El Dragon is ready.
After an upstart sophomore campaign, a sensational playoff performance and a solid start in 2010, Goran Dragic has shown his ability to run the Phoenix Suns’ offense.
The young Slovenian has consistently proved himself over the first seven games of the season. Whether it is with his shot, his drives to the basket, or dishing out assists, Dragic is the most suitable replacement the organization has ever found for Steve Nash.
Now, this is in no way a knock on Nash. The man has elevated basketball in the Valley for years, but this Dragic guy is sure impressive.
When Nash gets into the paint he is limited to a few options. He generally has his running layup, a fade away jumper or a pass to someone in the post.
Thankfully, he often does these moves to perfection, making every player on the floor much better.
But Dragic can provide something Nash has never been able to: elevation.
Defenders were having a hard enough time trying to figure out where Nash would pass the ball after a pick and roll, but they also have to worry about getting dunked on when Dragic has the ball.
It’s a new element to the Suns offense that can help ease the pressure off undersized big men.
He is also the leader of the best bench in the NBA.
Remember last season how the Suns’ second unit would enter games and take control of the other team? Well that is truer now than it was then.
The difference in talent level from the first to second unit is a very thin.
Run through the first five men off the bench for a moment.
Center Channing Frye started 41 games last season, and is still improving his post defense. Forward Hakim Warrick has easily picked up the pick and roll offense with both Nash and Dragic.
Josh Childress would be starting on most teams in the NBA and Jared Dudley, who at one point looked like the odd man out in the second unit, has shown a new array of moves and agility. And then there is Dragic, the Suns’ spark plug.
That lineup alone could easily defeat teams like the Minnesota Timberwolves (well, so could a Division II college basketball team, but that’s not the point).
If the Suns are going to compete with the best teams in the Western Conference, they are going to rely heavily on that second unit.
And that second unit relies heavily on Dragic and his playmaking ability.
Last season, Amare Stoudemire could take over games when secondary players were struggling. Now there isn’t that force, and it has been pretty obvious this season so far.
Only two players on the roster, Nash and Jason Richardson, are playing more than 30 minutes a game.
The rest is a balancing act.
It’s hard to say who is going to have the hot hand on any given night, and the game isn’t long enough to figure that out between 10 players.
Any one of them could hit 20 points in a game, but none of them can do it on a nightly basis.
Nash easily finds the right guy to get the ball to, but as he ages, Dragic has to be the guy to find that hot hand.
In addition to speaking four languages and wooing young lady Suns fans, he is ready for the starting point guard job when it’s open.
Reach the columnist at nathan.meacham@asu.edu
