Preseason Game 5: Dallas Mavericks at Phoenix Suns

[Qwigglez]

that play they just ran for Warren, running up to the top of the arc and then a screen from Chriss, you think Suns could run that same thing for Bender once in a while?

Hey man, are you just a Bender fan? Just wondering? Good to see other folk here.

nah I'm a fan of the rookies, to be honest, just here to watch them

I just comment a lot on how the Suns are misusing/underutilizing Bender and his skillset. So it might seem like I'm only a fan of him.

Definitely see us underutilizing Bender. But I think he'll get his shot eventually and I'm not too worried about his development. You say fan of the rookies? Just the Suns rookies? If not, what other rookies are looking pretty good as I haven't watched many since Summer League.

[Kerrsed]

Watch on YouTube

[Kerrsed]

I swear i just heard the in-game announcer say " Gerald Dudley at the line shooting 2".

[Qwigglez]

Question for you guys, would you rather last year be in the Mavericks position where they make the playoffs, exit in the first round, have a bunch of veterans and a bit of cap space; or in our position and only win 23 games, but we got injuries, solid prospects, and an early first round pick?

[Qwigglez]

Watch on YouTube

I was wondering why they only posted a 7 second video, then went to the Youtube page and saw it wasn't from the Suns.
Great video nonetheless.

[Kerrsed]

Spoiler:

Watch on YouTube

I was wondering why they only posted a 7 second video, then went to the Youtube page and saw it wasn't from the Suns.
Great video nonetheless.

Yeah, i saw it in my facebook feed and had to steal it and upload it so i could post it here.

[ATTL]

Question for you guys, would you rather last year be in the Mavericks position where they make the playoffs, exit in the first round, have a bunch of veterans and a bit of cap space; or in our position and only win 23 games, but we got injuries, solid prospects, and an early first round pick?

Much rather be in our position than have the aging vets prolonging the rebuilding process. We were there with Steve after amare left

[MrMiyagi]

that play they just ran for Warren, running up to the top of the arc and then a screen from Chriss, you think Suns could run that same thing for Bender once in a while?

Hey man, are you just a Bender fan? Just wondering? Good to see other folk here.

nah I'm a fan of the rookies, to be honest, just here to watch them

I just comment a lot on how the Suns are misusing/underutilizing Bender and his skillset. So it might seem like I'm only a fan of him.

I think it's a matter of making things easy for him to build confidence. He's a guy who seems to have the tools to "do it all" but placing all that responsibility right away doesn't seem like the best idea. I don't think he's quite yet strong enough to play inside and I think the NBA is a little too quick for him in terms of playmaking/ball handling on the perimeter. He'll get there. There really is no rush. I think the reason Chriss is getting a lot of attention is he's got world-class bounce and that's really the core of his game right now. Yes he's got a nice jumper too, but he's jumping for rebounds, jumping for alley-oops, jumping for blocks. His athleticism is driving his success. Bender has done very well defensively, his offensive diversity will come. I'm very happy with both of them so far.

[Thespianoid]

Hey man, are you just a Bender fan? Just wondering? Good to see other folk here.

nah I'm a fan of the rookies, to be honest, just here to watch them

I just comment a lot on how the Suns are misusing/underutilizing Bender and his skillset. So it might seem like I'm only a fan of him.

Definitely see us underutilizing Bender. But I think he'll get his shot eventually and I'm not too worried about his development. You say fan of the rookies? Just the Suns rookies? If not, what other rookies are looking pretty good as I haven't watched many since Summer League.

He might get his shot eventually, but as the 4th pick, you know casual fans will be wanting to see production, and if they don't get it, they'll start to sour on a player and that, long-term, has repercussions. So I'm just trying to focus on the issue early, get out in front, and think of ways the Suns could be better utilizing him to get some production from his strengths while he develops in other areas.

I like to follow the progress of young players/prospects and see how teams support (or fail to support) their development. As for rookies that have been good...both Sixers rookies, Embiid and Saric, have been producing nicely. Embiid showcasing all that talent. Saric will be a solid piece. Jaylen Brown and Jamal Murray have had some good moments, and Buddy Hield seems to have shaken off his poor SL performance as well.

Pascal Siakam for the Raptors has been a real positive surprise. Mobile energy/defensive 4 but has shown budding skill and passing IQ. Will have a larger role than Poeltl, who is a C on the Raptors. They don't get much opportunity on the most guard-oriented team in the NBA.

Dunn has been okay, he doesn't have the opportunity to put big numbers under Thibs plus I'm not too high on Dunn, think he's a poor man's John Wall at best - good defender, poor shooter, PG mentality. People thinking he'll come in and supplant Rubio are gonna be in for a surprise.

[Thespianoid]

Hey man, are you just a Bender fan? Just wondering? Good to see other folk here.

nah I'm a fan of the rookies, to be honest, just here to watch them

I just comment a lot on how the Suns are misusing/underutilizing Bender and his skillset. So it might seem like I'm only a fan of him.

I think it's a matter of making things easy for him to build confidence. He's a guy who seems to have the tools to "do it all" but placing all that responsibility right away doesn't seem like the best idea. I don't think he's quite yet strong enough to play inside and I think the NBA is a little too quick for him in terms of playmaking/ball handling on the perimeter. He'll get there. There really is no rush. I think the reason Chriss is getting a lot of attention is he's got world-class bounce and that's really the core of his game right now. Yes he's got a nice jumper too, but he's jumping for rebounds, jumping for alley-oops, jumping for blocks. His athleticism is driving his success. Bender has done very well defensively, his offensive diversity will come. I'm very happy with both of them so far.

