T.J. Warren has somewhat of a throwback NBA game, he does most of his damage from mid-range and excels in the open court.
He is what I refer to as an “offensive opportunist” as a guy who has a knack for being around the ball and putting himself in positions on the floor that set him up for scoring opportunities.
Warren averaged 14.4 points and 5.1 rebounds in 66 games for the Suns last season, starting 59 of those games, and the Suns have rewarded him with a new, four-year, $50 million extension.
Phoenix Suns forward TJ Warren has agreed to a four-year, $50M contract extension, league sources tell ESPN.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) September 25, 2017
Warren just turned 24 and was averaging 17 and 7 the first month of the season before dealing with a concussion and he is a skilled offensive player, but this is a bit of an overpay for a guy that is still a slight negative defender at this point and hasn’t proven he can knock down the three pointer consistently.
Personally, I watch a lot of the Suns and like Warren’s I.Q. and feel for the game, but paying him an over market salary especially after drafting Josh Jackson to essentially take over his starting role is a little perplexing.
This shows that the Suns clearly value Warren as a part of their core moving forward and by paying him starter money are likely to play him at least 24 minutes per game and have him be on the floor with Jackson at times as a small ball four potentially.
I like the path the Suns have committed to and I like Warren’s game generally, but we’ll see if this deal proves to be worth it for the Suns.
