Draft 2016

Tyler Emerick

The Suns made plenty of headlines on draft night last month when they swung a deal to land Marquese Chriss.

Phoenix and the 6-10 forward from Washington expressed mutual interest in each other leading up to the draft, but most figured that ship had sailed when the Suns took Dragan Bender fourth overall.

Fortunately, General Manager Ryan McDonough and his staff still managed to get their guy by swapping a package of picks and the rights to Bogdan Bogdanovic for Chriss, who the Sacramento Kings selected eighth overall.

As we did with Bender, we scoured the internet to find some lesser-known facts about the 19-year-old with unlimited potential and only five years of basketball under his belt.

There was a time when Chriss' future appeared destined to unfold on the gridiron.

Throughout his childhood, he dreamed of starring in the NFL. And after convincing his mother to sign him up for a youth league, Chriss showed promise as a tight end, defensive end and safety.

But following a collarbone injury on a hard tackle in eight grade, Chriss' mom informed him that football would no longer be an option.

"I miss it, but I don't think it fits me anymore," said Chriss, who can reportedly throw a pigskin 75 yards downfield. "Basketball is more for me. It's the thing that I should do."

For what it's worth, Chriss would be the tallest player in the NFL right now. We think he made the right choice.

Chriss also played baseball growing up, including for a little league Arizona Diamondbacks team.

2. He was almost cut from his high school team

As a freshman at Pleasant Grove High School in Sacramento, Calif., Chriss was one of 25 kids who showed up for tryouts. The school only had junior varsity and varsity teams, which meant that roster spots were limited, especially for a player like Chriss who previously had zero competitive experience in the sport.

"At that time, I had four what you would call big men, and Marquese was the fourth one that was over 6 foot," JV coach Sheridan Crite said. "It was a numbers game. Marquese almost didn't make it, but his energy and effort stood out."

Chriss began the season as a reserve before eventually working his way into the starting lineup. A year later, the relative newcomer to basketball started for the varsity team and led the school to a 28-6 record and a state championship.

Colleges began offering Chriss scholarships that season - the first coming from Northern Arizona.

3. He's been posterizing opponents for years

At this spring's NBA draft combine, Chriss posted a 38.5-inch vertical leap, the fourth-highest of any forward in the 2016 class.

That athleticism has been on full display ever since Chriss first stepped on the floor. He frequently rises well above the rim, a feat that left more than a few high school kids in his wake as a prep star.

Near the tailend of his Washington career, Chriss picked up a new hobby: baking.

The forward, along with his college roommates, discovered the "pie cookies" on Snapchat one day after practice.

"I was like, 'We've got to make them,'" Chriss told The News Tribune. "We went to the store and got the pie sheets, then you put the cookie dough in there and it just spreads out like a big cookie. Then you put ice cream on it and just eat it."

Phoenix residents, of course, will likely recommend the rookie check out Oreganos, a local pizza chain famous for its pizookies.

5. He already has a signature shoe... kind of

It's not uncommon for NBA players or fans of the game to be shoe aficionados.

But while most of his peers are sneakerheads, Chriss' taste strays just a bit from the norm.

In case you're unaware, Crocs are colorful clog-style shoes that have become infamous for their, uh, unique appearance.

Chriss was rewarded for his brand loyalty earlier this spring when the company produced a sweet custom pair for the prospect.

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5 Things to Know about Suns Rookie Marquese Chriss

Check out a compilation of facts and figures that Suns fans should know about their team’s 2016 NBA Draft class, which consists of Dragan Bender, Marquese Chriss and Tyler Ulis.

0 – The 2016 draftees younger than Bender, who was born on Nov. 17, 1997.

2 – The players in SEC history who won both the league's Defensive Player of the Year and Player of the Year awards in the same season. Ulis joined Anthony Davis on that list last year.

6.7 – The assists Bender amassed per 40 minutes at the 2014 European U18 Championships.

8 – The college basketball players, Chriss included, who averaged at least 10 points, five rebounds and 1.5 blocks while shooting at least 50 percent from the field and 35 percent from three-point range last season. Chriss was the only freshman to accomplish the feat.

12 – The age at which Bender moved away from home to begin training at a Croatian academy.

14 – The age at which Chriss began playing basketball. A shoulder injury ended his football career in middle school.

24 – The points per game Ulis averaged during the 2016 SEC Tournament, of which he was later named MVP.

34 – The points Bender scored in a game against Lithuania during the 2014 European U18 Championships. Bender, 16 years old at the time, also added 14 rebounds that night.

