As former NC State men’s basketball standout, T.J. Warren, preps for his NBA debut, he is determined to become a successful player for years to come.
Forgoing his junior and senior years at State, Warren elected to enter the 2014 NBA Draft this past spring with the hopes of making it big in the NBA. The Phoenix Suns selected Warren with the 14th overall pick in the draft believing he would help propel them to a playoff spot they narrowly missed last season.
Through four preseason games, Warren has averaged 6.3 PPG, 2.5 RPG and 12 minutes per game. His best showing came on an Oct. 10 meeting with the Denver Nuggets where he recorded 10 points and six rebounds in 13 minutes. Warren has yet to shoot below 50 percent in the preseason
In his first three games, Warren saw his playing time increase more and more, topping out at 21 minutes against Denver. His most recent outing against the San Antonio Spurs saw him score four points in 12 minutes.
The Suns had no trouble scoring points last season, averaging 105.2 per game, good enough for seventh in the league. Warren’s ability to stretch the floor with his three-point shot and drive to the basket with his signature floater will only feed fuel to the fire that is the offensive attack of the Suns.
Warren is listed as a small forward for the Suns and third on the depth chart, behind starter and fellow North Carolina native P.J. Tucker and Marcus Morris. The Suns’ opening night roster will most likely not include Warren, as Tucker is a veteran at the position with three years of experience under his belt.
However, the Suns are a team loaded with guards with likes of Goran Dragic and Eric Bledsoe, but remain thin in the frontcourt, so look for Warren to get decent amounts of playing time in the early weeks of the season. Of the eight players listed in the frontcourt, in theory, six of them could play small forward. Although listed as power forwards, Markieff Morris, Anthony Tolliver and Shavilk Randolph are all adept at playing the position.
In Warren’s case, if the Suns were to run a small lineup (say with three guards and two forwards) then Warren may be able play the power forward instead of the small forward, but don’t expect Phoenix to play a small lineup often.
Former Suns player and second-year Suns head coach Jeff Hornacek managed to pull 48 wins out of a Suns team that was not expected to compete for anything but the top pick in the lottery. As evidenced last season, Hornacek knows how to get the most out of his players, and he’ll know how to utilize Warren to his full potential.
The Suns play in the Pacific division along with the Los Angeles Clippers, Los Angeles Lakers, Golden State Warriors and Sacramento Kings. It’ll be a three-team marathon this season between the Clippers, Warriors and Suns to see who’ll win the divisional crown and secure a top-four seed in the conference. Outside of the Pacific division, the Western Conference is loaded with talented teams, so the Suns need all the help they can get from Warren and co.
The Suns play their next preseason game at 7:30 p.m. today versus the Clippers. The Suns then begin regular season play at home Oct. 29 against the Lakers.
