Valley of the Suns’ Staff Summer League recap
Others receiving votes: Josh Jackson (1 vote)
"Most Likely to Contribute in 2017-18: Dragan Bender – He showed in SL that he can score the ball well in a variety of ways."
– Jake Kinman
"Most Likely to Contribute in 2017-18: Dragan Bender – The Suns should unleash the Dragan! After barley playing his rookie year, mainly due to injury, the Suns should be comfortable sending him out on a regular basis. Bender looked more confident and bigger when compared to last season. Bender also showed some solid defensive instincts as well. For someone who is only 19 years old, asking him to contribute meaningfully is some task. However, it will be good for Bender’s development to get as much playing time as possible."
– Assane Drame
"Most Likely to Contribute in 2017-18: Marquese Chriss – His added weight allowed him to be one of the most versatile Summer League players. In 2017, he will be switched between the 4 and the 5, and 5 is a huge need for the Suns."
– Branden Wyss
"Most Likely to Contribute in 2017-18: Marquese Chriss – Without a doubt, Chriss was the most talented player on the court for the Suns in the Summer League, and he has 75 starts from last season to build on. He will be the best player who played this summer during the regular season as well. – Adam Maynes Most Likely to Contribute in 2017-18: Marquese Chriss – Whatever happened in the SL, Chriss was always going to play a big role in 2017. Barring anything unexpected, Marquese Chriss will be starting nightly for the Suns next year. – Joseph Lowery Next: Final Thoughts Final Thoughts: Even though we didn’t fare well in Summer League, we saw that our young players have a bright future. – Jake Kinman I thought highly of our Summer Suns. We saw some great things from James, Bender, Chriss, and Jackson. – Drew Zlogar All in all, the young talent looks good. Chriss is most disappointing player, solely because he has not put his foul and TO problems behind him. Bender seems to have turned a corner and Jackson is every bit as good as we thought he’d be. – Kory Miller There has clearly been significant improvement by our rookies (now sophomores) from last year. The rookies this year also look promising. The Suns have a bright future, potentially after one more year of tanking. – Branden Wyss The Summer League felt incomplete due to injuries preventing Tyler Ulis and Alec Peters from being active participants. For those who played, it was great to see the young Suns compete and give us some exciting moments to watch. Here’s to seeing them all continue to grow in the regular season. – Cesar Vairo The Summer Suns showed us that things are looking promising, but are still a work in progress. Some of these guys won’t see meaningful minutes prior to January. Trades/injuries can happen though, and when called upon, it’ll be interesting to see how much these players provide to the team, contributing to their own development and team success. – Assane Drame Chriss won’t be the only contributing player from the Summer League come October. Josh Jackson will fight Markelle Fultz and Lonzo Ball for the Rookie of the Year award, and could very well steal it away from the first two overall picks in the 2017 NBA Draft. Dragan Bender looks like he is taking a step forward and could easily double his rookie stats across the board – if not better. Davon Reed may be given second duty against the most difficult defensive assignments behind Jackson. Overall, this is a very good group of young players, and each showed the skills of potentially breaking through with above average seasons. Only about 10 weeks until Training Camp opens near the end of September. I can’t wait. – Adam Maynes Mike James showed that he will fight for a spot in the rotation. Derrick Jones Jr. is still an incredible athlete with a below average jumpshot. Josh Jackson will be the heart and soul of this Suns team next year. Davon Reed is going to have a nice amount of playing time. Dragan Bender and Marquese Chriss are going to contribute even more than we realized. Look out for these young guns in 2017. – Joseph Lowery Most Likely to Contribute in 2017-18: Marquese Chriss – Without a doubt, Chriss was the most talented player on the court for the Suns in the Summer League, and he has 75 starts from last season to build on. He will be the best player who played this summer during the regular season as well. Most Likely to Contribute in 2017-18: Marquese Chriss – Whatever happened in the SL, Chriss was always going to play a big role in 2017. Barring anything unexpected, Marquese Chriss will be starting nightly for the Suns next year. Even though we didn’t fare well in Summer League, we saw that our young players have a bright future.I thought highly of our Summer Suns. We saw some great things from James, Bender, Chriss, and Jackson. All in all, the young talent looks good. Chriss is most disappointing player, solely because he has not put his foul and TO problems behind him. Bender seems to have turned a corner and Jackson is every bit as good as we thought he’d be. There has clearly been significant improvement by our rookies (now sophomores) from last year. The rookies this year also look promising. The Suns have a bright future, potentially after one more year of tanking. The Summer League felt incomplete due to injuries preventing Tyler Ulis and Alec Peters from being active participants. For those who played, it was great to see the young Suns compete and give us some exciting moments to watch. Here’s to seeing them all continue to grow in the regular season. The Summer Suns showed us that things are looking promising, but are still a work in progress. Some of these guys won’t see meaningful minutes prior to January. Trades/injuries can happen though, and when called upon, it’ll be interesting to see how much these players provide to the team, contributing to their own development and team success. Chriss won’t be the only contributing player from the Summer League come October. Josh Jackson will fight Markelle Fultz and Lonzo Ball for the Rookie of the Year award, and could very well steal it away from the first two overall picks in the 2017 NBA Draft. Dragan Bender looks like he is taking a step forward and could easily double his rookie stats across the board – if not better. Davon Reed may be given second duty against the most difficult defensive assignments behind Jackson. Overall, this is a very good group of young players, and each showed the skills of potentially breaking through with above average seasons. Only about 10 weeks until Training Camp opens near the end of September. I can’t wait. Mike James showed that he will fight for a spot in the rotation. Derrick Jones Jr. is still an incredible athlete with a below average jumpshot. Josh Jackson will be the heart and soul of this Suns team next year. Davon Reed is going to have a nice amount of playing time. Dragan Bender and Marquese Chriss are going to contribute even more than we realized. Look out for these young guns in 2017."