Phoenix Suns: Summer League Success A Promising Sign

The Phoenix Suns were eliminated from the NBA Summer League tournament Sunday, but there are plenty of reasons for fans to feel good about this team’s future.

The Phoenix Suns won’t be playing in their second straight NBA Summer League championship game, but even after being eliminated in Sunday’s semifinal against Tyus Jones and the Minnesota Timberwolves, there are plenty of reasons to feel good about this young team’s future.

To be fair, Summer League is hardly indicative of success in the upcoming regular season. The Suns lost in the championship game to the San Antonio Spurs last summer and we all know how their 2015-16 campaign went.

However, at that point in time, the Suns were a team many expected to compete for a playoff spot in a brutally deep Western Conference. This time around, Phoenix’s inevitable youth movement is the basis for optimism.

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Last year’s Summer League team included T.J. Warren‘s dominance and 18-year-old Devin Booker showing signs of what would be one of the best rookie campaigns in the NBA, but it was hard to get too excited about their upcoming seasons because no one knew how much playing time they’d earn on a team gunning for a playoff spot.

This time around, with head coach Earl Watson preaching patience and embracing failure, there’s more room for the Summer Suns’ young core to carry their momentum forward into the regular season.

Booker, who has quickly risen from the ranks of “exciting rookie” to “potential franchise cornerstone,” did not disappoint in his limited Summer League action. In two games, he averaged 26.0 points, 6.5 assists, 5.0 rebounds and 1.0 blocks per game on 18-of-38 shooting.

This included a standout 28-8-6 performance in a win over the Portland Trail Blazers and a 24-point, 7-assist game in a win over the Boston Celtics.

Then there was his backcourt mate, Tyler Ulis. Though Ulis had a brutal semifinal against Summer League MVP Tyus Jones on Saturday (11 points, four turnovers, 5-of-21 shooting), he was easily one of the best and biggest surprises in Las Vegas, earning All-NBA Summer League Second Team honors.

In six appearances, Ulis averaged 14.5 points, 6.3 assists, 2.8 steals and 2.5 rebounds per game — not bad for the smallest guy on the court at 5’10”. Had Booker, Bender or Chriss played Sunday evening, the Suns might have advanced to yet another Summer League title game despite Ulis’ off night.

Though Ulis will need to work on his perimeter shooting (5-for-16 from three-point range overall), he rarely turned it over and finished with a 38-11 assist-to-turnover ratio. He had a pair of games with five or more steals, a 20-point outing in a win over the Miami Heat and a deep game-winning three-pointer to beat the Denver Nuggets in overtime.

Tyler Ulis game winner! pic.twitter.com/VxOLIrkUBp
— Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) July 17, 2016

Ulis wasn’t the only rookie turning heads at Summer League, however. Though their numbers may not indicate it, Dragan Bender and Marquese Chriss showed real flashes of potential during their limited time in Las Vegas.

In five Summer League games, Bender, the Suns’ fourth overall pick, averaged 8.6 points, 5.6 rebounds and 1.0 blocks per game. He shot an abysmal 27.5 percent from the floor and 26.5 percent from three-point range, but he wasn’t taking bad shots; he was just missing good ones.

His ability as a stretch-5 will come with time, and the seven-footer wasn’t afraid to let them fly at Summer League. His numerous turnovers (3.8 per game) and fouls (4.4 per game) obviously need work, but Bender played with confidence and sooner or later, those shots will start falling for the 18-year-old.

That's the first sweet-looking Dragan Bender 3. Yesterday, he made a bank. He was 1 for 10 on 3s til that. But the stroke always looks good.
— Paul Coro (@paulcoro) July 11, 2016

As for Chriss, he also played the part of a long-term project in Summer League, but he put up awfully strong numbers at the same time: 10.0 points and 9.0 rebounds per game in three appearances.

Though Chriss only shot 33.3 percent from the floor and missed all eight of his three-point attempts, he also had a 15-point, 14-rebound game that showcased what he’ll be able to bring to the table when he’s at his best.

He also needs to work on taking care of the ball (3.3 turnovers per game) and fouling less (5.3 fouls per game), but the potential is clearly there.

Finally, we’d be remiss to talk about the Summer Suns and not mention Alan Williams, who earned All-NBA Summer League First Team honors after averaging 11.8 points and 11.2 rebounds per game in six appearances.

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Though the lovable Phoenix native racked up 5.8 fouls per game and struggled in Phoenix’s semifinal loss against Minnesota, he had a double-double in five of his six games and shot an impressive 87.1 percent from the foul line.

With Bender, Chriss and Ulis entering their rookie seasons and Booker and Williams entering Year 2, there’s plenty to be excited about for the upcoming 2016-17 campaign.

Though the projected starting lineup of Eric Bledsoe, Brandon Knight, P.J. Tucker, Jared Dudley and Tyson Chandler leaves little room for Phoenix’s youth movement at the moment, it’s only a matter of time before the transition toward development takes priority over chasing a bottom rung playoff spot.

More hoops habit: Phoenix Suns: The Importance Of Jared Dudley's Leadership

After yet another successful Summer League outing, the Suns should be optimistic about the progress they’re seeing from their young core.

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