UPDATE - Bender Scouting Report & Video

[Beat LA]

Man, if this scout is correct about this--

In all honesty I’ve never seen someone with Bender’s size profile change directions like he does.

And this--

There is essentially one guy in the league right now who can guard all 5 positions reputably: Draymond Green.  Bender has the tools to be the second.  In an age where switching is so highly utilized, Bender gets an enormous boost as a prospect..

We might really regret passing him up...

I would challenge that, but beyond that the bigger point, here, to me, is that we're now drafting a guy just because he can switch?  That's it?  Dear lord .

[Eddie20]

Ellison and Poetl have no where near the foot speed, latteral quickness of Bender. Bender can guard multiple positions. Ellison and Poetl cannot. I find this a lazy comparison.

Keep dreaming Bender supporters no one is impressed by the 27.5" max vertical and inability to break into the rotation as a starter in Israel.  He is mobile but he in not able to do much with that mobility once he gets there because of lack of power and lift.

I feel like Bender's getting all this hype because he flashed all these guard skills (on both sides of the ball) in tournament play but he's not going to get those opportunities against real competition. Meanwhile, in big man terms he's not that impressive outside of his shot-blocking

.


At one time, he could block shots well but he thinks he is a SF and his rebounds and blocks have plummeted.

See them drop here.

http://basketball.realgm.com/player/Dragan-Bender/Summary/41582

Let him be the new breed for another team.

http://www.csnne.com/boston-celtics/celtics-reportedly-high-marquese-chriss-down-dragan-bender

Lightweight without explosiveness

This is spot on, TP!

Just curious, are you saying that you know more than all the reputable draft sites, team executives, scouts, etc. that speak so highly of him and rank him so high? Just wondering about your credentials and what makes you so sure of this seemingly concrete opinion when you have so little to actually base it on? This doesn't mean he doesn't flame out, but to me so dismissive of a player that is pretty much universally accepted as having tremendous upside screams of your utter distaste of foreign players.

[Ogaju]

where is the video.

[arctic 3.0]

Floor is oly's ceiling.

[wry791]

I continue to think Danny is playing possum with Bender, purposely being rather low key in assessing his scouting report of him from the recent trip. To me, he is a tier below the first two, by himself, and the third tier lines up behind him in this draft. A lot of GM's will make Danny a really good offer to get the pick to take him. He is a player that you can build a future really good team around.  I know this is where the nay-sayers chime in and talk about how he will get destroyed in the NBA, has no strength, is not athletic, is not nearly as good as Porzingis (you know, basically the same critics who said the same thing about Porzingis before he got drafted).  I realize there is risk with a kid so young, but it is the risk factor that will make him available at 3.

Go for it, Danny!!

I think Danny may be playing possum with Bender, but this really only makes sense if he believes that Bender is better than Simmons or Ingram or both. Can definitely see Bender's upside. To me, he has a much higher floor than the other 2 guys rumored to be liked by Danny (Chriss and Brown)

[tstorey_97]

Red usually played possum with guys he was thinking of drafting or, at least, that is what I have read over the years.

I am unsure if Ainge is playing "possum" sending out a press release and flying over to watch Bender. GM cloak and dagger I suppose. Ainge has a book on Bender from when he started playing that is a foot thick.

Ainge + Bender = trade for an NBA player.

I think it is fun looking for the next great player amongst the 18 and 19 year olds, we do the same with the two year old thoroughbreds, but, it is statistically very tough to "win" in this estimating upside game. 

If Ainge drafts him, I hope he "wins", I just prefer a player who can start next year.

[Beat LA]

http://www.csnne.com/2016-nba-draft-dragan-bender-scouting-report-croatia-international


Coach Welsh calls him a "can't miss"...WOW...

Even compared him to a young Nowitzki...Coach Welsh apparently scouted him back in the day.


Now, I'm excited about him again!!

Every tall white player from Europe who can shoot is always deemed to be the next Dirk Nowitzki .

[Boris Badenov]

http://www.csnne.com/2016-nba-draft-dragan-bender-scouting-report-croatia-international


Coach Welsh calls him a "can't miss"...WOW...

Even compared him to a young Nowitzki...Coach Welsh apparently scouted him back in the day.


Now, I'm excited about him again!!

Every tall white player from Europe who can shoot is always deemed to be the next Dirk Nowitzki .

Or the next Darko. There's no in between.

[Boris Badenov]

Ellison and Poetl have no where near the foot speed, latteral quickness of Bender. Bender can guard multiple positions. Ellison and Poetl cannot. I find this a lazy comparison.

