Dragan Bender's Best NBA Comparison

[loco_91]

The basic reason I'm high on Bender is this. Kelly Olynyk has managed to be a useful NBA player, and one of our better offensive players overall, despite his woeful lack of athleticism and his T-rex arms. That's because 7 footers who can make 3's and make good passes+decisions with the ball in their hands are automatically good offensive players. Even if they don't actually score a ton of points, they greatly improve the flow of the offense and they open driving lanes for your guards + wings. Bender can do that on offense, but he is also 100x more athletic than Olynyk, giving him the ability to blow by slower defenders, attack closeouts, and most importantly make plays in transition.

Meanwhile, Olynyk manages to be a passable defender by avoiding mistakes on that end, but Bender has the potential to be a game changer on defense. Paired with guards + wings that can switch onto bigs like Smart and Crowder, he enables you to "switch everything," an incredibly powerful strategy as demonstrated by OKC vs the Warriors. Normally, switching comes at a cost: you give up a mismatch, then you have to help on the mismatch, then everyone has to rotate and it's easy for the weak links in your defense to get exposed. But with Bender, you have the potential to switch without giving up a mismatch. IMO, this skill is more important than traditional rim protection, as it has become too easy to neutralize rim protectors by forcing them to guard shooters out on the perimeter.

Bender has a high floor, as he has all the key role player skills and it is difficult to see him failing to become a useful NBA player. He also has a high ceiling, as he is 18 years old with excellent tools + a great package of skills for a modern NBA 4.

[tankcity!]

I'd be thrilled to have Mirotic on the Celts.

Mirotic is also 23. If Bender is that sort of player at 18, with much better measurables giving him a chance to become a far superior defender down the road, that would be remarkable.

Why?  He's a terrible defensive player, iirc.

He's also an excellent shooter and skilled scorer.  Not a guy you can use in a starting lineup without quality defenders providing cover for him, but he's better than anybody the Celts currently have.

A seven footer with that kind of offensive skill and the tools to become an above average multi positional defender would be very valuable.

Couldn't you say the same thing about Doug McDermott?

No, not really.

I feel like we are missing the point that McDermott and Mirotic are really awful defenders and Bender is a top 3 pick primarily for defensive reasons. Anyone would be foolish to pass up a guy who played offense at either of their levels and was even better on the defensive side of the ball.

He is versatile that cant guard one position properly at the moment.

If i had speights on my team for example, i would feed him the ball/iso ball all day and night

Yes, but Bender has never lifted weights before. He is a teenager. He has a solid frame and the capability to put on some serious muscle in the gym.

To counter your Speights 'iso' scenario, I'll just get a switch with Speights guarding Bender on the perimer and he'll either drive by Speights and then pass to the open shooter when help comes, or he'll hit the 3 pointer when Speights sags off...

Read this scouting report, shows some of Bender's good points, it's a really good read.
I'm not saying Bender is perfect, but he so far ahead of other players his age and size, with such versatility and IQ that he could be very special..He is an amazing passer for his age/size. His defensive intelligence is very high for his age and he reads defenses and plays as they evolve.


https://capstrategist.com/draft/draft-prospect-analysis-by-position/dragan-bender/

Think about what you wrote for a sec....

He should be lifting weights regularly. What is he waiting for?

Lol, that's what I was thinking.

[Tr1boy]

I'd be thrilled to have Mirotic on the Celts.

Mirotic is also 23. If Bender is that sort of player at 18, with much better measurables giving him a chance to become a far superior defender down the road, that would be remarkable.

Why?  He's a terrible defensive player, iirc.

He's also an excellent shooter and skilled scorer.  Not a guy you can use in a starting lineup without quality defenders providing cover for him, but he's better than anybody the Celts currently have.

A seven footer with that kind of offensive skill and the tools to become an above average multi positional defender would be very valuable.

Couldn't you say the same thing about Doug McDermott?

No, not really.

I feel like we are missing the point that McDermott and Mirotic are really awful defenders and Bender is a top 3 pick primarily for defensive reasons. Anyone would be foolish to pass up a guy who played offense at either of their levels and was even better on the defensive side of the ball.

He is versatile that cant guard one position properly at the moment.

If i had speights on my team for example, i would feed him the ball/iso ball all day and night

Yes, but Bender has never lifted weights before. He is a teenager. He has a solid frame and the capability to put on some serious muscle in the gym.

To counter your Speights 'iso' scenario, I'll just get a switch with Speights guarding Bender on the perimer and he'll either drive by Speights and then pass to the open shooter when help comes, or he'll hit the 3 pointer when Speights sags off...

Read this scouting report, shows some of Bender's good points, it's a really good read.
I'm not saying Bender is perfect, but he so far ahead of other players his age and size, with such versatility and IQ that he could be very special..He is an amazing passer for his age/size. His defensive intelligence is very high for his age and he reads defenses and plays as they evolve.


https://capstrategist.com/draft/draft-prospect-analysis-by-position/dragan-bender/

Think about what you wrote for a sec....

He should be lifting weights regularly. What is he waiting for?

Lol, that's what I was thinking.

Lol

[DefenseWinsChamps]

Psst - another interesting tidbit.

