If the Phoenix Suns stick at No. 22 in the 2024 NBA Draft, the priority will be targeting a prospect that can help right now. On the wing in the back-half of the first round, Colorado’s Tristan da Silva separates himself from the pack.
But there’s a good chance he’s off the board by then, and if that’s the position Phoenix wants regardless, there are still some other names that will be under consideration.
Bobi Klintman is one of the headliners during those conversations.
Klintman came to the United States in 2021 from Sweden to begin his basketball journey in North America, playing a year of high school ball before spending one season with Wake Forest. He then went the professional route, playing in the National Basketball League of Australia and New Zealand for a year.
The pitch on the 21-year-old is he meets a satisfying threshold on nearly everything you want your modern complementary forward to do. He’s one of the biggest wings in this class, checking in at 6-foot-9 with a 6-foot-11 wingspan. He can shoot, pass, handle and defend. It’s just a matter of how NBA-ready those skills are right now and how much more development he needs.
Last season for the Cairns Taipans in the NBL, Klintman shot 35.7% from 3-point range on 3.7 attempts per game. An encouraging 79.3% of his free-throw attempts went down as well, often a positive indicator for some consistency coming on 3s.
The form is great at his size, and the “at his size” qualifier is where a lot of Klintman’s stock resides. He does not move like most 6-foot-9 basketball players and was a frequent presence in transition and for playmaking opportunities as a defender.
Strong game for 6'10 Swedish wing Bobi Klintman bringing impressive defensive versatility and energy with 11 rebounds, 3 blocks and 2 steals. The projected first round pick hit three 3s and finished with 15 points in Cairns' win. pic.twitter.com/MvAmPByR6j
— Jonathan Givony (@DraftExpress) October 5, 2023
The archetype reaches immediate limitations, however, because of Klintman’s more explosive moments. As you can see above, that is not when he has type to load up. It’s more about the quick-twitch stuff, things like Klintman’s first step on drives and his on-ball defense against a ball-handler’s own first step. He would be fine against most 4s and has the frame to grow into as a small-ball 5 but the switchability isn’t a sure thing for him on primary initiators.
This is a bummer when locating strengths for him because Klintman has some real flashes as a passer using those open floor skills.
BOBI 🤝 AK
Gak SLAMS it after the inside pass from Klintman!📲 @cairnstaipans | 📺 @kayosports pic.twitter.com/weBb8O1uH7
— Cairns Taipans (@CairnsTaipans) October 11, 2023
Toss that into some of the other attributes we covered and it’s a hell of a 45-second sizzle reel.
More good stuff from Bobi Klintman in the NBL despite having his roughest outing offensively vs Illawarra. The live-dribble passing and defense stood out most, as did his pull-up 3 in transition. Assertive. pic.twitter.com/FEqZrwJUfh
— Jonathan Wasserman (@NBADraftWass) September 22, 2023
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It would have been helpful to see Klintman in a bigger role than the 21.3 minutes per game he got in the NBL this past season. His per 36 minutes do bump nicely to 16.5 points and 8.1 rebounds a night, and he did have seven games with 15 points or more, so don’t judge the 9.7 PPG too harshly.
This is where we get to a brief dip into the tape and there was somewhat of an erratic nature to his impact. A missed rotation here, bad decision with the ball there and a handful of plays where he’s a step slow indicate he’s going to need to adjust in the NBA. To go back to the passing, he had 17 assists and 36 turnovers last season.
That will be fine for most teams at this point in the draft. Klintman is ranked anywhere from the high teens to 20s on most big boards. It’s a more than reasonable spot to select a wing prospect with a ton of tools and seeing how they fare for the transition. But that does not seem to mesh with where the Suns are at right now.
