The biggest question here is whether Phoenix can successfully develop two young stretch-4s after adding Chriss to Dragan Bender, whom the Suns chose ahead of Chriss at the No. 4 pick. The Kings selected Sacramento’s own Marquese Chriss for the Suns.
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Ivan has played for the last two seasons on Maryland’s team, mostly as a depth option off the bench who’s played in blowouts against lower-echelon opponents.
It certainly was some crafty maneuvering by the Suns on Thursday night. After the inevitable occurred when LSU’s Ben Simmons was selected first by the 76ers and Duke’s Brandon Ingram selected second, this year’s draft was filled with nothing but twists and turns throughout the entire night. He finished second on the team in scoring at 16.1 points per game and led the team in rebounding (6.0 per game) as a 6-foot-5, 170-pound guard.
Word spread prior to the draft that the Oklahoma City Thunder were shopping PF Serge Ibaka, but when the Orlando Magic agreed to trade Victor Oladipo, Ersan Ilyasova, and No. 11 pick Domantas Sabonis to the Thunder for Ibaka, the basketball world exploded. The first Croatian selected by the Suns in team history, Bender becomes the highest Croatian ever selected in the NBA Draft by being selected fourth overall.
That is exactly the position he finds himself in today, working to figure out the right pick or trade to move the Suns forward. “You grow up and kind of mature together when you’re competing against each other every day”. Which players in the draft and free agency fit their timeline best?
“That meant a lot to him”, DePonte said.
Oregon State Beavers guard Gary Payton II (1) dribbles the ball during the first half against the Utah Utes at Jon M. Huntsman Center. But instead, they traded for the rights to him. “It goes both ways”, Watson said.
Ulis should feel comfortable in the desert with all the Kentucky blue sprinkled across Phoenix’s roster. When that wasn’t the case, I think it made sense to get value by moving down.
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“It’s already a family atmosphere here”, Ulis said.
