This season, one constant criticism of the composition of the Suns’ roster is the lack of a real power forward. Before the season actually began, there were hopes that either former Euro League standout Nigel Hayes-Davis or rookie Rasheer Fleming could step into that role. Neither of those things happened.
Nigel has been largely disappointing in his return to the NBA, and Rasheer just hasn’t proven to be NBA-ready just yet. Fleming has shown progress and is at the point where he is occasionally being
given meaningful minutes during games, but he still has a way to go before proving he can be counted on as a key piece of the Suns’ rotation. Hayes-Davis has been relegated to mostly playing garbage minutes. The Suns have been sometimes successful in plugging this hole with wings/SFs, but, as proven in the Cavaliers game, that approach isn’t likely to work against better teams with bigger frontcourt lineups.
A lot of the talk among fans related to filling this hole in the Suns’ roster has aimed at making a trade to obtain this missing piece. Finding a player that both fits the Suns’ needs AND might be available in the trade market without giving up assets that the Suns might actually be better off keeping is the real problem with that approach.
One other possible solution could be in the form of a 10-day contract signing.
While it is extremely unlikely that any 10-day signing could come in and suddenly fix the Suns’ roster, it is possible that a player might be found who could at least come in and provide some help off the bench at the power forward position. Perhaps Brian Gregory can uncover another hidden gem to add to the roster as he did with Jamaree Bouyea.
The following is a list of potential 10-day call-ups that might help the Suns. The credit for compiling this list goes to Keith Smith at Spotrac and his excellent article on the subject. There’s much more to it than what I’ve cherry-picked to include here, so please give it a look if you are so inclined. I just narrowed it down to the four players that best fit the mold of what the Suns need.
The Prospects
Alize Johnson: 29 years old, SF/PF (6’9”, 212 lbs)
Key Stats: 17.6 PPG, 55% FG%, 35% 3P%, 10.6 RPG, 3.8 APG, 1.2 SPG
Alize Johnson was drafted in the 2nd round (50th pick) in the 2018 NBA Draft by Indiana. After 2 years with them, he was let go and played mostly in the G League while bouncing around the NBA on 10-day contracts before playing overseas the past couple of seasons. He presently is playing in the G League for the Iowa Wolves and has a total of 76 games of NBA experience.
From Keith:
Johnson is coming of a 40-point, 12-rebound game where he shot 15-for-21 from the floor. The scoring is higher than usual, but that kind of gives you a sense of how overpowering Johnson has been at times this season. He’s older than most guys on this list, but Johnson could step in and give an NBA team decent bench minutes today. If he was a bit bigger or shot it better from deep, Johnson would already have an NBA deal. But he’s still worthy of another look after a couple of years rounding out his game overseas.
Jalen Slawson: 26 years old, SF/PF (6’7”, 215 lbs)
Key Stats: 21.7 PPG, 50% FG%, 39% 3P%, 6.4 RPG, 4.7 APG, 1.5 SPG, 2.7 BPG
Slawson was drafted in the 2nd round (54th pick) in the 2023 NBA Draft by Sacramento. He was signed to a Two-way contract and was released by the Kings after one season there. At just 6’7″, he probably is not the best fit for the Suns, but Keith’s comments about his defense caught my eye and made me think he might actually work out on this team. He presently is playing in the G League for the Noblesville Boom and has a total of 12 games of NBA experience.
From Keith:
Slawson has been the best all-around player in the G League this season. He’s been terrific on offense and borderline dominant on defense. He regularly guards 1-5 and handles every position equally as well. Slawson’s playmaking and shooting have been the real surprises. If the shooting is real, and his form suggests it is, someone should snag him on at least a two-way deal, if not jumping right to a standard contract.
Skal Labissiere: 29 years old, C/PF (6’10”, 235 lbs)
Key Stats: 19 PPG, 55% FG%, 43% 3P%, 8.4 RPG, 2.2 BPG
Labissiere’s name should be a familiar one to Suns fans as, technically, they drafted him with the 28th pick in the 2016 NBA Draft. If the name still doesn’t ring any bells, it’s likely because he was never actually on the team, as he was part of the draft-day trade that the Suns made with Sacramento to acquire the draft rights to Marquese Chriss.
If you’re rolling your eyes at how that trade turned out, you’re not alone. Neither player worked out for their respective teams, but Labissiere has continued to bounce around the NBA, playing mostly in the G League with occasional 10-day call-ups since then.
At 29 years old, he’s not someone to sign, thinking he might be part of the future for the Suns, but he might be worth a look to see if he could provide some positive minutes at PF off the bench right now. He presently is playing in the G League for the Capital City Go-Go and has a total of 152 games of NBA experience, including 43 starts.
From Kieth:
NBA teams are always looking for bigs who can protect the rim on defense and stretch the floor on offense. Labissiere has always had the former, but he’s added the latter. After years of steady improvement with his jumper, Labissiere is up to 43% on 5.1 three-point attempts per game. He’s also improved his strength, which has helped him as a rebounder. Labissiere is no longer the run-and-jump prospect, but he could help a team that needs some frontcourt depth.
Jeremiah Robinson-Earl: 25 years old, PF (6’9”, 240 lbs)
Key Stats: 18 PPG, 48% FG%, 14.5 RPG
Robinson-Earl was drafted in the 2nd round (32nd pick) in the 2021 NBA Draft by New York and traded to OKC the following day. He played for one season with OKC, playing mostly with their G League affiliate, before being traded to Houston, where he was waived before the start of the 2023-24 season. He was signed by New Orleans shortly after that and spent the rest of the season with them. This season, he has played both in the G League for the Texas Legends and with Indiana on 10-day “hardship exception” contracts. He has a total of 214 games of NBA experience, including 69 starts.
Another interesting fact about JRE is that he was one of Collin Gillespie’s teammates for two seasons back when they both played for Villanova.
From Keith:
Robinson-Earl hasn’t played a lot in the G League, but that’s because he spent a while with the Indiana Pacers in the NBA this season. And that’s because Robinson-Earl can play. He’s one of the best rebounders at the G League level, simply because he understands positioning and has good strength. If the outside shot were a little better, of if Robinson-Earl was more athletic, he’d be on an NBA standard deal. As it is, he’ll be on the list for a callup when a team needs frontcourt help.
Which of these four (if any) do you think could possibly provide some help to the Suns at power forward? Let us know in the comments!
