Phoenix Suns: Setting Expectations For Dragan Bender

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Jun 23, 2016; New York, NY, USA; Dragan Bender walks off the stage after being selected as the number four overall pick to the Phoenix Suns in the first round of the 2016 NBA Draft at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports /

The Waiting Game

Unfortunately for the Suns, that future seems far away, especially with as timid (and sometimes lost) as Bender has looked to this point. Luckily, this is the part where everyone needs to remember that he’s still more than two years away from being able to purchase alcohol in this country.

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In Phoenix’s second preseason game, Bender drew a tough assignment against Utah’s promising second-year stretch-4, Trey Lyles. Watson drew yet another comparison between the two, based on how they both started their rookie seasons trying to find their niche…before noting that Bender is doing so at age 18.

“We want to give Dragan the opportunity just to get on the court,” he said. “He had a good put-back, baseline shot was great. We want him to be more aggressive offensively, but once he finds his rhythm and becomes legal, I think he’ll be a pretty good player.”

As the youngest player in the entire NBA, expectations for Bender shouldn’t be too high entering the 2016-17 season. He’ll get ample minutes as a backup 3, 4 and 5 at various times throughout the season, especially if guys like Jared Dudley, T.J. Warren, P.J. Tucker, Tyson Chandler or Alex Len deal with injuries.

Growing pains are to be expected, and Bender always figured to be more of a long-term project. For a team centering its season on that exact kind of gradual growth, no one should panic if Bender fails to put up numbers befitting the normal expectations of a fourth overall pick.

He won’t be a contender for the Rookie of the Year Award, but any progress he does make in 2016-17 will be welcome — especially for an 18-year-old living in a new country who is suddenly playing basketball at its highest level.

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“Man, when I was 18 I was moving from Kansas to Los Angeles, trying to find my way through UCLA,” Watson said. “I can’t imagine being 18, being in the NBA, being in another country and you’re defending Joe Johnson, sometimes Kawhi [Leonard].

“So for Dragan, the experience and the opportunity is the most amazing thing he can get at this age. We understand it’s gonna be some challenges, but we also believe past those challenges on the horizon. It’s his journey with his purpose and his pace, you can’t compare them at the same time with any of the rookies.”

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