Keep dreaming Bender supporters no one is impressed by the 27.5" max vertical and inability to break into the rotation as a starter in Israel.  He is mobile but he in not able to do much with that mobility once he gets there because of lack of power and lift.

I feel like Bender's getting all this hype because he flashed all these guard skills (on both sides of the ball) in tournament play but he's not going to get those opportunities against real competition. Meanwhile, in big man terms he's not that impressive outside of his shot-blocking

.


At one time, he could block shots well but he thinks he is a SF and his rebounds and blocks have plummeted.

See them drop here.

http://basketball.realgm.com/player/Dragan-Bender/Summary/41582

Let him be the new breed for another team.

http://www.csnne.com/boston-celtics/celtics-reportedly-high-marquese-chriss-down-dragan-bender

Lightweight without explosiveness

This is spot on, TP!

Just curious, are you saying that you know more than all the reputable draft sites, team executives, scouts, etc. that speak so highly of him and rank him so high? Just wondering about your credentials and what makes you so sure of this seemingly concrete opinion when you have so little to actually base it on? This doesn't mean he doesn't flame out, but to me so dismissive of a player that is pretty much universally accepted as having tremendous upside screams of your utter distaste of foreign players.

The fact that Tanguay and Dickerson are cited as authorities is also deeply troubling.

[crimson_stallion]

What does Bender do better than Jerebko?

Bender sounds a better passer. Not sure he does anything else better.

Blocks shots.

A Jonas Jerebko/Spencer Hawes hybrid. I almost fell asleep while typing that. Hard to think of a less exciting #3 prospect.

How many big men in this draft posesses size, athleticism, defense and passing ability in this draft.

He's not particularly athletic. He just has good feet and a light frame.

Jakob Poeltl has comparable size, athleticism and defense, just lacks Bender's range. Henry Ellenson isn't the same grade of passer or defender, but he's just as athletic and more skilled offensively.

Marquese Chriss doesn't have the size or the passing, but he's light years more athletic with considerably more potential.

Bender's a fine prospect with a lot of boxes checked, but he's not particularly unusual or exciting and there's not a lot of apparent space between him and some of the other lotto bigs.

I favor Murray, Chriss and Dunn over him.

Sorry, but I've watched film of Bender, Ellison and Poetl. Ellison and Poetl have no where near the foot speed, latteral quickness of Bender. Bender can guard multiple positions. Ellison and Poetl cannot. I find this a lazy comparison.

Additionally, Chriss has a questionable motor; it is what has kept him low in the draft boards until recently, where he can put his athleticism on display in a non-game environment. Yes, he is more athletic than Bender, but based on make-up, I have more confidence that Bender will be a more consistent player, especially on the defensive side of ball, than Chriss. I worry Chriss will be another Jayson Williams ala Boston College a few years back, who was incredibly athletic but just lacked a sense of responsibility to cultivate his talents.

Dunn, I don't know much about, other than he is a terrific PG, who is somewhat challenged in the shooting department. I see his upside in the Gary Payton mold, which is incredible, but position wise see no room to draft him, without trading guys I want to keep for the next several years --IT, Smart and Bradley.

Quote from NBADraft.net on Jakob Poeltl:

Strengths: There are not many 7' footers who can run the floor like he does ... He gets up and down the court very well, giving strong effort on every possession ... Often gets himself open just by out-hustling opposing bigmen ... He has an long, agile, and strong body, and enjoys contact and doesn’t back down from it ... His skill level is still very raw but he has big, soft hands, and knows how to use his large frame to get deep post position and present good angles ... Shows the ability to finish with both hands, and his soft touch gives his offensive game some real intrigue ... His ability to finish around the rim allowed him to shoot with very high efficiency numbers from the field this year ... Another very intriguing aspect of his skillset is how well he moves his feet on defense ... He shows great coordination and can really show hard on the pick and roll without getting beat easily by guards ... He plays really hard every minute on the floor, has a good motor and seems to understand his limitations ... Needs to add some strength, but has an excellent frame to carry weight ...

Just about every scouting report I've seen on Poeltl gushes about how well he moves for a seven footer.  His ability to defend quicker / smaller guys and switch onto guards/forwards is one of the big selling points for this kid, and one of the big reasons why he's listed as a top 10 pick on just about every mock draft out there.

