Phoenix Suns: 3 takeaways from preseason opener vs. Blazers

2. Patience is a virtue with Dragan Bender

It was a rough going for Dragan Bender early on, especially when the Suns went small with the young Croatian at the 5. He was tasked with stopping the burly, deceptively quick Jusuf Nurkic on the block, and it went about as well as could be expected.

However, Bender wasn’t as lost as NBA Twitter made him out to be, especially for a 19-year-old whose rookie year was hindered by a lack of playing time and then injury.

Though he was hardly a presence in the scoring column (two points on 0-of-4 shooting), Bender finished with 10 rebounds, one block, was a +1 on the night and showed several glimpses of his ability to push the ball up the floor and make things happen in transition.

Jackson missed the tough reverse layup on the play above, but the connection and the court vision from Bender are tantalizing.

To be fair, it was still a rough night overall for the No. 4 overall pick from the 2016 NBA Draft. He was bullied by Nurkic when they matched up, his smooth-looking 3-pointer still has that annoying tendency of never finding the hole because it needs more arch, and he committed this bad turnover in transition that shows the kind of confidence he still lacks from time to time:

However, as Bender takes his lumps in extended minutes, he’ll be more comfortable whipping the ball around his back and making a play on possessions like that. He’ll get bigger and stronger as well, allowing him to anchor small-ball lineups at the 5 as a seven-foot rim protector who can also defend ball-handlers on the perimeter out of the pick-and-roll.

The problem is, that future is still a ways down the road. Tuesday night was yet another reminder that for all the promise he shows, all that potential is still a few years away form being realized. It will take patience from Bender, the coaching staff and especially the fanbase before any Alex Len-draft bust comparisons start being made.