Dragan Bender

[MSceltic]

I don't think bender will come over for a few years and he is avg 4 points a game in Israel.  I am very turned off by the idea of using a top 5 pick on this guy. If Simmons and Ingram are off the board, I want Brown. Athletic wing who intrigues me.

[loco_91]

What Dean Demakis (a writer whose opinion I greatly respect) has to say about Bender:

1. Dragan Bender (ESPN: 7, DX: 5)

Dragan Bender is the 2016 poster child of being far more beloved by stats than scouts. He is not an elite athlete nor does he have a go to scorer skill set, so DX and ESPN rate him below the top freshmen and Chad Ford goes as far as to rate him below Malik Pope. But his 261 minute FIBA u18 sample nets him a historically elite 17.4 according to Layne Vashro’s EWP model, which is 4th all time behind Shaq, Anthony Davis, and Nerlens Noel.

His EWP score comes with an large shaker of salt since it is such a small sample, and  FIBA has a smaller sample of future pros than NCAA to project from. But his performance is nevertheless intriguing– in 29 mins/game he posted good statistics across the board with an especially impressive 4.9 assists vs. 1.7 turnovers per game, which is amazing for a 16 year old 7’0 prospect. One of his main critiques is that he is too passive, but his stats suggest that he may have a better feel for optimal team play than scouts who criticize him.

Even without elite explosiveness, he has the size and mobility to become an elite defensive player. And even without an elite scoring skill set, his passing ability and tendency to avoid mistakes gives him a high floor and high ceiling offensively. He seems destined to be perpetually under appreciated by casual fans, but I love his potential as a player who makes intelligent, winning plays. One of the top freshmen may vault ahead of him with a strong NCAA performance, but based on current information he is the highest floor highest upside prospect in the draft.

I don't think Bender is as quite as good a prospect as Simmons or Ingram owing to his merely-very-good physical tools, but he is very young and very skilled for his age, so I rate him closer to #1 than to #4 right now.

[Ilikesports17]

I don't think bender will come over for a few years and he is avg 4 points a game in Israel.  I am very turned off by the idea of using a top 5 pick on this guy. If Simmons and Ingram are off the board, I want Brown. Athletic wing who intrigues me.

Simmons for me is the clear cut 1. Ive heard some good things about Ingram so Ill just assume they are true and throw him in at 2.

Now to get to the point.

I love Brown's mental makeup athleticism size etc.

But he cant shoot at all. Unless we decide kelly is gonna start for us and Marcus becomes a 36% 3pt guy can we afford to spend a top 5 pick on a guy who cant make a jump shot?

Hes a bit like Winslow and Johnson(I think hes more athletic than both) of last year, but both those players actually shot the ball really well in college.

The more I think about it.

With Crowders much improved shooting and Hunter and Young coming along. Then with AB and IT in hand and Kelly coming back next year and potentially resigning after that.

We could easily hide the shooting troubles of Smart and Brown. I just feel like in this NBA there are very few players who score really well from the wing without a jump shot.

Of all players scoring 16.5ppg + only James, Wade, Wiggins, and Derozan do it will shooting sub 30% from deep.

I he could and probably will improve, but for a top 3 pick it gives me pause

[Quetzalcoatl]

I love Brown's mental makeup athleticism size etc.

But he cant shoot at all. Unless we decide kelly is gonna start for us and Marcus becomes a 36% 3pt guy can we afford to spend a top 5 pick on a guy who cant make a jump shot?

Yeah at first I thought it was just because he could go to the rim at will, so he just wasn't bothering to shoot.  Now that teams are playing him differently, he's only scoring 10 ppg.  It's pretty disappointing.

Ingram though looks fantastic.  Better than Winslow, Hezonja and Stanley for sure.  He had kind of a slump for a few games, but overall he looks really good.  He probably won't be an amazing rookie, but in a year or two he should be ok.  Good back up for Crowder while he learns the NBA.

[Evantime34]

Obviously I prefer Simmons and Ingram to Bender, but watching last nights game made me think of a case for being excited for the possibility of him.

Bender is the type of prospect that could make things difficult for Porzingis for a long time. Since we will be facing the Zinger 4 times a year as long as he's in New York it would be nice if we had someone to guard him. I think Bender could be that guy.

[GetLucky]

Edit: Double post, mods please delete.

[GetLucky]

Obviously I prefer Simmons and Ingram to Bender, but watching last nights game made me think of a case for being excited for the possibility of him.

Bender is the type of prospect that could make things difficult for Porzingis for a long time. Since we will be facing the Zinger 4 times a year as long as he's in New York it would be nice if we had someone to guard him. I think Bender could be that guy.

I, like you, would obviously prefer Simmons and Ingram to Bender, but I've said this a few times (primarily just for fun), and I'm sure I'll say it many more times:
 
Wouldn't rooting for the "Dragon Bender" to conquer "PorgzinGod" at the Garden/MSG be AWESOME?

[Denis998]

he is a tall kid that can shoot. we already have one in Kelly.

[Tr1boy]

he is a tall kid that can shoot. we already have one in Kelly.

No thanks

[Evantime34]

he is a tall kid that can shoot. we already have one in Kelly.

This kid has shown the quickness to switch onto guards on the perimeter, his defensive ceiling blows Olynyk's out of the water.

[mef730]

I don't think bender will come over for a few years and he is avg 4 points a game in Israel.  I am very turned off by the idea of using a top 5 pick on this guy. If Simmons and Ingram are off the board, I want Brown. Athletic wing who intrigues me.

He's a really tall guy, is gonna be stuck on the sidelines/overseas for a few years and the best thing about him is his "potential?"

This whole thread is moot. No way this guy makes it past the Sixers.

Mike

[fairweatherfan]

I don't think bender will come over for a few years and he is avg 4 points a game in Israel.  I am very turned off by the idea of using a top 5 pick on this guy. If Simmons and Ingram are off the board, I want Brown. Athletic wing who intrigues me.

He's a really tall guy, is gonna be stuck on the sidelines/overseas for a few years and the best thing about him is his "potential?"

This whole thread is moot. No way this guy makes it past the Sixers.

Mike

Hahahaha TP.

[oldtype]

I don't think bender will come over for a few years and he is avg 4 points a game in Israel.  I am very turned off by the idea of using a top 5 pick on this guy. If Simmons and Ingram are off the board, I want Brown. Athletic wing who intrigues me.

He's a really tall guy, is gonna be stuck on the sidelines/overseas for a few years and the best thing about him is his "potential?"

This whole thread is moot. No way this guy makes it past the Sixers.

Mike

Hahahaha TP.

Hinkie: "you had me at 'not coming over this year.'"