Phoenix Suns: 5 early observations from the Jay Triano era

2. Dragan Bender ready to break out?

People gave up on Dragan Bender way too early, but it seems everyone wants back on the bandwagon now that the former No. 4 overall pick is showing signs of life.

Bender only played in 43 games as a rookie, wasn’t the same down the stretch after returning from injury and — surprise, surprise — was rarely put in the right spots to succeed by Watson and his coaching staff. The result? Paltry averages of 3.4 points and 2.4 rebounds per game on abysmal .354/.277/.364 shooting splits.

Those who watched closely, however, saw a player with brilliant defensive footwork who simply needed more minutes and more confidence to start unlocking his potential.

https://twitter.com/Suns/status/925892567547265024

He’s gotten both in spades under Triano, especially compared to his first three games of the year:

• First three games: 2.7 PPG, 5.3 RPG, 0.7 APG, 1.0 BPG, 19.6 MPG, .222/.286/1.000 shooting, -5.0 plus/minus
• Last five games: 6.8 PPG, 4.2 RPG, 0.8 APG, 1.2 BPG, 22.6 MPG, .400/.368/1.000 shooting, +4.6 plus/minus

With increased minutes, undeniable confidence and a coach playing him at the 4-spot where he’s most effective for now, Bender is starting to come into his own.

Though he’s only averaging 5.3 points, 4.6 rebounds and 1.1 blocks on .359/.346/1.000 shooting splits this season, it’s the little things that make Dragan worth watching.

His passing and court vision are elite for a player his size, and as the Suns entrust him with more responsibilities on offense, clever zipline passes like these will become the norm:

Over his last three games, Bender has been more assertive on offense, averaging 9.0 points, 5.0 rebounds and 1.3 blocks per game while shooting 10-for-22 from the floor and 5-for-12 from downtown.

Against the Nets, Bender tallied a season-high 10 points, three rebounds, three assists and one block in 27 minutes. He shot 4-for-8 from the field and 2-for-4 from deep, helping ice the game with a couple of late plays on both ends.

The Suns are a +2.8 in Net Rating with Bender on the floor so far, compared to a disastrous -14.3 Net Rating with out him — the largest difference in on/off court numbers on the roster other than Mike James.

Small sample sizes may skew the numbers a bit here, but the fact remains: Even though his counting stats may not indicate it, Bender’s defense is an intangible that’s becoming more and more tangible by the day.

Against the Jazz, Bender only finished with three points and four rebounds, but he was still a team-high +10 and recorded two blocks, one of which displayed the exceptional footwork and defensive focus that will make him special.

That chase-down block on Joe Ingles, using his lateral quickness to fight around the screen and recover in time to make a play on the ball, is not easy for any seven-footer, let alone one who’s still 19 years old:

On another possession, Bender stayed with a crafty, notorious bucket-getter in Joe Johnson, closely contesting a turnaround jumper and forcing him into a rare miss:

Defense is not the end of the floor that fans care as much about, especially when it comes to evaluating rookies and young players. But for those paying attention to more than the basic numbers on the stat sheet, Dragan Bender is starting to come into his own on both ends of the floor.