1. Would Help the Suns Develop an Identity
The Phoenix Suns are in an odd place as a team right now and they need an identity. We know that Devin Booker is a talented offensive player but outside of that, they had a lot of early draft picks that have potential and weren’t the cleanest of on-court fits. They need their young players like Josh Jackson to progress so they can discover their identity as a team.
Some of the top areas of potential that were mentioned about Jackson heading into his NBA career was his potential as a defender and as a rebounder. If he can develop into being one of the best wing defenders or rebounders (or both) then the Suns would have a great start to fielding productive unit combinations and find an identity.
Let’s say that Deandre Ayton comes into the league and is a force on the glass and eventually develops into being a positive defender. The Suns would be able to then go out and get a stretch-four with less worry about needing defensive and rebounding impact from that player since they great production of Jackson and Ayton could cover that up. Considering how a lot of stretch-fours aren’t proficient defenders and rebounders, that would be very valuable.
Another aspect to think about is how Jackson developing as a playmaker would benefit Booker. Being able to rely on Jackson more in this area would put lighten the burden for Booker and that could allow him to have more energy to make a greater contribution on the defensive end of the floor. Being able to rely on Ayton in the post could help Booker in this aspect too.
Being able to rely on Jackson more as a playmaker could also help the Suns not have to find such a proficient playmaking starting point guard to play next to Booker, or even allow them to play Booker at point guard. Ultimately, they would have more freedom to play a perimeter player, whether it be a guard or a wing, that makes an impact as a jump shooter, as a defender, and in other nuances within the flow of the game. A player that they already have, Mikal Bridges, sounds perfect for that.
