Although not surprising considering he is the youngest player in the NBA (he turned 19 in November) Suns rookie and No. 4 pick in the 2016 NBA Draft, Dragan Bender has struggled to make his mark on the Suns in his rookie season.
Bender has averaged 3.8 points and 2.2 rebounds in 12.7 minutes per game in 38 appearances and shot only 37% from the field.
It appears that will be all he will be able to do in his rookie season as Bender will undergo ankle surgery and miss the remainder of the season to deal with an injury that has been bothering him the past few weeks.
I can confirm Dragan Bender's rookie season is over. Suns forward undergoes ankle surgery today, source said.
— David Pick (@IAmDPick) February 8, 2017
Although I’m sure this is a bummer for Bender and for the Suns who I am sure wanted to give him more playing time as the season winds down and they are eliminated for playoff contention (and need to ramp up their tanking efforts) but this could be a blessing in disguise as it will allow Bender to work on his shooting and put on some much needed weight and muscle to his slender frame in order to be more effective and deal with the rigors of playing with grown men in the NBA.
No. 8 pick Marquesse Chriss has proved to be the much better rookie of the Suns duo of high picks, averaging 7.7 points and 3.4 rebounds in 18 minutes per game, but Bender’s feel for the game and skill set for a 7’1″ player mean that he still has plenty of potential and figures to be a big part of the Suns future.
