Bender is a mediocre jump shooter. He shies away from contact. A guy who can run like a gazelle in transition. But what about the other "nba" things?
He is a mediocre shooter period not just jumpshots. Forget about the NBA in some ways he is bust over seas presently.
Chad Ford on him-
Positives
•Versatile big man can play the 3, 4 & 5
•High basketball IQ
•Excellent ballhandler
•Good rebounder
•Good athlete for a seven footer
Negatives
•Needs to add strength
•Needs a more consistent jump shot
Mar 3 Update: The Suns dumped starting 4 Markieff Morris at the trade deadline, opening up a perfect fit for Bender here. Like Morris, Bender has the potential to play both inside and outside. He's shooting 48 percent from 3 this year. His playing time has been pretty limited since injuring his ankle in January, but the upside is clearly there. And unlike with Morris, there are no off-court concerns. His character is one of his best selling points to NBA teams.
Feb 13 Update: Bender suffered an ankle injury and missed several weeks of action before returning against Maccabi Haifa to score 12 points and grab five rebounds in 17 minutes on Feb. 6. I went to Maccabi practice while Bender was injured and only got to see him in shooting drills. What I saw impressed me. But what impressed me more was the way his coach and general manager spoke about him as a person -- he's the real deal off the court. It remains to be seen if he's the real deal on it. But given his size and skill set, he looks like the ideal stretch-4 in the NBA.
Jan 12 Update: After averaging just 3.6 PPG in 11 MPG for Maccabi Tel Aviv in his first nine games, Bender has seen his role expand in the Israeli league lately. In his subsequent three games he spiked to 13.7 PPG and shot 7-for-13 from beyond the arc. For the season Bender is shooting nearly 52 percent from 3, an important number for scouts who came into the season wondering how he'd fare on the perimeter.
Thanks Chad Ford. I mean eddie20
Doing your own research may help instead of relying on a regular Joe/journalist masked as an draft expert
Like Bornready has stated he is struggling to make a real impact in the league he is playing in now.
So I should listen to Triboy's opinion off 2 youtube videos as opposed to a person who's seen him live, does this for a living, and is actually providing statistical backing to support his points?
Yes Chad Ford is in Europe now eating popcorn and watching games/scouting
You don't have to trust me. Just do research. Watch games. Watch highlights , read multiple scouting reports, game recaps etc.
Without watching mickey you readily bashed him before the past draft. If you watched the game (LSU vs Kentucky) in detail as a min for example. You could see Mickey was more than a fringe prospect
It's not just Chad Ford though, Jonathan Givony of Draft Express\The Vertical is also high on him. So you can't just say he's also one of those "regular joe/journalist masked as an draft expert". There's reason why people are high on Bender.
Yes bc of his size vs ability like run like a gazelle/straight line to the basket. No doubt top level qualities for his size. But how will these features translate into the NBA?
Where the lane is clogged when things get serious. Where you can't keep running like a gazelle up and the down the court (without giving up offensive boards etc). What happens when the opposing teams slow things down and you play half court ball for the rest of the game?
The NBA is a pretty wide open game. With pace trending faster and 3 point shooters spacing the floor I think it is a perfect time to have a 4 that runs like a gazelle.
He's still very young and has a lot of room to put on muscle. It's not like he has a tiny frame I think he'll be able to bulk up. With how fluid of an athlete he is and with his size I would absolutely take him if we are drafting 5 or 6.
He is not a very willing rebounder. Look at Ivan Rabb for example. Has yet to really fill out. But tenacious to try to grab the rebound. Embracing the physical play
Even if you put on the pounds are willing to pay the price. KO is not the best rebounder either but he tries and does not shy away from contact
Tbh I would be surprised if bender is on Danny's top 7-8 list. We know what kind of players CBS likes for his system. Lee eventually got rubbed out. And amir would also if it wasn't his blue collar/physical play/defense
Forgot to mention :Add Zeller to the list of getting rubbed out of the rotation vs jerebko
I see him as a player that can guard multiple positions. So much more in line with a rich man's Jerebko than a big like Zeller, Amir or Lee. Even though you don't like him as a shooter, that he has decent numbers playing in a solid league makes me optimistic about his development as a shooter.
By the time he came over he could be up to 7 footer that weighs around 230-240, that can defend multiple positions, protect the rim, drive close outs and knock down 3's. That is a pretty enticing group of skills, that fit what C's currently do.
