Dragan Bender - 97 born Croatian prospect

[Dcebucks11]

Bender is 100x the player Mirotic is.. Never understood the Mirotic hype coming into the NBA.

[doordoor123]

Dragan is a really good defender, with length and the ability to switch on almost everyone, he might suffer a bit inside still due to strength, but he is far from been soft, he is really active, not similar at all to Mirotic.

Agreed. He also has a better handle and moves better with the ball. He's good at defending the weak-side more than on man (mostly due to lack of strength).

[pohani komarac]

First, in game (if you watched Bender playing, not just clips) Bender and Mirotic have no similaritys besides being stretch 4. Bender is all round player. His closest comparison is probably Kirilenko in terms of style. 2nd Bender is more athletic if you don't count only vertical. He is actually above average in most athletic atributes. Mirotic is tougher and better scorer, but Bender has much more upside, especially on defense

check this defense on Voroncevic

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U0Epg_sBZq4

2 nice dunks

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LxirxC2_10w[/youtube]

[doordoor123]

I really hope the Lakers don't puss out and pass on Dragan Bender. He would would make their team so much fun.

[oddwolfhooligan]

Can anyone who's seen a lot of Bender comment on his hands? I was just watching his DX evaluation videos, and his hands seemed iffy, especially when trying to grab rebounds in traffic.

As someone who believes that you need good hands to play at a high level in the NBA, this could definitely be a cause for concern.

[Stackey]

No middle for him, he will be either All Star or a complete bust.

[doordoor123]

Can anyone who's seen a lot of Bender comment on his hands? I was just watching his DX evaluation videos, and his hands seemed iffy, especially when trying to grab rebounds in traffic.

As someone who believes that you need good hands to play at a high level in the NBA, this could definitely be a cause for concern.

His hands don't look great, but they're not terrible. I think most of his concerns with his hands deal with strength. He's just not strong enough to hold on to the ball between other stronger guys.

[mattao313]

Whats so good about this guy? He looks clueless at times and is very limited offensive player. To have a chance in the NBA he needs to learn to shoot cause I can't see him banging down low.

[Apollo64]

Whats so good about this guy? He looks clueless at times and is very limited offensive player. To have a chance in the NBA he needs to learn to shoot cause I can't see him banging down low.

Size for the PF spot, speed, defense, ballhandling, passing, high BBIQ and knowledge of the game.

He's still a couple of years away from being able to contribute in the NBA though mainly because of his lack of strength. Definitely a project at this point as he's still 18.

I don't think he's ever going to be a big-time scorer, but he has elite roleplayer potential.

[doordoor123]

Whats so good about this guy? He looks clueless at times and is very limited offensive player. To have a chance in the NBA he needs to learn to shoot cause I can't see him banging down low.

Size for the PF spot, speed, defense, ballhandling, passing, high BBIQ and knowledge of the game.

He's still a couple of years away from being able to contribute in the NBA though mainly because of his lack of strength. Definitely a project at this point as he's still 18.

I don't think he's ever going to be a big-time scorer, but he has elite roleplayer potential.

By "Elite roleplayer potential" what are you talking about? DeAndre Jordan? I actually think if he can hit his jumper consistently he can be something of a Pau Gasol-type.

[Apollo64]

Whats so good about this guy? He looks clueless at times and is very limited offensive player. To have a chance in the NBA he needs to learn to shoot cause I can't see him banging down low.

Size for the PF spot, speed, defense, ballhandling, passing, high BBIQ and knowledge of the game.

He's still a couple of years away from being able to contribute in the NBA though mainly because of his lack of strength. Definitely a project at this point as he's still 18.

I don't think he's ever going to be a big-time scorer, but he has elite roleplayer potential.

By "Elite roleplayer potential" what are you talking about? DeAndre Jordan? I actually think if he can hit his jumper consistently he can be something of a Pau Gasol-type.

I just don't see him as a 1st/2nd scorer in a good team, he's more of an all-around player. The "bigger Kirilenko" comparison is spot on.

[doordoor123]

Size for the PF spot, speed, defense, ballhandling, passing, high BBIQ and knowledge of the game.

He's still a couple of years away from being able to contribute in the NBA though mainly because of his lack of strength. Definitely a project at this point as he's still 18.

I don't think he's ever going to be a big-time scorer, but he has elite roleplayer potential.

By "Elite roleplayer potential" what are you talking about? DeAndre Jordan? I actually think if he can hit his jumper consistently he can be something of a Pau Gasol-type.

I just don't see him as a 1st/2nd scorer in a good team, he's more of an all-around player. The "bigger Kirilenko" comparison is spot on.

7'1 Kirilenko would be a megastar

[No-Man]

He is a lesser vertical athlete than AK47 but he is much bigger, I think he can be a better shooter too for sure.
Less explosive but similar impact, the comparison that is more accurate is something in between the russian and Pau.

[thr3ep01nte4]

He could probably be Draymond Green if developed well

[pohani komarac]

Today he had his best pro game with 15pt, 2rb. 4/7 for 2, 2/4 for 3,

http://gifs.com/gif/DkR88y

http://gifs.com/gif/jR28nP

http://gifs.com/gif/Z640wR

[Von Bismarck]

Bender's 15 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q5HjzAHUnHY&app=desktop

[Mirotic12]

First, in game (if you watched Bender playing, not just clips) Bender and Mirotic have no similaritys besides being stretch 4. Bender is all round player. His closest comparison is probably Kirilenko in terms of style. 2nd Bender is more athletic if you don't count only vertical. He is actually above average in most athletic atributes. Mirotic is tougher and better scorer, but Bender has much more upside, especially on defense

check this defense on Voroncevic

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U0Epg_sBZq4

2 nice dunks

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LxirxC2_10w[/youtube]

How? No big man in Euroleague has ever been as soft as Niko. As for the Kirilenko comparisons, I don't think so. Bender is much more of a spread 4, or a face up kind of player. Kirilenko had almost no similar play style or skill.

[Kabookalu]

We have a draft thread over on the Raptors board, and I'm heavily leaning towards Bender if the pick we got from the Knicks is in the lottery; I don't think he'll be a star that can carry a team, but he looks like he can be a taller Draymond Green if he keeps on improving as a shooter and defender. A lot of Raptors fans took one quick look at his stats and dismissed him as a bust.

For those that keep an eye on him, what's the reason for his low stats?

[No-Man]

There is no way you have a shot at him with the Knicks pick.

[Kabookalu]

There is no way you have a shot at him with the Knicks pick.

Don't say that