38 – The wins Ulis and Devin Booker helped Kentucky record during the 2014-15 season. The total tied an NCAA record.

38.5 – The inches on Chriss' vertical leap, the fourth-highest of any forward at this year's NBA draft combine.

41.1 – The percentage at which Bender conntected on his three-point attempts last year with Maccabi Tel Aviv.

55 – The blocks Chriss tallied last year to lead all Pac-12 freshmen and set a Washington freshman record.

58 – The years since a shorter player than Ulis was named a consensus First-Team All-American. Ulis, 5-10, earned the honor in 2016. Pittsburgh's Don Hennon, 5-9, did so in 1958.

66 – The square footage Bender can cover defensively without even jumping, according to ESPN's "Sports Science".

75 – The yards Chriss can reportedly throw a football.

246 – The assists Ulis recorded in 2015-16 to set a Kentucky record.

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By the Numbers: Phoenix Suns 2016 Draft Class

Matt Petersen

Imagine being 18 years old, not knowing where you might work for the next half-decade of your life and having everyone around you taking their best guess.

That's a glimpse into the life of Marquese Chriss heading into the 2016 NBA Draft, which saw him selected eighth overall by Sacramento before being traded to Phoenix. That's just the basketball aspect of the day, which included waiting, interviews, photo shoots and bus rides.

In a diary published on Medium.com, the newest Suns forward captured the non-stop action from his NBA induction, starting with his arrival in New York all the way through the end of draft night.

"I didn’t go to sleep [the night before the draft] until 3 in the morning. I’m still on West Coast time. I woke up and I just thought, 'Wow — finally. It’s finally the day. It’s actually going to happen.'"

Chriss thought Phoenix might draft him with the fourth overall selection, but instead the Suns traded for the former Washington standout after Sacramento took him four picks later.

He writes that, in the end, he ended up with the team that was best for him.

"I felt like I had a connection with the Suns pretty much since the beginning. I met with them at the Combine and felt really comfortable. When I came down for my workout, it felt like a great fit. I knew of Earl Watson because I played against his AAU team. That’s what I told him at the meeting: 'My AAU team beat yours.' When my agent and I sat down after, he asked me, 'Where do you think you would be a good fit?'

Behind the Scenes with Marquese Chriss at the 2016 NBA Draft

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Marquese Chriss Details Draft-Day Madness in Diary

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Every Suns First-Round Pick Since 1975

By the morning of the NBA Draft, Suns General Manager Ryan McDonough had altered his train of thought.

Throughout previous weeks, he and his staff had struggled in pinpointing which power forward prospect — Dragan Bender or Marquese Chriss — was the better option with the fourth overall pick. On that fateful Thursday morning, he thought he could see a way to get them both.

On the Vertical Podcast with Yahoo! Sports reporter Adrian Wojnorowski, McDonough explained the idea that snowballed into an avalanche of talent on draft night.

"We decided the most realistic thing for us would be to try to acquire another pick in the mid-lottery," McDonough said. "We thought it’d be difficult, if not impossible, to get another pick in the top 5 or 6 in addition to where we were picked at fourth. We went team by team and selectively figured out that Sacramento, at eight, was willing to part with the eighth pick."

“We went team by team and selectively figured out that Sacramento, at eight, was willing to part with the eighth pick.”

The Suns' front office predicted — correctly, it turned out — that if 1) Boston took California swingman Jaylen Brown and 2) Phoenix selected one of the two forwards, there would be a rush on the crop of lottery-quality guards still available. That logic proved sound as Minnesota (Chris Dunn), New Orleans (Buddy Hield) and Denver (Jamal Murray) all opted for backcourt talent with their respective picks.

Only when it became clear that the Suns could net Bender and Chriss did they pull the trigger on the Sacramento deal.

"I’ve been asked, "Would we have traded for the eighth pick, would we have given up what we gave up just for the eighth pick?'" McDonough said. "The answer is probably not. For us, the deal was contingent on Marquese Chriss being on the board. He was the player we targeted and wanted."

Now, the Suns find themselves with four players 20 years old or younger in Chriss (18), Bender (18), Devin Booker (19) and second-round pick Tyler Ulis (20). Throw in young veterans Alex Len (23), T.J. Warren (22) and Brandon Knight (24), and Phoenix appears to have young potential positioned to develop for years to come.

"We’re excited about the young group," McDonough said. "Certainly adding Dragan Bender and Marquese Chriss to the core, along with Tyler Ulis — a young guy we got in the second round who we’re very high on as well — we’re certainly happy about how we’re positioned. I think and hope that as we build this thing over time tha those guys will develop and improve."