There's a middle ground between playing inside and on the perimeter though. That's where guys in Bender's mold succeed. Think of where Jokic does his damage. Or Saric, or Bjelica, or even Draymond Green. They don't play fully inside or outside, but moreso at the elbows/midrange/midpost while providing 3PT spacing and running the occasional PnR.

But I see what you mean. You're okay with the team being patient with Bender, but I've seen too many prospects soured upon because their teams viewed them as incapable and failed to put them in a position to utilize their skills. I don't think playing Bender exclusively at the 4 (STOP PARKING HIM IN THE GODDAMN CORNERS) and giving him some playmaking responsibility at the elbow and some PnR is too much responsibility for him to handle. Learning reps are the best thing.

Chriss is actually producing more than I expected from him, and that's a good sign. Helps that Suns have involved him a lot, leads rookies in minutes and FGA. But his touch in the paint and general athleticism is astounding. Think he could be a league-leader in paint FG% earlier than anyone expected. Also seems to have an understated post feel. Nice turnaround jumpers. Add to that his 3PT stroke, and you got a nice offensive package.

[blacksun]

This game is pretty fun to watch

[DRK]

that play they just ran for Warren, running up to the top of the arc and then a screen from Chriss, you think Suns could run that same thing for Bender once in a while?

Hey man, are you just a Bender fan? Just wondering? Good to see other folk here.

nah I'm a fan of the rookies, to be honest, just here to watch them

I just comment a lot on how the Suns are misusing/underutilizing Bender and his skillset. So it might seem like I'm only a fan of him.

Suns want to bring Bender along slowly. Give him a couple of things to work and focus on, and let him reach small goals.
So far Ive been really impressed with his defence, especially in the pick and roll. We must remember we are only 5 games into his NBA career, and hasnt played in a regular season game.

I have no issues with his role right now to spread the floor. Im sure his role will increase as he becomes more experienced.

[MrMiyagi]

nah I'm a fan of the rookies, to be honest, just here to watch them

I just comment a lot on how the Suns are misusing/underutilizing Bender and his skillset. So it might seem like I'm only a fan of him.

I think it's a matter of making things easy for him to build confidence. He's a guy who seems to have the tools to "do it all" but placing all that responsibility right away doesn't seem like the best idea. I don't think he's quite yet strong enough to play inside and I think the NBA is a little too quick for him in terms of playmaking/ball handling on the perimeter. He'll get there. There really is no rush. I think the reason Chriss is getting a lot of attention is he's got world-class bounce and that's really the core of his game right now. Yes he's got a nice jumper too, but he's jumping for rebounds, jumping for alley-oops, jumping for blocks. His athleticism is driving his success. Bender has done very well defensively, his offensive diversity will come. I'm very happy with both of them so far.

There's a middle ground between playing inside and on the perimeter though. That's where guys in Bender's mold succeed. Think of where Jokic does his damage. Or Saric, or Bjelica, or even Draymond Green. They don't play fully inside or outside, but moreso at the elbows/midrange/midpost while providing 3PT spacing and running the occasional PnR.

But I see what you mean. You're okay with the team being patient with Bender, but I've seen too many prospects soured upon because their teams viewed them as incapable and failed to put them in a position to utilize their skills.

Chriss is actually producing more than I expected from him, and that's a good sign. Helps that Suns have involved him a lot, leads rookies in minutes and FGA. But his touch in the paint and general athleticism is astounding. Think he could be a league-leader in paint FG% earlier than anyone expected. Also seems to have an understated post feel. Nice turnaround jumpers. Add to that his 3PT stroke, and you got a nice offensive package.

All the guys you mentioned are much more physical than Bender is right now. I trust Watson to know what his players are ready for.

[ATTL]

What are everyone's thoughts about Chriss playing the 5 on a consistent basis?

[Thespianoid]

Hey man, are you just a Bender fan? Just wondering? Good to see other folk here.

nah I'm a fan of the rookies, to be honest, just here to watch them

I just comment a lot on how the Suns are misusing/underutilizing Bender and his skillset. So it might seem like I'm only a fan of him.

Suns want to bring Bender along slowly. Give him a couple of things to work and focus on, and let him reach small goals.
So far Ive been really impressed with his defence, especially in the pick and roll. We must remember we are only 5 games into his NBA career, and hasnt played in a regular season game.

I have no issues with his role right now to spread the floor. Im sure his role will increase as he becomes more experienced.

I hope you're right. I think he's more capable and ready for responsibility than the Suns seem to believe. Last game during the 4th quarter comeback we got to see some of the only minutes Bender spent outside of being in the corner, and a lot of good things happened offensively. Which I think warranted some more run in those same spots. We'll see though.

[darealjuice]

What are everyone's thoughts about Chriss playing the 5 on a consistent basis?

He's a bit undersized, but he can make up for it with athleticism. I don't think he'll see it as much when Chandler and Len are both playing though. I really like how he's making a point of boxing out and getting his body into his man to rebound, total change from what he did in college.

[Midnight_Suns]

Ughhhh all streams went down!

[Thespianoid]

What are everyone's thoughts about Chriss playing the 5 on a consistent basis?

against smaller lineups, I could easily see him playing and doing well at the 5.

[Qwigglez]

Anyone got a link? Mine went offline and LP is blacked out. =/

[Saberestar]

Ughhhh all streams went down!

Yeah