You're grossly underrating Poeltl's athleticism and grossly overrating Bender's athleticism.  In reality the two are pretty close in that regard. Bender might have a slight advantage - if so it's easily made up for by Poeltl's far superior physical strength and toughness. 

You also need to consider that Bender is only around 215 pounds right now.  For him to compete at the NBA level he's going to need to put on at least 20 pounds, and if/when he does that there is no guarantee that he's going to remain as quick/agile as he is now.

When it comes to physical attributes, Bender really offers no tangible advantage over Poelyl.  His advantages are his shooting range, ball handling and passing. 

[crimson_stallion]

I continue to think Danny is playing possum with Bender, purposely being rather low key in assessing his scouting report of him from the recent trip. To me, he is a tier below the first two, by himself, and the third tier lines up behind him in this draft. A lot of GM's will make Danny a really good offer to get the pick to take him. He is a player that you can build a future really good team around.  I know this is where the nay-sayers chime in and talk about how he will get destroyed in the NBA, has no strength, is not athletic, is not nearly as good as Porzingis (you know, basically the same critics who said the same thing about Porzingis before he got drafted).  I realize there is risk with a kid so young, but it is the risk factor that will make him available at 3.

Go for it, Danny!!

I think Danny may be playing possum with Bender, but this really only makes sense if he believes that Bender is better than Simmons or Ingram or both. Can definitely see Bender's upside. To me, he has a much higher floor than the other 2 guys rumored to be liked by Danny (Chriss and Brown)

I strongly disagree.

Brown is a wing player who has excellent size, strength and athleticism.  He has an NBA-ready body with outstanding defensive potential and higher then advertised offensive potential.

Take a look at guys like Brown who from recent and past times.  Draymond Green, Jaw Cowder, Jimmy Butler, Kenneth Faried, Kawhi Leonard, Michael Pietrus, Ron Artest, Trevor Ariza, Larry Johnson, etc. 

Guys who have Brown's profile (physicals and skill set) don't always become stars, but they tend to become quality starters at the very least.  Justice Winslow and Stanley Johnson are two others who like they are going to follow that trend.

If there's one exception I can think of it is Michael Kidd Gilchrist - but he had ZERO jumpshot when he entered the NBA.  Brown isn't exactly a sharpshooter, but he's a better outside shooter then his stats (and reputation) suggest.  I think he's going to be a better offensive player then people give him credit for. 

I'm not sure if Brown will ever be a star, but I think the absolute worst case for him is a more athletic version of Jae Crowder, and that's not a bad thing to have by any stretch of the imagination.

I think the worst case for Bender is that he spends 2-3 years in the D League and never establishes himself as a starting caliber NBA player.  I don't think the reality will be that bad - I think he'll probably become a quality starter.  But the problem is that I just can't say that with any kind of confidence because I simply haven't seen Bender produce against the type of players he'll be going up against in the NBA game, nor have I seen him produce in more then 10 or 15 minutes of court time.

Who knows what would happen to Bender's game if he suddenly had to start playing 30-35 minutes a game against the very physical and talented NBA competition?  Nobody knows, and that's the problem.   

[crimson_stallion]

Ellison and Poetl have no where near the foot speed, latteral quickness of Bender. Bender can guard multiple positions. Ellison and Poetl cannot. I find this a lazy comparison.

Keep dreaming Bender supporters no one is impressed by the 27.5" max vertical and inability to break into the rotation as a starter in Israel.  He is mobile but he in not able to do much with that mobility once he gets there because of lack of power and lift.

I feel like Bender's getting all this hype because he flashed all these guard skills (on both sides of the ball) in tournament play but he's not going to get those opportunities against real competition. Meanwhile, in big man terms he's not that impressive outside of his shot-blocking

.


At one time, he could block shots well but he thinks he is a SF and his rebounds and blocks have plummeted.

See them drop here.

http://basketball.realgm.com/player/Dragan-Bender/Summary/41582

Let him be the new breed for another team.

http://www.csnne.com/boston-celtics/celtics-reportedly-high-marquese-chriss-down-dragan-bender

Lightweight without explosiveness

This is spot on, TP!

Just curious, are you saying that you know more than all the reputable draft sites, team executives, scouts, etc. that speak so highly of him and rank him so high? Just wondering about your credentials and what makes you so sure of this seemingly concrete opinion when you have so little to actually base it on? This doesn't mean he doesn't flame out, but to me so dismissive of a player that is pretty much universally accepted as having tremendous upside screams of your utter distaste of foreign players.

