So Bender is now with the Bucks!
Keith Smith
@KeithSmithNBA
·
39m
Bender had an agreement to head to Russia if he couldn't find an NBA deal. Now has that NBA deal and will stay home.
Interesting move for the Bucks.
Bender could be a good fit at center next to Giannis. Let Giannis play in the paint and Bender play on the perimeter.
The Bucks have both Lopez brothers at center and Giannis and Ilyasova at PF. Bender will very rarely see playing time.
Unless someone gets hurt, or he starts to play better. Smart move by Bucks. No risk, some upside. He's still awfully young.
Yeah exactly, Bender is like a zero-risk opportunity for them.
They have the two Lopez brothers at center. Keep Bender as 3rd string. Experiment with Bender next to Giannis and see if Bender can be a long term fixture next to Giannis.
It will be hard to find a replacement for Brook Lopez in a couple of years time. Few centers stay on the perimeter as willingly and as ably as he does. Already a slow footed center. As he declines in terms of quickness and mobility in his 30s, Milwaukee will have a harder time keeping him on the floor. And when it comes time to replace him ... difficult.
Bender is a zero-risk opportunity at that. A perimeter orientated big who wants to be a forward but needs to be a center (Bender is too slow and not skilled enough to be a PF). Giannis is a forward who wants to play around the basket like a center. Those two could be perfect for one another. Giannis could help hide Bender's weaknesses perhaps better than anyone else in the league can. And Bender hopefully (!!!) can be useful enough on the perimeter to free Giannis to do what he does best.