Phoenix Suns Ryan Anderson (Photo by Ned Dishman/NBAE via Getty Images)
The Phoenix Suns’ season is well underway, whether the players have realized that or not. There are a few positives but obviously some negatives as well. Which players have been the biggest disappointments so far this season?
As in any season with any team, there are ups and there are downs. There is bright shining light and there is a dooming glow. Unfortunately, for the Phoenix Suns so far this season, there has been more bad than good.
Besides the front office, to most fans, the most obvious thing to point a finger at when things go wrong are the players. Whether they are in a slump, haven’t played up to their standards or expectations, or just simply are sucking out there, they’re the ones playing the game, so they’re the ones taking the blame.
Now, I have no ill will to any of these guys. I wish them all the best and as a fan your deepest hope is for them to figure it out. When you criticize, your biggest wish is for them to prove you wrong.
To the players I am about to call out, consider this not a knock but rather a request for them to silence my criticism and write something good about them.
If they do, I’ll happy oblige.
This piece is going to specifically target three players that have been a disappointment thus far this season.
Who are they?
Dragan Bender Phoenix Suns (Photo by Garrett Ellwood/NBAE via Getty Images)
3. Dragan Bender
I mean, no, we didn’t expect for Dragan Bender to ball out, especially after what we saw in the preseason.
Marquese Chriss was traded and we held out hope that Bender would show us why they hung onto him.
He hasn’t. He was the fourth pick in his draft and has NOT lived up to the hype.
The next unicorn like Kristaps Porzingis? Heck no. He hasn’t even been good enough to be mentioned in the same breath as Darko Milicic.
That’s quite a disappointment.
Dragan Bender isn’t doing good for the team. He isn’t helping. He isn’t showing a reason to be on the roster, let alone the court.
Head coach Igor Kokoskov has only played him a total 14 minutes in 12 games. Also, the team declined to pick up his option. What good is a Dragan that can’t breathe fire?