Phoenix Suns' Dragic, Lopez Have a Lot to Prove—Now

The 2008 NBA Draft was a welcome change for Suns fans. Instead of auctioning their draft picks for “cash considerations,” Phoenix finally used them on actual players.

Suns brass backed the players they picked too. They said Robin Lopez (No. 14 overall) was a big man who would do the little things like rebound and defend the pick and roll.

Internet video circulated of the Suns’ braintrust breaking out into applause and excitement when they acquired Slovenian guard Goran Dragic from San Antonio in the middle of the second round. They liked the kid so much they were seriously tempted to take him with their No. 14 pick over Lopez. Suns’ optimists suddenly had their point guard and pivot man of the future.

Then the regular season started.

Turned out Lopez was tall and awkward, constantly made defensive mistakes and had hands worse than Kwame Brown.

Dragic, for whom the Suns paid millions to get out of his Euro contract, was a wide-eyed, intimidated kid—nothing like the fierce slasher Phoenix thought it was getting.

There were mitigating factors. Then-coach Terry Porter was inconstant and unwilling in giving playing time to his bench, particular the youngsters. This made both Lopez and Dragic (especially Dragic) afraid of making mistakes and getting yanked from games.

New coach Alvin Gentry showed a willingness to let them play through their mistakes after taking over late last season, and has continued to do so in the preseason. Now they need to show they’ve stepped up their respective games with the opportunity. 

For Lopez, that means smarter defense and less aimless energy. After showing improvement in summer league play and training camp, a foot injury will keep him sidelined for six to eight weeks. The challenge is his to maintain the improvement and focused aggressiveness he showed before the injury.

For Dragic, it means playing with assertiveness and not letting his teammates know their point guard is without direction or confidence.

Their success won’t be just for themselves. Owner Bob Sarver and GM Steve Kerr are both under local scrutiny for the questionable moves they’ve made thus far (see: Shaq trade, selling picks, giving away Kurt Thomas and two first-round draft picks, etc.).

If their highly touted draft picks flame out, it will mark another failure on their short but well-publicized tenures.

That’s a lot of pressure for two kids who’ve yet to show they can handle it.