Phoenix Suns: 5 Early Season Takeaways In 2016-17

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Oct 3, 2016; Phoenix, AZ, USA; Phoenix Suns forward Dragan Bender (35) shoots over San Antonio Spurs forward Kyle Anderson (1) during the first half at Talking Stick Resort Arena. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports /

5. Watson Needs To Unleash The Dragan

When the Suns made Earl Watson their head coach, they were criticized for not doing their due diligence, especially with names like Tom Thibodeau and Scott Brooks floating around on the market. The move was justified by the sense of family and culture Watson was instilling in a franchise that had lost its way, especially as it inched closer toward a youth movement.

Expectations weren’t high entering the 2016-17 NBA season, so Phoenix’s current 4-11 record isn’t even that big a deal. But after watching Luke Walton extract a .500 record out of a similarly talented Los Angeles Lakers team, and in the wake of rookie Dragan Bender‘s complete lack of playing time, it’s hard to feel very optimistic about the Watson hire just yet.

These things take time. Young franchise players, most of whom are 23 years or younger, don’t develop overnight, especially under a rookie head coach.

However, the Suns’ stagnant, iso-heavy offense, coupled with a porous defense that surrendered at least 100 points in 25 consecutive games until last Friday, has been a pretty clear indicator Watson’s value doesn’t lie in the X’s and O’s.

But with sparing minutes being given to Bender, the No. 4 overall pick and youngest player in the league, wasn’t this where his value was supposed to lie? In giving the youngsters confidence and ample opportunities to develop?

In his NBA debut, Bender was a bright spot off the bench for a Suns team that came out half asleep. He put up 10 points in 12 minutes, went 4-for-5 from the field and even got the home crowd back into the game with a made corner three and followup celebration.

Since then, he’s reached double-digit minutes in just three of Phoenix’s 14 games, which seems borderline unfair given his competence on the defensive end, his somewhat efficient three-point shooting and the fact that he’s supposed to be a future franchise cornerstone.

Moving Marquese Chriss into the starting lineup over Jared Dudley, not to mention keeping T.J. Warren in the starting lineup over P.J. Tucker, were moves that came far sooner than expected, so Watson deserves kudos there. The only problem is, Dudley and Tucker are soaking up far more frontcourt minutes than necessary off the bench, even compared to the starter Chriss.

Bender is in a bit of a bind, since he hasn’t looked as NBA-ready as Chriss (offensively, at least). With Dudley, Chriss and Tucker playing the 4, not to mention Tyson Chandler and Alex Len at the 5 and Warren, Tucker, Dudley and Devin Booker all capable of playing the 3, Bender’s inconsistent minutes have come at various positions of need based on whoever’s available.