12. Will Dragan Bender play any point forward?
Through Bender’s Las Vegas Summer League and early preseason play it seems like this is a harebrained idea. However, in Vegas, Bender did bring the ball up on occasion, leaving open the possibility that this could develop into a part of his repertoire.
He first must become far more confident offensively. Plus, with plenty of competent guards on the roster, there isn’t a glaring need for him to do so. However the option can be on the table in the future and should be something to look forward to as he develops.
11. Can Alex Len bump up his points and rebounds enough to average a double-double for the season?
As mentioned earlier, Earl Watson noted that Alex Len’s issues mainly fall between his ears. Much like a rookie, Len has still not grown to have total confidence in his own game and ability to do what he wants to do on the court without receiving a foul called, or risking a turnover.
One of the publicly stated reasons that Mehmet Okur was brought onto the Suns coaching staff was to help develop that confidence in his game and build his play up to levels more highly expected of a player of his size and length.
Aside from just additional minutes, Len has improved his points, rebounds, and assists averages each year of his career. Look to see the additional coaching and personal maturity push those numbers up even higher, and watch for the double-doubles to start racking up.
Last season Len had 19 double-doubles including one stretch in late February and early March where he had seven in eight games.