• Semi Ojeleye, forward from SMU, on Suns' workout

    Semi Ojeleye, forward from SMU, on Suns’ workout

  • Luke Kornet, center from Vanderbilt, on Suns' workout

    Luke Kornet, center from Vanderbilt, on Suns’ workout

  • Kennedy Meeks, center from North Carolina, on Suns' workout

    Kennedy Meeks, center from North Carolina, on Suns’ workout

  • Kobi Simmons, guard from Arizona, during the Phoenix Suns pre-draft workout

    Kobi Simmons, guard from Arizona, during the Phoenix Suns pre-draft workout

  • Villanova's Josh Hart at the Phoenix Suns pre-draft workout

    Villanova’s Josh Hart at the Phoenix Suns pre-draft workout

  • Shot Clock: Lonzo Ball can't blame dad for this one

    Shot Clock: Lonzo Ball can’t blame dad for this one

  • Shot Clock: Suns, don't worry, take Josh Jackson

    Shot Clock: Suns, don’t worry, take Josh Jackson

  • Shot Clock: Lottery therapy; ASU's starting QB?

    Shot Clock: Lottery therapy; ASU’s starting QB?

  • Doug Haller and Dan Bickley recap Suns' misfortune in NBA draft lottery

    Doug Haller and Dan Bickley recap Suns’ misfortune in NBA draft lottery

  • Suns GM McDonough: 'A little bit of disappointment' but odds favored No. 4

    Suns GM McDonough: ‘A little bit of disappointment’ but odds favored No. 4

  • Shot Clock: Suns fight AZ's bad lottery luck

    Shot Clock: Suns fight AZ’s bad lottery luck

  • What can Suns expect with top-five pick?

    What can Suns expect with top-five pick?

  • Devin Booker surprises young fan with trip to NBA draft lottery

    Devin Booker surprises young fan with trip to NBA draft lottery

  • Lakers say LaVar Ball won't influence decision on Lonzo

    Lakers say LaVar Ball won’t influence decision on Lonzo

  • LaVar Ball's shoe line has poor first week of sales

    LaVar Ball’s shoe line has poor first week of sales

  • Suns look to emulate Warriors, Thunder in rebuild

    Suns look to emulate Warriors, Thunder in rebuild

  • Shot Clock: Ex-Suns player Isaiah Thomas shines

    Shot Clock: Ex-Suns player Isaiah Thomas shines

  • Shot Clock: Is the NBA draft lottery rigged?

    Shot Clock: Is the NBA draft lottery rigged?

  • Shot Clock: Rockets sizzle, D-Backs fizzle?

    Shot Clock: Rockets sizzle, D-Backs fizzle?

  • NBA mock drafts: Popular picks for Phoenix Suns

    NBA mock drafts: Popular picks for Phoenix Suns

  • Shot Clock: Kevin Durant closer to a ring

    Shot Clock: Kevin Durant closer to a ring

  • Familiar faces: Notable former Suns in NBA playoffs

    Familiar faces: Notable former Suns in NBA playoffs

  • Notable Suns player salaries for 2017-18

    Notable Suns player salaries for 2017-18

  • Suns coach Watson wraps up season at press conference

    Suns coach Watson wraps up season at press conference

  • Devin Booker: 'I want to be a winner'

    Devin Booker: ‘I want to be a winner’

  • Doug Haller wraps up Suns' 2016-17 season

    Doug Haller wraps up Suns’ 2016-17 season

  • Top 5 Devin Booker moments of 2016-17 season

    Top 5 Devin Booker moments of 2016-17 season

  • Shot Clock: NBA MVP and surprising D-Backs

    Shot Clock: NBA MVP and surprising D-Backs

  • Devin Booker on his 70-point night

    Devin Booker on his 70-point night

The Suns have the fourth pick in the June 22 NBA draft. Their selection could alter the franchise or add to a youthful core already in place.

azcentral sports has highlighted eight players within the Suns’ range. This is the eighth profile in that series:

Lonzo Ball

Position: Point guard.

School: UCLA.

Year: Freshman.

Size: 6-6/190 pounds.

Age: 19.

Last season: In his only college season, Ball led quite the reversal in Westwood, taking the Bruins from 15 wins in 2015-16 to 31 last season. He averaged 14.6 points, 6.0 rebounds and a nation’s best 7.6 assists. He shot 73.2 percent from 2-point range, 41.2 from 3 and 67.3 from the foul line. He was a first-team AP All-American, as well as the Pac-12 Freshman of the Year.

RELATED: LaVar Ball won’t affect whether Suns draft Lonzo Ball, Ryan McDonough says

Why he makes sense for the Suns: Ball is considered the best passer to enter the draft in years, on level with Jason Kidd and Magic Johnson. That kind of talent makes sense for everyone. In Phoenix, he would join a young core that includes guard Devin Booker and forwards Dragan Bender and Marquese Chriss, accelerating the Suns’ rebuild. “He has an uncanny sense of knowing where everybody is,” Pac-12 Networks analyst and former NBA coach Mike Montgomery said. “His timing is incredible. He’s always anticipating who’s going to be open. I think sometimes he actually is two steps ahead of people in terms of where somebody is going to be. It makes him really, really good if people are moving.”

Why he doesn’t: It’s widely believed the Suns tanked the last several weeks to better position themselves to land Ball in the draft. It didn’t work, and with the fourth pick, the odds aren’t great that Ball will be available. He’s expected to go to the Lakers at No. 2. At this point, it’s not certain that Ball would even work out in Phoenix.

MORE: Is LaVar Ball hurting Lonzo Ball’s NBA draft stock?

Concerns: When a player excels in one area, the rest of his game is held under a microscope. Some of that is happening here. Scouts and analysts question whether Ball can create his own shot in the final seconds of the shot clock. In addition, he’s not a willing defensive player. Then there’s Ball’s dad. Although many general managers have publicly said LaVar Ball will not be a factor in their selection, others aren’t so sure. “It’s an unnecessary distraction,” an NBA source said. “I’ve been part of a parental issue and it really makes people uncomfortable. … It will be interesting to see how (Lonzo) handles it and if his game is able to translate and how his dad responds. Because if it doesn’t work, that media attention will go tenfold.”

Best comparison: You’ve heard this one for a while. Jason Kidd.

RELATED: NBA mock draft: Doug Haller’s third edition

Bust factor: Slim. “Some of the other things are going to be somewhat problematic,” ESPN college analyst Fran Fraschilla said, “but in addition to his passing, he’s good enough athletically to be an NBA starter, there’s no doubt, and potentially an NBA All-Star.”

Quote: “He’s special. Very, very special. Like every young player, there are areas where he needs to improve and he’s going to keep getting better. But as far as the guys that are in this draft, in my mind there’s none better than Lonzo. He knows how to direct a team, he’s very unselfish. He just knows how to make people better and that’s a tremendous trait.” – UCLA coach Steve Alford.

Also in this series:

Josh Jackson

Jayson Tatum

Malik Monk

De’Aaron Fox

Jonathan Isaac

Lauri Markkanen

Dennis Smith Jr.

Contact Doug Haller at 602-444-4949 or at doug.haller@arizonarepublic. Follow him at Twitter.com/DougHaller.

Autoplay

Show Thumbnails

Show Captions