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Jared Dudley Explains Why He's Excited for Suns' Future

Jared Dudley knows what a winning formula looks like in the NBA. More specifically, he knows what a winning formula looks like in Phoenix.

The veteran forward played a significant role off the bench during the Suns’ surprising run to the 2010 Western Conference Finals. That team was led by superstars Amar’e Stoudemire and Steve Nash and further aided by a strong supporting cast of Grant Hill, Jason Richardson and a host of others.

A few years later, Dudley is back in the Valley of the Sun after a signing a multiyear deal in the offseason. Phoenix hopes the 31-year-old will help in the transition to a new era of winning Suns basketball.

Appearing on the Doug & Wolf show last week, Dudley vowed that the team is on the right track to contending in the postseason again.

“You need to stars to win in this league. When we won, we had Amar’e and Steve,” Dudley said. “So they’ve done a good job drafting Devin Booker. That’s their next star. And I’ve seen him. He has the work ethic and the talent for that.

“Now they’ve had two top-10 picks. But they have to hit on at least one of them. If you find another star to put next to Devin, then it’s easy to find role players. You can find role players everywhere, but you can’t find stars everywhere.”

Those two aforementioned high draft selections are of course Dragan Bender and Marquese Chriss. Although both are forwards as well, Dudley is expected to start ahead of them at first. The idea is for the two rookies to learn behind a veteran like Dudley who not only plays the game smart, but with heart and hustle too.

“I don’t think they want to throw the young kids to the wolves the first game,” Dudley said. “So I’m here to help out on the floor with knowing how to play basketball the right way.

“And then off the floor, how fast can we get these young kids ready to play at a high level? That’s my role here. And once they’re ready, trust me, they’ll be in there starting and ready to go.”

For 2016-17, the Suns have set their sights on returning to the playoffs for the first time since that 2010 season. Along those lines, Dudley left Suns supporters with the following message to close out his interview:

“Yes, we’re in a transition mode, but fans have a lot to be excited for in the future because you’re going to have these kids for a long time,” Dudley said. “That’s why I’m here not just as a player, but to help these kids develop into stars. So yeah, I do see it turning. But there’s one thing I know, if you’re a Suns fan, know that win or lose, this team will play hard every night.”