Jabari Parker
Anthony Bennett
Otto Porter
Michael Kidd-Gilchrist
Derrick Williams
Evan Turner
Hasheem Thabeet
Michael Beazley
O.j. Mayo
Andrea Bargnani
Adam Morrison
Marvin William
Darko Milicic
Mike Dunleavy Jr
Kwame Brown
Tyson Chandler

That's a list of all the guys in the past 15 years who were taken in the top 3, but failed (or are on track to fail) to meet expectations.

That's 16 guys in 15 years - an average of just over one per year.  That's not even considering guys like Joel Embiid / Greg Oden / Jay Williams (who's careers were held back by health factors). 

If you look at the individual drafts you will find that almost every single draft in the past 15 years has had a guy drafted in the top 3 who has busted out - some worse then others.

It's safe to expect one of those consensus top three picks this year (Simmons, Ingram or Bender) is going to end up a bust.  I don't think it takes a genius to recognise that out of the top three guys, Bender is the one most likely to take that path.   

Obviously we can't just assume that history will repeat itself - there is no statistical certainty that one of the top three prospects this year will bust.  Last year you can reasonably argue that there wasn't a major bust in the top three (Russel is the closest - but he's shown a lot of promise).  But that's the exception rather than the rule - it's one of the few examples where all three of the top picks have flashed star potential. 

It's highly probable that one of the projected top 3 prospects will end up being a bust, and Bender has been pretty universally established as a high risk prospect - if any of them is going to fail it's probably going to be him.

[chambers]

My biggest concern with Bender is that he lacks the pure explosiveness to be a 25ppg scorer in the NBA.

I think his ultimate best case is some kind of poor man's Nowitzki on offense that can control a game defensively with his length...ala Draymond Green.

There's still plenty of bustability there but i wont be upset if we take him at #3.

[chambers]

Ellison and Poetl have no where near the foot speed, latteral quickness of Bender. Bender can guard multiple positions. Ellison and Poetl cannot. I find this a lazy comparison.

Keep dreaming Bender supporters no one is impressed by the 27.5" max vertical and inability to break into the rotation as a starter in Israel.  He is mobile but he in not able to do much with that mobility once he gets there because of lack of power and lift.

I feel like Bender's getting all this hype because he flashed all these guard skills (on both sides of the ball) in tournament play but he's not going to get those opportunities against real competition. Meanwhile, in big man terms he's not that impressive outside of his shot-blocking

.


At one time, he could block shots well but he thinks he is a SF and his rebounds and blocks have plummeted.

See them drop here.

http://basketball.realgm.com/player/Dragan-Bender/Summary/41582

Let him be the new breed for another team.

http://www.csnne.com/boston-celtics/celtics-reportedly-high-marquese-chriss-down-dragan-bender

Lightweight without explosiveness

This is spot on, TP!

Just curious, are you saying that you know more than all the reputable draft sites, team executives, scouts, etc. that speak so highly of him and rank him so high? Just wondering about your credentials and what makes you so sure of this seemingly concrete opinion when you have so little to actually base it on? This doesn't mean he doesn't flame out, but to me so dismissive of a player that is pretty much universally accepted as having tremendous upside screams of your utter distaste of foreign players.

Jabari Parker
Anthony Bennett
Otto Porter
Michael Kidd-Gilchrist
Derrick Williams
Evan Turner
Hasheem Thabeet
Michael Beazley
O.j. Mayo
Andrea Bargnani
Adam Morrison
Marvin William
Darko Milicic
Mike Dunleavy Jr
Kwame Brown
Tyson Chandler

That's a list of all the guys in the past 15 years who were taken in the top 3, but failed (or are on track to fail) to meet expectations.

That's 16 guys in 15 years - an average of just over one per year.  That's not even considering guys like Joel Embiid / Greg Oden / Jay Williams (who's careers were held back by health factors). 

If you look at the individual drafts you will find that almost every single draft in the past 15 years has had a guy drafted in the top 3 who has busted out - some worse then others.

It's safe to expect one of those consensus top three picks this year (Simmons, Ingram or Bender) is going to end up a bust.  I don't think it takes a genius to recognise that out of the top three guys, Bender is the one most likely to take that path.   

Obviously we can't just assume that history will repeat itself - there is no statistical certainty that one of the top three prospects this year will bust.  Last year you can reasonably argue that there wasn't a major bust in the top three (Russel is the closest - but he's shown a lot of promise).  But that's the exception rather than the rule - it's one of the few examples where all three of the top picks have flashed star potential. 