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McDonough Reveals How Suns Made Their NBA Draft Luck

Marquese Chriss can jump out of the gym. He is one of the most athletic players of his draft class. He is just scratching the surface of his potential.

Those were many of the ear-tingling phrases Suns fans heard about the young man Phoenix traded for on draft night. The 6-10 forward out of Washington has drawn comparisons to several high-scoring forwards, including two former Suns in Shawn Marion and Amar'e Stoudemire.

One man who probably knows more than most about Chriss is Huskies head coach Lorenzo Romar, who helped recruit the Sacramento native to play at Washington. During a Tuesday morning guest appearance on the Doug &amp; Wolf Show of Arizona Sports 98.7 FM, Romar laid out exactly why the Suns were interested in his former player.

"You look at him, and he is immensely talented," Romar said. "He’s so athletic. He can step outside to shoot the basketball. He plays with a lot of fluidity. I think one of the big selling points for the Suns had to be the upside of Marquese."

Chriss' most NBA-ready trait is his pure athleticism, which was on full display in his lone season with the Huskies. The 18-year-old made a name for himself with ferocious dunks and high-flying rejections while averaging 13.8 points, 5.4 rebounds and 1.6 blocks per contest.

Romar had the benefit of seeing Chriss' talent up close and often, which led to him witnessing several mind-boggling plays in person.

"[I saw him] go up and pin the ball with two hands on a blocked shot," Romar recalled. "It was really, really impressive when it happened. One day in practice he took off with two feet right in front of the free-throw line. One of our players was trying to take a charge and he just made a wicked, wicked dunk on him. He made some eye-opening plays."

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Marquese Chriss Gets Ringing Endorsement from Washington Coach Lorenzo Romar

By now, you've probably heard all about Dragan Bender's gifts on the basketball court.

Throughout the buildup to the 2016 NBA Draft, the 7-1 forward was consistently one of the most popular names linked to the Suns. The team made the union official last Thursday when it selected the Croatian fourth overall.

Now that Bender has arrived in the Valley of the Sun, we dug a little deeper to find some lesser-known tidbits about the man Phoenix hopes will help anchor its frontcourt for years to come.

Bender was born on the border of Bosnia and Herzegovina and Croatia. In that region of Eastern Europe, perhaps no player past or present is more beloved than Kukoc, a three-time NBA champion, three-time Euroleague champion and three-time Croatian Sportsman of the Year.

Bender idolized Kukoc as a kid, watching old highlights of the former Chicago Bull and mimicking his moves on the court. Bender, 7-1, appreciated how Kukoc, 6-11, played with athleticism and finesse despite his size.

"I love how he moved his body on the court so easy," Bender told Sports Illustrated. "He is so smart as a player and always finds his teammates in better position with the extra assist."

During the 2014 European U18 Championships, Bender averaged a whopping 6.7 assists per 40 minutes. Obviously, the Suns hope Bender will eventually be an elite scorer and rebounder at the next level, but it's the forward's ability to do it all that made him such an attractive prospect.

"In one Kukoc interview, he said a basket makes one person happy, but an assist makes two people happy," Bender recalled. "I liked that."

For young Americans growing up in basketball, the best opportunity for development and exposure is typically the local AAU team.

Bender, however, had no such option in his hometown. Instead, his family packed up and moved to Split, Croatia, to begin training at the academy of Nikola Vujčić, a 6-11 Croatian legend who won two Euroleague championships.

There, Bender actually learned to play the guard positions, which helps explain his ability to excel away from the rim. He later turned pro at 15 and soon thereafter signed with Maccabi Tel Aviv in Israel.

3. He learned English by watching sitcoms

In an extensive Q&amp;A with The New York Times earlier this month, Bender revealed that his language tutors as a kid were none other than the casts of "Friends" and "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air."

Bender was seven years old when "Friends" went off the air, but he later found the show online and binge-watched all 236 episodes.

"I love it," he said. "I've watched every one. My favorite charecter is Chandler."

The youngster's new go-to series? "Now I like 'Game of Thrones'," he said.

Bender got his start in the sport because he wanted to emulate his older sibling, Ivan, who is two years his senior.

Throughout his childhood, Bender played alongside Ivan against kids two grades ahead of him. The forward credits that strong competition for his rapid development and maturity.

While Bender makes his NBA debut this fall, Ivan will be playing at the NCAA level for the Terrapins. He finished his freshman campaign last year, appearing in 10 games off the bench for a Maryland squad that reached the Sweet Sixteen.

