Suns’ young second-unit shows encouraging signs

MILWAUKEE – If the Suns’ second unit at times looked unfamiliar in Friday’s loss to Chicago, don’t worry, it’s not just you. Rookie point guard Tyler Ulis said the second unit itself still is figuring things out.

Stuck at the bottom of the Western Conference, the Suns (18-40) are using the season’s final stretch for player evaluation. That means playing their younger players to see what they can offer, both in the short and long term.

On Friday, the Suns’ second unit consisted of Ulis, forward Derrick Jones, Jr., and big man Alan Williams, along with veterans Leandro Barbosa and Jared Dudley. Despite the group’s collective inexperience, it had strong moments. Consider: » Ulis had an impressive fourthquarter stretch. With 9:41 left, he hit a jumper to give Phoenix an 85-84 lead. Next time down he fed Williams for a dunk. Two possessions later, the point guard dropped a floater in the lane. “Tyler did a great job of controlling the second unit,” coach Earl Watson said.

» The first big man off the bench, Williams hit his first eight shots, finishing with a career-high 16 points. “It’s a good thing for us, to try and go out there and play together as a younger group and try to build for the future,” said Williams, a restricted free agent at season’s end. “And I think it’s a tremendous opportunity for myself, as well as my teammates to show what we can do.”

» Jones showed off his athletic ability with a first-half dunk that got veteran center Tyson Chandler and others off the bench cheering. In his longest outing of his rookie season, Jones had six points, two rebounds and two assists. His role moving forward: “He has to be a great defender,’’ Watson said. “That’s his only role in the NBA. His defense is going to earn him more time to produce offensively.”

Overall, the second unit produced 39 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists.

Foul mood