The Phoenix Suns will reportedly be hosting Marquette point guard Tyler Kolek for a pre-draft workout this week, according to ESPN’s Jonathan Givony.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!AZCentral’s Duane Rankin reports that this workout will happen on Thursday.
Marquette senior point guard Tyler Kolek is scheduled to have workout Thursday with Phoenix Suns.
Suns have 22nd overall pick in next week's NBA Draft.
Story incoming later this morning. #Suns #NBADraft pic.twitter.com/T8mSlBN18d
— Duane Rankin (@DuaneRankin) June 19, 2024
There are multiple reports that the Suns are zeroing in on the 23-year-old Kolek with the No. 22 pick. Kolek turned heads for Suns’ fans when he posted on his Instagram story yesterday that he was in Scottsdale.
Make yourself at home, Tyler. ???? pic.twitter.com/q11kp5DzDk
— Suns Are Better (@SunsAreBetter) June 18, 2024
Givony is the latest national writer to have the Suns land Kolek with their first-round selection in his most recent mock draft. He writes:
“Kolek, ranked No. 26 in ESPN’s Top 100, has been one of the big risers of the pre-draft process, showing his unique blend of toughness, skill, experience and feel for the game in every pre-draft workout.
“He has worked out for teams picking as high as the mid-to-late lottery (San Antonio, Utah) and has fans throughout the teens portion of the draft, ending with Orlando and Toronto at No. 18 and No. 19. The success of older, physically underwhelming point guards such as Jalen Brunson and T.J. McConnell seems to be causing teams to look at players like Kolek in a different light.
“The Suns, where Kolek is headed for a workout later this week, are viewed as an especially interesting destination considering their lack of depth at point guard and need for an experienced playmaker who can operate on and off the ball.”
The 6-foot-3 Kolek averaged 15.3 points on 49.6/38.8/85.1 shooting splits, a Division I-leading 7.7 assists, 4.9 rebounds and 1.6 steals in 33 minutes per game across 31 contests for the Golden Eagles this past season. He was a consensus second-team All-American selection (AP, NABC, USBWA, Sporting News). This was his third season at Marquette and fourth overall in college after he started his career at George Mason in the 2020-21 season.
Kolek was also the 2022-23 BIG EAST Player of the Year, but elected to stay an additional year in college and improved his points, assists and rebounding averages.
A point guard that can play over 20 minutes per game is one of three reported positions Phoenix is targeting this offseason.
At his introductory press conference last month, new Suns coach Mike Budenholzer said the Suns “probably” need to have a point guard on the roster next season.
New #Suns coach Mike Budenholzer on if the team needs a point guard pic.twitter.com/L8UXw18mpc
— Burn City Suns Talk ????️ (@BurnCitySuns) May 18, 2024
Even if it doesn’t mean adding a starting point guard, Phoenix did not have a single one guard that logged meaningful minutes last season. It is very rare that you see this, especially on a team with as much star power as the Suns have with Devin Booker, Bradley Beal and Kevin Durant. The Suns preached a multi ball-handler attack most of the season because of the playmaking abilities of these three stars. However, it clearly did not work in the end, as they were swept in the first round by the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Bronny James is also reportedly working out with the Suns for the second time this week.
The first round of the NBA Draft is just one week away on June 26. The Suns only hold this No. 22 overall pick and gain the ability to trade it, as well as their 2031 first-round pick, on the day of the draft.
Report: ‘Growing belief’ Suns will target this All-American PG in NBA Draft
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Brendan Mau is a senior writer covering the Phoenix Suns and more for Burn City Sports. You can follow him on X via @Brendan_Mau
