The 2015 NBA draft is less than a month away, and for teams that aren’t still participating in the NBA playoffs, the focus is on using that event to build toward a better future. Now that the NBA Draft lottery is complete, the speculation can truly begin as to which player each franchise will pin its hopes on for the future. Of course, having one of the top selections in any draft doesn’t guarantee that a team will snag a future All-Star. Team executives and scouts still have the difficult task of making the correct call with their picks.
With this in mind we at Hoops Rumors will be taking a look back at the draft history of the primary basketball executive for each NBA team. Their names, reputations, and possibly employment will be on the line as a result of the decisions to come on June 25th, and we’ll be examining what they’ve done in previous years in charge of a club’s front office. Note that many of them have played other sorts of roles within a team’s executive structure, but this won’t take that into account. We’ll continue onward with a look back at the calls made by Suns GM Ryan McDonough.
Suns (May 2013-Present)
2013 Draft
- No. 5 Overall — Alex Len: 111 games, 4.7 PPG, 5.0 RPG, and 1.1 BPG. .492/.333/.689.
- No. 29 Overall — Archie Goodwin*: 93 games, 4.6 PPG, 1.7 RPG, 0.7 APG. .421/.221/.710.
- No. 57 Overall — Alex Oriakhi: No regular season NBA appearances.
*Acquired from the Warriors along with Malcolm Lee in exchange for the No. 30 overall pick (Nemanja Nedovic).
Players passed over or available at draft slot: Nerlens Noel (No. 6), Michael Carter-Williams (No. 11), Steven Adams (No. 12), Giannis Antetokounmpo (No. 15), Mason Plumlee (No. 22), and Rudy Gobert (No. 27).
2014 Draft
- No. 14 Overall — T.J. Warren: 40 games, 6.1 PPG, 2.1 RPG, and 0.6 APG. .528/.238/.737.
- No. 18 Overall — Tyler Ennis: 33 games, 3.7 PPG, 1.1 RPG, 2.2 APG. .361/.279/.714.
- No. 27 Overall — Bogdan Bogdanovic: No regular season NBA appearances.
- No. 50 Overall — Alec Brown: No regular season NBA appearances.
Players passed over or available at draft slot: Mitch McGary (No. 21), Rodney Hood (No. 23), K.J. McDaniels (No. 32), and Jordan Clarkson (No. 46).