NBA Draft: Why Dragan Bender Should Be the 3rd Pick

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More than just his incredible name, Dragan Bender has many things going for him as we approach the NBA Draft. Bender is consistently mocked a top five by experts, oftentimes as the number three pick after LSU’s Ben Simmons and Duke’s Brandon Ingram. Despite this, he is probably the most likely prospect to get booed when Adam Silver calls his name this June, a la Kristaps Porzingis from last year. However, no one, small child or not, should cry over Bender going to your favorite team.

Dragan Bender is 18 years old and already 7’1” with a standing reach of 9’3”. He has great size for the NBA whether he is playing the 3, 4, or 5. He is the youngest prospect in this draft class, but does not lack experience playing against good competition. He has recently played in the Euroleague, the EuroCup, and the Israeli League.

Bender’s skill set is what makes him truly unique and is why any team could appreciate his talents and utilize him. At over 7 feet tall, Bender is prolific shooter for his size. This season, he shot 22-49 from 3 point range (45%), an admittedly small sample size, but reports from his practices say that he routinely strokes from long range. Watching him play, you see that Bender has terrific mechanics that make for a smooth shot. You can see the progression that he has made in this area too. If you watch highlights from a year or two ago, you notice a hitch in his shot and the fact that his shots have very little arc on them. Watching him play this year however, you notice that the shot is much smoother and looks like a rainbow falling into the hoop.

He is also and adept ball handler and playmaker, especially for being a 7 footer. Bender possesses excellent court vision and has no problem leading a fast break. You will see him oftentimes grabbing a rebound and starting the break himself, with him either going coast to coast or making a pass leading to a layup. He also runs the court very well, a great quality to have out of your big men. If you can get a 7 footer out in front of the defense, you’re going to get a lot of easy layups and dunks.

Bender’s toughness is described as one of his best qualities. Every year, you hear draft analysts, former players, and sports anchors describe every white European that declares for the draft as soft and perhaps afraid of contact. That could not be farther from the truth of Dragan Bender. Jonathon Givony from The Vertical described him as so: “Bender’s most underrated quality is his toughness. Some may look at his lanky frame and assume he’s just another soft European 7-footer who only wants to hide on the perimeter and jack up 3-pointers, but in reality that couldn’t be further from the truth.

Bender is a competitor who has a relentless motor. He was forced to sit out the initial part of a recent practice we attended to continue to rehab his foot injury (causing most of the dozen NBA scouts in attendance to leave), but begged his way back onto the floor. He proceeded to throw his body around with reckless abandon in five-on-five action. Maccabi’s staff urged him to take it easy, but Bender simply doesn’t know how to do that at this point in his career.”

The biggest area of weakness for Bender has to be his weight. He is about 215 pounds, and at 7’1” that makes him incredibly skinny. However, he is only 18 years and filling out his frame should come naturally as he gets older and his body finishes growing. If he can fill out and become a little bulkier, he could be a force to be reckoned with in the NBA. Now, you might look at his stats from the Euroleauge this season and assume Bender isn’t very good. He is barely averaging 10 minutes per game. But this a common occurrence in the Euroleague. Often they will limit the minutes of younger players. Kristaps Porzingis played about 20 minutes a game in his last season and he was a full year older than Bender. When Bender gets consistent playing time, he does well. Just look at his stats from last year when he played 27 minutes a game:

• PPG: 10.1

• RPG: 7.4

• APG: 2.5

• STL: 0.8

• BLK: 1

• FG%: 51.1%

The Boston Celtics just landed the 3rd overall pick and would love a player like Bender and would be foolish to pass on him. The Celtics could possibly lose Jared Sullinger, Amir Johnson, and Jonas Jerebko this offseason. This will leave their frontcourt remarkably thin. Bender would be able to step in and contribute by spacing the floor, rebounding the ball, and perhaps even a little bit of playmaking from the 4 or 5 spot. Bender has the most upside of anyone in this draft not named Simmons or Ingram and I fully expect him to be the 3rd overall pick in June.

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