
Ford has Kentucky’s Karl-Anthony Towns, Duke’s Jahlil Okafor and Emmanuel Mudiay, who played last season in China, as the top three selections in the June draft.
Arizona freshman forward Stanley Johnson, who has yet to declare himself eligible, is slotted to go 10th overall to the Miami Heat.
