NBA Draft
Phoenix Suns Select Tyler Ennis at No. 18
Jeff Hawkins is an award-winning sportswriter with more than four decades in the industry (print and digital media). A freelance writer/stay-at-home dad since 2008, Hawkins started his career with newspaper stints in Michigan, North Carolina, Florida, Upstate New York and Illinois, where he earned the 2004 APSE first-place award for column writing (under 40,000 circulation). As a beat writer, he covered NASCAR Winston Cup events at NHIS (1999-2003), the NHL's Chicago Blackhawks (2003-06) and the NFL's Carolina Panthers (2011-12). Hawkins penned four youth sports books, including a Michael Jordan biography. Hawkins' main hobbies include mountain bike riding, 5k trail runs at the Whitewater Center in Charlotte, N.C., and live music.
All posts by Jeff HawkinsUpdated15 Oct 2021
Jeff Hornacek ran Eric Bledsoe and Goran Dragic in the backcourt last season. The duo was surprisingly effective together, leading the Suns potent offensive attack (eighth overall in offensive efficiency). After just one season with the Suns, Bledsoe is a restricted free agent this offseason, and could potentially receive a max offer from a team looking for a long-term solution at point guard.
With Bledsoe’s future in Phoenix uncertain, the Suns selected Tyler Ennis with the 18th overall pick. Ennis contributed 12.9 points, 5.5 assists, 3.4 rebounds, 2.1 steals and shot 41.1 percent from the field, and 35.3 percent from three point range. While Ennis is not the athlete that Bledsoe is, and does not have the same star potential, he is a steady player that makes very few mistakes (3.22:1 assist-to-turnover ratio). Ennis may struggle early on against more athletic competition, but he should be able to still get his teammates involved.
Ennis will need to improve his jump shot moving forward (41.1 percent from the field), and learn how to finish at the rim at a higher rate. However, in an up-tempo offense, and with three point shooters around him, Ennis should be able to impact games with his passing ability.