5. He appeared on ESPN's "Sports Science"

Bender's measurables were put to the test and compared against several of the NBA's brightest stars.

The segment concluded that the apex of Bender's three-point shot matches the likes of two-time reigning MVP Steph Curry. Another nugget from the video is that the teenager's release time (0.47 seconds) is nearly 15 percent faster than the average NBA player (0.54).

On defense, Bender is able to cover an area of 66 square feet without even jumping, the show estimated. That's a bigger range than that of two-time defensive MVP Kawhi Leonard, who owns a wingspan that is almost two inches longer than Bender's.

For more on Bender, watch this beautifully-made Sports Illustrated short film on his upbringing and evolution.

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5 Things to Know about Suns Top Pick Dragan Bender

Four floors separate the respective offices of Ryan McDonough and Earl Watson.

The majority of Watson’s work takes place on level zero of Talking Stick Resort Arena, where the main and practice courts can be found. The Suns Head Coach is here more often than not, holding quality conversations with players regardless of their current status with the team. From current Suns guard Eric Bledsoe to then-draft prospect Tyler Ulis to Phoenix Mercury superstar Diana Taurasi, Watson has time for everyone.

His ability to communicate sincerely did not go unnoticed by the potential draftees or their agents, who called McDonough requesting that their clients be drafted by the Suns if at all possible.

“We had a number of players and their agents calling us, reaching out to us, texting us saying, ‘We want to be in Phoenix. We like what you’re doing,’” McDonough disclosed during the post-draft press conference. “We said, ‘Really? We think your guy will be higher. Wouldn’t it be a sacrifice financially if he got to us?’ They said, ‘We don’t care. We like you. We like your situation. We love your coach. We love the way he connects with young players. He motivates them. He inspires them.’”

McDonough is more than willing to step onto the court and share a few words as well, but the bulk of his duties takes place on level four of the arena. Thick black doors, each with a sign that reads “Basketball Operations”, guard the entry to the Suns’ front office. Within them, the 37-year-old general manager has struck a deal for Eric Bledsoe, drafted Devin Booker and signed Tyson Chandler.

Watson spent a rare, long day in those offices during last Thursday’s NBA Draft. He watched as McDonough and his staff worked the phones, choosing the clay he would mold for the 2016-17 season. The first-year coach was thrilled when they took Dragan Bender fourth overall.

When the Suns swung a deal to land another top-10 pick and draft Marquese Chriss, he was ecstatic.

McDonough downplayed his role in making the biggest draft-night splash, citing the events as “fortunate.” Watson did not let him get away with it.

“Ryan’s being modest,” Watson said. “He and his staff got it done.

“In this situation, we kind of reverse roles,” he added. “He watched me coach, I watch him do his thing as well, implement things in the draft and make calls under pressure. The minutes are short. They got it done. We’re lucky to have the guys that we have.”

The Suns’ head coach wasn’t the only one impressed by McDonough’s draft-night magic. Several reporters and league observers gave Phoenix high marks for snagging not one, but two of the most talented prospects of the 2016 draft class.

"We had a number of players and their agents calling us, reaching out to us, texting us saying, 'We want to be in Phoenix...We love your coach. We love the way he connects with young players. He motivates them. He inspires them.'"

The effort and execution to acquire the eighth pick didn’t go unnoticed by the player taken with that selection, either. To Marquese Chriss, it was proof of how much the Suns valued him.

“I really like the organization all around and I respected them for [the trade],” he said. “I’m truly grateful they went to that amount of effort to get me onto the team.”

Chriss was doubly thrilled since Phoenix was where he wanted to be even before draft night. Ditto for Bender and Tyler Ulis, the Suns’ second-round pick.

The common thread tying all three players together: their initial impression of Watson.

“It was just communication,” Chriss said. “We were just talking about different things. We didn’t really talk much about the team. They were trying to get to know me and I just talked to the coaches. Earl Watson, me and [Coach] were really just having a conversation just about each other.”

“How they pay attention to the smaller details,” Bender added. “They’re getting to know each and every player and trying to help the young guys to become NBA players at the highest level.”

McDonough referenced Devin Booker and Alex Len’s respective progress after Watson took over as further proof of his impact on young players. After Watson took on interim head coaching duties on Feb. 1, Booker’s scoring average nearly doubled from 10.0 to 18.8 points per game. Len went from averaging 6.8 points and 6.0 rebounds per contest to nearly averaging a double-double (12.1 ppg, 9.9 rpg) over the final two-and-a-half months of the season.

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How McDonough and Watson Made Their Marks on the Suns' 2016 Draft

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