Can the Suns’ new frontcourt of Dragan Bender and Marquese Chriss play together?

The Phoenix Suns made the splash of the draft, selecting Croatian Dragan Bender at No. 4 and then trading the rights to Bogdan Bogdanovic, the No. 13 and 28 pick and a 2020 second-round pick to the Sacramento Kings for the rights to the No. 8 pick Marquese Chriss out of Washington.

With both players being listed as power forwards, the first question every Suns fans will ask is, “can they play together?”

The short answer, is yes.

Bender and Chriss both present different skillsets, but the most important dynamic is they are both built for today’s NBA.

Offensively, both will be able to stretch the floor. Bender shot 37 percent in league play from three last season for Maccabi Tel Aviv while Chriss hit 35 percent of his 60 attempts.

The dangerous aspect for Suns’ opponents of having Bender and Chriss together is them having the agility to take opposing defenders off the dribble when they close out on the perimeter in fear of that three-point shot. Chriss looks to set up jumpers off a couple dribbles, and Bender’s wonderful passing ability for his size sets up more of a playmaking-type of attack of his driving.

Eric Bledsoe, Brandon Knight and Devin Booker will have all the space they want on the interior, but the situation also has the double-sided threat in ball screen situations.

In a pick-and-pop, the two will provide the space for the guards or hit an open jumper. In a pick-and-roll, they bring speed for big men, and that makes the rotations for defenses all the more difficult.

A crucial development for both players will be how they handle making decisions attacking the basket. It is vital for big men in today’s NBA to be able to take one or two dribbles and then make the right decision; whether that’s a pass or shot. Players like Tyson Chandler excel at this, and he can teach the two on how to grow in this part of the floor.

On defense, the versatility will still be as good, but it’s also where the most red flags pop up.

Chriss is by far the better athlete of the two and arguably the best one in the draft. He can make up ridiculous ground in a hurry from the weak side with devastating highlight-reel blocks.

Bender’s defensive game is all about his lateral quickness. He glides around the floor at 7-foot-1 and will be able to switch on opposing screens with ease.

Chriss projects to be able to do this as well, but it will require tremendous growth on his end. He led the NCAA in fouls, and will often make the last ditch effort to bail out his poor positioning with the aforementioned shot blocking ability. He is easily the most raw of the two and will take time and coaching to be ready to contribute to an NBA defense.

Part one of the red flag for the duo is protecting the rim. Yes, Chriss can make some unbelievable blocks and is the stronger of the two, but the real presence at the rim will have to be Bender.

The Croatian has a 9-foot-3 standing reach, which means he has the length you need as a rim protector. The improvement will have to come in the weight room. Bender is somewhere between 215 and 225 pounds, and does not have the toughness of New York Knicks big man Kristaps Porzingis.

Bender’s also far from being an explosive leaper, and next-generation athletes like DeMarcus Cousins and Andre Drummond will be able to handle him with ease.

The second part of the red flag and the largest concern is rebounding.

They have some of the worst rebounding numbers in the draft, and Chriss was outrebounded by a handful of point guard prospects in this draft, including his former teammate Dejounte Murray. Bender’s rebounding rate in all competitions last season was only 12.06 percent, and Chriss’ was even worse at 11.06 percent.

Chriss is the hope for the two when it comes to battling on the glass. He comes from a football background, has the body to bang with anyone and has only played basketball for five years. Bender’s required strides in the weight room will also help, but Chriss is the type of athlete you expect to be the team’s leading rebounder.

All of this, of course, is leaving out Alex Len, who Bender and Chriss are unlikely to become better than when it comes to protecting the rim and rebounding.

It’s more likely to project the Suns as an interchangeable three-man rotation of big men, with the two rookies being primarily at power forward, and then at center when the situation presents itself.

It cannot be understated enough how high the potential is, however, of Bender and Chriss as a duo. They have the potential to both be able to shoot from the perimeter, protect the rim, switch on any screens, rebound and create their own shot for themselves and others off the bounce.

It’s safe to say that’s what the Suns are banking on with these big moves, and if they are able to cash in, it could be something the NBA has never seen.

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