Former Michigan State guard Tyson Walker, now with the Phoenix Suns’ Summer League team, looks to showcase his skills and compete for a roster spot. (Photo by Joshua Heron/Cronkite News)
LAS VEGAS – While the Phoenix Suns have three NBA superstars in Devin Booker, Kevin Durant and Bradley Beal, they lack depth in one position critical to having success in the playoffs: point guard.
Many believed that was an area the Suns would address in this year’s NBA Draft. Instead, Phoenix decided to trade back from No. 22 and acquire an extra pick to address the team’s other priorities. Eventually the Suns selected Ryan Dunn out of Virginia at No. 28, and Phoenix native Oso Ighodaro out of Marquette at No. 56. Phoenix also added Collin Gillespie in June on a two-way contract.
“We wanted to get more athletic,” Suns general manager James Jones said last month following the draft. “Defensively, on the perimeter, we wanted to add some size and some youth. I thought we were able to do two things tonight: get the player that we wanted moving back and pick up other assets and capital for the future to continue to allow us to have more resources to build the team for the long term.”
While the rookie additions fill needs defensively, there is still the question of who will be the Suns’ starting point guard – one that has been hovering over the franchise since Chris Paul was traded before the 2023-24 season. The answer may come from the team’s NBA Summer League roster after the Suns became the first franchise in NBA history to surpass $400 million in team payroll.
With so much money already spent, Phoenix doesn’t have the flexibility for another big name, but the team’s Summer League roster features multiple point guards with illustrious college careers – and even some with professional experience.
Boo Buie, Tyson Walker, Isaiah Wong, Michael Devoe and Quinndary Weatherspoon will all have an opportunity to impress in Vegas. Buie and Walker were deemed two of the best point guards in college basketball last season before both ended their college careers in the second round of the 2024 NCAA Men’s Tournament.
Buie finished at Northwestern as the top scorer in program history, amassing 2,100 points during his time as a Wildcat. Last season he averaged 19 points, five assists and shot 43.4% from beyond the arc. At 6-foot-2, 180 pounds, he could be a true point guard who plays on the ball, allowing Booker and Beal to play off the ball in their true role.
“Our offense was a similar style to the pro-style,” Buie said about Northwestern. “We ran a five-out, we’d like to play through some get actions, some chase actions. So I think it’s just taught me a lot about the offensive game at the NBA level.”
Walker started his career at Northeastern before transferring to Michigan State. At 6-foot, Walker is a smaller, shiftier guard who scored over 2,100 points between the two schools and averaged 18.4 points as a senior for the Spartans.
He aims to bring what he learned from coach Tom Izzo to Las Vegas to help him at the next level.
“Just playing hard and competing,” Walker said. “Something you know is not a skill set, just playing hard, doing everything I can do.”
Phoenix Suns Summer League coach Vince Legarza focuses on developing young talent and evaluating potential point guard options for the upcoming season. (Photo by Joshua Heron/Cronkite News)
Devoe and Weatherspoon have the most professional experience of the guards on the Suns’ Summer League team. Devoe, a Georgia Tech standout, played last season in the G-League for multiple teams, averaging 13.9 points. Weatherspoon played at Mississippi State and professionally overseas and in the NBA for the San Antonio Spurs and Warriors. Both can play point guard but are primarily combo guards, playing at shooting guard most of the time.
Wong is the other guard to watch in Summer League. He spent last season playing in the G-League for the Fort Wayne Mad Ants where he averaged 15.7 points. Before being drafted in the second round in 2023, he was the 2022-2023 ACC player of the year, leading Miami to its first Final Four in school history.
Each guard competed for minutes in the Suns’ first summer league game Saturday against the Golden State Warriors, with Buie getting the start at point guard alongside Devoe. Buie finished with eight points and added three assists. When he headed to the bench, Devoe took over ball-handling duties alongside Weatherspoon.
“It was cool to get out here for my first pro game, get my feet wet,” Buie said postgame. “It took me a little bit to feel like I got all the way comfortable, but now going into the next game I’m feeling real confident.”
Devoe led Phoenix with a team-high 19 points, while Walker added three points and an assist.
Fans will see whether Buie, Devoe or any of these guards make the Suns’ roster for next season. If not, the team may have to rely on point guard by committee for the second year in a row.
“We just got to put it together,” Walker said. “We’ve got a lot of good guards. People who can score it well, pass the ball well, so we just got to put it together.”
