Watch: Bradley Beal has high praise for Suns rookies

If you ask Phoenix Suns shooting guard Bradley Beal why he's optimistic about the future of the franchise, he'd point to the team's two draft picks, Ryan Dunn and Osasere "Oso" Ighodaro.

"For young fellas, rookies, they've been like light-years ahead of most rookies coming in," Beal told reporters Thursday.

"They've been like light years ahead of most rookies coming in." Bradley Beal on the rookies Training Camp presented by @Verizon pic.twitter.com/KrpJsw9TSU Dunn, picked 28th overall from Virginia, and Ighodaro, selected 40th from Marquette, impressed Phoenix's brass so much that the team traded for them during the draft.

The former, coming in at 6-foot-8, played two years for the Cavaliers averaging 6.9 rebounds and led the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) with an average of 2.3 blocks per game.

Ryan Dunn is one of the more unique stories in this draft class, initially committing to Virginia as a walk-on after a late-blooming trajectory growing seven inches starting as a high school sophomore.

He became arguably the best defender in college basketball this season.

https://t.co/GZDKYVqTxU pic.twitter.com/XDHEWrNu0T The latter, a 6-foot-10 center, averaged 9.9 points while shooting 62.4 percent from the field in four years at Marquette.

6'11 Oso Ighodaro is currently showcasing his versatility on both sides this season Oso is currently averaging 15-7-2 on 67% shooting, hes got quick defensive instincts, makes all the right plays offensively and defensively.

Hes got a fantastic float game Been great so far pic.twitter.com/pw7Ps6KULS Beal praised both for being eager to learn from the veterans like himself, Devin Booker and Kevin Durant, and he's "excited" for the opportunity to collectively influence their growth in the NBA.

"They're just so attentive to detail, like they want to learn and they want to earn their keep here," he continued.

"They ask me, Book, [Durant] questions like constantly throughout the day ...

constantly like picking our brains about stuff.

So, I'm excited for them because we're going to instill a lot in them and they're going to have an opportunity to provide some good stuff for us." It's unlikely either sees significant playing time under new head coach Mike Budenholzer to start the season, but Phoenix's bench depth was an issue last year, with injuries and ever-changing lineups resulting in inconsistent play .

The team's championship window is closing quickly with Beal and Durant's contracts having just two remaining seasons (Beal has a player option in 2026-27), but perhaps this fresh dynamic duo can eventually offer much-needed relief to a starting lineup under immense pressure to perform..

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