It's highly probable that one of the projected top 3 prospects will end up being a bust, and Bender has been pretty universally established as a high risk prospect - if any of them is going to fail it's probably going to be him.

I agree, Bender definitely has some scary bust potential, especially compared to the rest of the top 5. But his upside on both ends is pretty tremendous.
Like a Nerlens Noel that can score from the perimeter and guard everyone.

Side note: Jabari parker looked pretty solid towards the end of this season.

[DefenseWinsChamps]

What does Bender do better than Jerebko?

Bender sounds a better passer. Not sure he does anything else better.

Blocks shots.

A Jonas Jerebko/Spencer Hawes hybrid. I almost fell asleep while typing that. Hard to think of a less exciting #3 prospect.

How many big men in this draft posesses size, athleticism, defense and passing ability in this draft.

He's not particularly athletic. He just has good feet and a light frame.

Jakob Poeltl has comparable size, athleticism and defense, just lacks Bender's range. Henry Ellenson isn't the same grade of passer or defender, but he's just as athletic and more skilled offensively.

Marquese Chriss doesn't have the size or the passing, but he's light years more athletic with considerably more potential.

Bender's a fine prospect with a lot of boxes checked, but he's not particularly unusual or exciting and there's not a lot of apparent space between him and some of the other lotto bigs.

I favor Murray, Chriss and Dunn over him.

Sorry, but I've watched film of Bender, Ellison and Poetl. Ellison and Poetl have no where near the foot speed, latteral quickness of Bender. Bender can guard multiple positions. Ellison and Poetl cannot. I find this a lazy comparison.

Additionally, Chriss has a questionable motor; it is what has kept him low in the draft boards until recently, where he can put his athleticism on display in a non-game environment. Yes, he is more athletic than Bender, but based on make-up, I have more confidence that Bender will be a more consistent player, especially on the defensive side of ball, than Chriss. I worry Chriss will be another Jayson Williams ala Boston College a few years back, who was incredibly athletic but just lacked a sense of responsibility to cultivate his talents.

Dunn, I don't know much about, other than he is a terrific PG, who is somewhat challenged in the shooting department. I see his upside in the Gary Payton mold, which is incredible, but position wise see no room to draft him, without trading guys I want to keep for the next several years --IT, Smart and Bradley.

Quote from NBADraft.net on Jakob Poeltl:

Strengths: There are not many 7' footers who can run the floor like he does ... He gets up and down the court very well, giving strong effort on every possession ... Often gets himself open just by out-hustling opposing bigmen ... He has an long, agile, and strong body, and enjoys contact and doesn’t back down from it ... His skill level is still very raw but he has big, soft hands, and knows how to use his large frame to get deep post position and present good angles ... Shows the ability to finish with both hands, and his soft touch gives his offensive game some real intrigue ... His ability to finish around the rim allowed him to shoot with very high efficiency numbers from the field this year ... Another very intriguing aspect of his skillset is how well he moves his feet on defense ... He shows great coordination and can really show hard on the pick and roll without getting beat easily by guards ... He plays really hard every minute on the floor, has a good motor and seems to understand his limitations ... Needs to add some strength, but has an excellent frame to carry weight ...

Just about every scouting report I've seen on Poeltl gushes about how well he moves for a seven footer.  His ability to defend quicker / smaller guys and switch onto guards/forwards is one of the big selling points for this kid, and one of the big reasons why he's listed as a top 10 pick on just about every mock draft out there.

You're grossly underrating Poeltl's athleticism and grossly overrating Bender's athleticism.  In reality the two are pretty close in that regard. Bender might have a slight advantage - if so it's easily made up for by Poeltl's far superior physical strength and toughness. 

You also need to consider that Bender is only around 215 pounds right now.  For him to compete at the NBA level he's going to need to put on at least 20 pounds, and if/when he does that there is no guarantee that he's going to remain as quick/agile as he is now.

When it comes to physical attributes, Bender really offers no tangible advantage over Poelyl.  His advantages are his shooting range, ball handling and passing.

So, he offers no advantage except for the areas that make him a really distinct prospect?

Poelti moves well for a big man. Bender moves well. That is a difference.

It's not like Bender is going to gain Sully big mac weight. If he was just adding 25 pounds of thickness with little muscle, then he would slow down, but if he adds muscle through his trunk and core, then he would probably be even more agile and explosive.

Edit: Besides, I've been a NBAdraft.net user for years. I've never been impressed with their analysis or scouting. They are there for consumption, not for actual insight.