Youth movement underway with the Phoenix Suns

PHOENIX, Ariz. – Youth, they say, is wasted on the young.

Talent, however, is not.

The Phoenix Suns most definitely got younger, and they believe much more talented with the drafting of Croatian forward Dragan Bender and Washington forward Marquese Chriss, a pair of 18-year-olds with incredible upside, at Nos. 4 and 8, respectively in the 2016 NBA Draft.

Already staring at a young roster, general manager Ryan McDonough hadn’t planned on adding more youth to the team.

“It had to be the right guys,” he said.

Bender, a versatile playmaker at 7-foot-1, 225 pounds, and Chriss, an explosive athlete at 6-foot-10, 233 pounds, are the right guys.

Add 20-year-old Kentucky point guard Tyler Ulis, selected with the 34th overall pick in the second round, and the Suns have strengthened their core, as young as it may be.

“A young team to me is just an opportunity to grow. It’s a blank canvas,” head coach Earl Watson said.

Bender, the youngest player in the draft, and Chriss give the Suns a trio of players under 20-years-old; joining Devin Booker, the youngest player in last year’s draft.

Ulis, meanwhile, becomes the eighth Suns player in their 20s, a group led by Eric Bledsoe, 26, Brandon Knight, 24, T.J Warren, 22, and Alex Len, 23.

“Devin Booker is the ultimate pro for being our youngest player thus far until (last night). He set the bar for these young players to come in and also do the same, so that’s great for us,” Watson said. “Summer League is going to be exciting because you will see young guys compete at a high level, play at a high level, play unselfishly and play the right way and that carries over into the season.”

To their credit, both Bender and Chriss are embracing their youth.

The two, who were formally introduced along with Ulis at a Friday afternoon press conference at Talking Stick Resort Arena, see their age as only a positive.

“I think it’s great for both of us, just to come to this organization and the Phoenix family,” Bender said. “It’s a great thing we have two young guys on the court, a couple other guys on the team. I think it’s great for Phoenix in the long term and I think it’s great for us to compete each and every day in practice against each other. I think it’s a great thing.”

Said Chriss, “It’s beneficial because you grow together and you learn things together and have new experiences that nobody’s really had. I just think you grow up and kind of mature together and you’re competing against each other every day.”

How soon Bender and Chriss, and even Ulis, will be able to contribute to the Suns is unknown.

There’s no questioning their talent, however. The potential is there.

Bender showed shooting range, passing vision and the ability to defend multiple positions spending last season with Maccabi Tel Aviv of the Israeli Premier League.

“I feel ready for the NBA,” said Bender, who averaged 5.5 points on 47.9 percent shooting and 41.1 percent from 3-point range in 13.4 minutes over 25 games. “It’s just a matter of time we’re going to step on the court, show what we’re capable of doing on the court and show that we belong here to play with these guys on this level.”

Chriss’ skill set is just as unique.

In his one season at Washington, he averaged 13.7 points on 53 percent shooting from the field and 35 percent from 3-point territory, 5.4 rebounds and 1.6 blocks in 34 games, earning honorable mention on the Pac-12 All-Freshman team.

“I think I’m ready,” he said. “I don’t think my age has anything to do with what I’m capable of. I mean if I work hard enough, you can do anything.”

The Suns trust Watson and his staff to best mold Bender and Chriss, turning them into players who can eventually help return the organization to the playoffs, a destination that’s eluded the Suns each of the past six seasons.

“It means everything to our staff because we know we can develop, and we know we can do it the right way, most importantly,” Watson said, “and we know our timeframe is a little bit quicker than others and we’re OK with that. We embrace that pressure, so to speak. We love it because we know for us good is the enemy of great and we want to be great. So with us wanting to be great as a staff and as a program and for management, we also hold that bar up for the players as well.”

Follow @CraigAZSports