It’s been an odd first two years for T.J. Warren’s career. During his rookie season, he rarely got time on the court. The Suns were a team that were still trying to contend and had P.J. Tucker, Gerald Green, and Marcus Morris holding claims to that small forward spot. In limited action, Warren impressed and seemed to be guaranteed solid minutes in the rotation this year. Unfortunately, he just didn’t get his chance.
T.J. played in 47 games this past season before suffering a season ending injury, but only started all of 4 games. Warren looked very promising in his limited action. He came into the league with a weak jump shot and virtually no three-point game. He changed everything this past season.
Warren developed a nice mid-range game and drastically improved his three-point shooting. In the 2014-2015 season, he shot 23.8% from three and then that percentage shot up to 40% this season. He also had a jump in his mid-range shooting from 10-16 feet away from the basket. In his rookie season, he shot 33.3% from that distance and then shot 48.9% from that same distance this year.
With moves like this one he had on J.J. Barea, you can see the potential that T.J. has:
T.J.’s handles are good enough for him to get the separation he needs, his shot is improving every year, and he still has the incredible touch around the rim. T.J. Warren’s defense is a bit suspect at this point with a 110 DRtg and a -1.3 DBPM. He’ll improve on that end as that side of the ball is going to be a focal point for him to improve on this summer once he comes back to full health.
There’s a problem though. The Suns have Eric Bledsoe, Brandon Knight, and Devin Booker on their roster. All three will require big minutes in the rotation and believe they deserve to start. If the Suns decide to run a three-guard lineup, that leaves T.J. Warren expendable. (They almost definitely won’t run with that lineup as that will create a gigantic liability defensively.) PJ. Tucker is still there for at least one more year, and with the offense that will be provided in the back-court, it’d be beneficial for Phoenix to start Tucker while T.J. continues to improve on the defensive end even if they don’t start all three of the guards.
The one thing on T.J. Warren’s side is time. He’s only 22 years old and has plenty of time to complete his game. Hopefully the Suns (or another team, if he’s traded) will give him the chance he deserves in the league.