Sports360AZA common theme for the Phoenix Suns and their 2017 draft was versatility. Said trend continued late Thursday night with the club selecting power forward Alec Peters from Valparaiso with their second pick of the second round (54th overall).
The Suns have selected Alec Peters as the 54th overall pick in the NBA Draft. Head to https://t.co/kZQzjLjQcD for a live press conference! pic.twitter.com/2cHxx0Ijta
— Phoenix Suns (@Suns) June 23, 2017
The 6-foot-9, 232-pounder averaged 23 points and 10.1 rebounds last season for Valpo. Peters is known as a smooth outside shooter with a quick release and excellent footwork. He was a career 41% shooter from beyond the arc over the past four seasons.
Emotional roller coaster for former Valparaiso star Alec Peters, who couldn’t watch as he was drafted by the Suns (via @Illinois_Irish) pic.twitter.com/1tAVscvHtr
— Sports Illustrated (@SInow) June 23, 2017
“One of the best shooters in this draft,” Suns’ general manager Ryan McDonough said of Peters. “Very decorated career.”
Peters, an early entry candidate for the 2016 draft before withdrawing his name from consideration, earned AP All-American Honorable Mention and won the Horizon League Player of the Year. He ranked 21st nationally in both double doubles (16) and free-throw shooting (88.7%). He also got it done in the classroom garnering CoSIDA Academic All-America First Team recognition.
Congratulations to Alec Peters, heading to Phoenix Suns after being chosen with the 54th pick of tonight’s NBA Draft! #GoValpo pic.twitter.com/5GWWdIpUgi
— Valpo Athletics (@valpoathletics) June 23, 2017
Peters missed the pre-draft process due to a foot injury and will not participate in the Las Vegas Summer League but, according to McDonough, is expected to be ready for training camp later this fall.
