Tourney Hero Could Help Franchise for Years

They had a timeout, they decided not to use it. You know the rest.

But this time the immensely skilled guard pulling it from deep at the end of an all-time great matchup wasn’t Stephen Curry – it was Gonzaga’s Jalen Suggs.

I was lucky enough to go to Gonzaga and UCLA’s instant classic at the Final Four in Indianapolis, and as a student at UCLA, I was pulling for the Bruins. But you could tell something was different about this guy as he eventually ended UCLA’s season.

Suggs would lace a three from deep on the wing, then rise up to block a much taller Cody Riley at a pivotal juncture. It wasn’t clear, however, whether Suggs called bank or game when he rose up to take a deep buzzer-beating three. But it is clear Suggs is something special, and with the Warriors’ having the potential to get as high as the fourth pick in the 2021 NBA Draft, getting the guard via a miracle or moving up would give Golden State a second exciting point guard and a piece for the future.

Bleacher Report has Suggs slated to be taken with the third overall pick, behind Oklahoma State guard Cade Cunningham and USC center Evan Mobley. This puts the guard out of reach for Golden State, as its pick acquired from Minnesota is only available in 2021 if it lands outside of the top three. But the statement the 20-year old has made in his debut season is enough to warrant some manuevering.

In his freshman year, Suggs found himself on the second All-American team and now has a chance to pick up a national title and complete Gonzaga’s undefeated season with a win against Baylor on Monday.

The guard has also recorded 14.1 points per game while grabbing 5.5 rebounds and dishing out 4.6 assists for each contest. His 33.3% from distance from a shorter 3-pt line could stand to improve, but he was able to combine his elite athleticism with shooting north of 50% from the field on just over 10 shots per game.

And if I or anybody needed any more indication about the athleticism and skill the six-foot-four freshman provides after he dribbled up and ended UCLA’s season from well beyond the arc, Suggs was also a highly-recruited quarterback thanks to a decorated high school career in Minnesota.

Aside from the excitement he provides, Suggs allows the Warriors’ front office to get their point guard of the future after the team passed on LaMelo Ball in favor of center James Wiseman. Ball’s early success with the Charlotte Hornets has given some quick-to-react Golden State fans buyer’s remorse as the team is saddled with a more developmental project in Wiseman.

Suggs hasn’t helped Gonzaga to an undefeated record on his own, with first team All-American forward Corey Kisbert and second team All-American forward Drew Timme helping Mark Few’s squad from Spokane continue its success. But the Warriors could provide Suggs with a core to help him adjust to the association, and they have assets like Andrew Wiggins and Kelly Oubre Jr. to trade and move up for him.

After all, when I sat in the “surrender cobra” in the upper deck of Lucas Oil Stadium on Saturday, there was one guy who Suggs’ silencing game winner reminded me of.

One player whose electric play can make every game exciting and winnable. And he’s the two-time MVP who can mentor Suggs, pass the baton to the Bulldogs’ guard and solidify Golden State’s future. All the front office has to do is get their next franchise piece to follow in Curry’s footsteps.