Genuine question, last year when Mudiay had been injured the whole year, or when Irving played like 3 games for Duke, why did most people give them a pass and continue to rank them at the top of the board, yet with Bender he's a scrub who suddenly can't play? Just curious if people would be saying the same things if the guy was named Dwayne Lemarcus from Ohio...
Those guys still produced when they got time.
In Bender's case, he is almost pure potential, with no foundation of production to project from. It doesn't make him a scrub, but at the same time he hasn't proven himself.
That's the thing though. His per minute production is good, he just hasn't gotten the minutes. But he does have previous years of data, albeit at a lower level, which we can use to project forward.
So you are saying that Bender could contribute more to a struggling team but because he wants to leave they don`t use him? I find it a bit hard to believe ....
Young players do get play time if they prove they can actually help their teams. Vezenkov at 19 was MVP of the Greek league , definately better than the Israeli league.
Porzingis was a 20mpg player in ACB and 2 times All young ACB team
Galinari and Belineli were stars in Italy , so where the Gasols.
BTW B Jenkins wasn`t just some guy who played in Italy. Was considered a top prospect because of his performance and because of his body type
So some of that is misleading. Looking at basketball-reference for context;
Ginobilli was 22 in his first year recorded there so I can't compare his stats at the age of 18.
Belinelli got 16mpg at 18 averaging 5.4ppg, 1.0rpg and 0.7apg
Porzingis was a 20mpg player when he was 19, when he was 18 he was a 15mpg player 6.7ppg, 2.8rpg, 0.3apg
Vezenkov I will concede, he's a good player. He got no Euroleague play however fwiw
Bender is projected a lot higher than those guys were at 18 which is where the argument is. Not should he be drafted but are we happy using the #3 pick on him as opposed to #15-17. I think yes because he has attributes that often lead to the making of a high level player. Mental drive, very good athleticism, high motor, good work ethic, good shot mechanics, improving shooting percentages to name a few.
I think the point with Jennings is that he was a good High school player in the US that would have received heavy minutes on an NCAA team. However in Europe he received fewer minutes. The comparison being that if Bender had been in the American system then he would have received a larger role on a college team and there would be fewer questions on him deserving the #3 pick