Those who discount Bender's vertical should know that Larry Sanders, as a 22 year old, had a 28'' vertical with a 9'4'' standing reach. Bender, as a 17 year old, had a 27.5'' vertical and a 9'3'' standing reach.

Another example is Lucas Noguiera (largely recognized as an athletic big when he was drafted), had a 9'6'' standing reach and a 28'' vertical within one month of his 20th birthday. He was 220 pounds and 7'0''.

Or Gobert had a 9'7'' standing reach and a 29'' vertical as a 21 year old. He was 7'2'' and 238.

Or Hawes had a 9'2'' standing reach and a 29'' vertical as a 19 year old. He was 7'1'' and 244.

Bender needs to develop feel and timing. He had it against guys his own age. He had it in moments against grown men in a solid foreign league. He has to adjust to bigger, faster, and more athletic players in the NBA.

[Tr1boy]

Psst - another interesting tidbit.

Those who discount Bender's vertical should know that Larry Sanders, as a 22 year old, had a 28'' vertical with a 9'4'' standing reach. Bender, as a 17 year old, had a 27.5'' vertical and a 9'3'' standing reach.

Another example is Lucas Noguiera (largely recognized as an athletic big when he was drafted), had a 9'6'' standing reach and a 28'' vertical within one month of his 20th birthday. He was 220 pounds and 7'0''.

Or Gobert had a 9'7'' standing reach and a 29'' vertical as a 21 year old. He was 7'2'' and 238.

Or Hawes had a 9'2'' standing reach and a 29'' vertical as a 19 year old. He was 7'1'' and 244.

Bender needs to develop feel and timing. He had it against guys his own age. He had it in moments against grown men in a solid foreign league. He has to adjust to bigger, faster, and more athletic players in the NBA.

Nice try. He cant jump like hawes

Gobert btw doesnt have to jump

Sanders is above the rim

Lucas can leap with some time to gather

[DefenseWinsChamps]

Psst - another interesting tidbit.

Those who discount Bender's vertical should know that Larry Sanders, as a 22 year old, had a 28'' vertical with a 9'4'' standing reach. Bender, as a 17 year old, had a 27.5'' vertical and a 9'3'' standing reach.

Another example is Lucas Noguiera (largely recognized as an athletic big when he was drafted), had a 9'6'' standing reach and a 28'' vertical within one month of his 20th birthday. He was 220 pounds and 7'0''.

Or Gobert had a 9'7'' standing reach and a 29'' vertical as a 21 year old. He was 7'2'' and 238.

Or Hawes had a 9'2'' standing reach and a 29'' vertical as a 19 year old. He was 7'1'' and 244.

Bender needs to develop feel and timing. He had it against guys his own age. He had it in moments against grown men in a solid foreign league. He has to adjust to bigger, faster, and more athletic players in the NBA.

Nice try. He cant jump like hawes

Gobert btw doesnt have to jump

Sanders is above the rim

Lucas can leap with some time to gather

Clearly your opinion trumps the combine numbers.

Bender is in the same athletic category as every one of those guys, including length and vertical. Except he is at 1/2 year, 1 1/2 years, 2 1/2 years, and 3 1/2 years younger than them.

The only difference is that he is obviously faster than each of them.

[Eddie20]

Psst - another interesting tidbit.

Those who discount Bender's vertical should know that Larry Sanders, as a 22 year old, had a 28'' vertical with a 9'4'' standing reach. Bender, as a 17 year old, had a 27.5'' vertical and a 9'3'' standing reach.

Another example is Lucas Noguiera (largely recognized as an athletic big when he was drafted), had a 9'6'' standing reach and a 28'' vertical within one month of his 20th birthday. He was 220 pounds and 7'0''.

Or Gobert had a 9'7'' standing reach and a 29'' vertical as a 21 year old. He was 7'2'' and 238.

Or Hawes had a 9'2'' standing reach and a 29'' vertical as a 19 year old. He was 7'1'' and 244.

Bender needs to develop feel and timing. He had it against guys his own age. He had it in moments against grown men in a solid foreign league. He has to adjust to bigger, faster, and more athletic players in the NBA.

Nice try. He cant jump like hawes

Gobert btw doesnt have to jump

Sanders is above the rim

Lucas can leap with some time to gather

Clearly your opinion trumps the combine numbers.

Bender is in the same athletic category as every one of those guys, including length and vertical. Except he is at 1/2 year, 1 1/2 years, 2 1/2 years, and 3 1/2 years younger than them.

The only difference is that he is obviously faster than each of them.

Good post. Don't listen to Triboy, he only pretends to know a lot.

[LarBrd33]

I've seen him compared to yi jianlian

[Granath]

I've seen him compared to yi jianlian

Is Bender lying about his age too?

[GreenShooter]

His comp, pre-draft, is definitely Darko, no doubt.

[footey]

pre-draft, Darko was quite impressive.

[kraidstar]

I'd be thrilled to have Mirotic on the Celts.

Mirotic is also 23. If Bender is that sort of player at 18, with much better measurables giving him a chance to become a far superior defender down the road, that would be remarkable.

Why?  He's a terrible defensive player, iirc.

He's also an excellent shooter and skilled scorer.  Not a guy you can use in a starting lineup without quality defenders providing cover for him, but he's better than anybody the Celts currently have.

A seven footer with that kind of offensive skill and the tools to become an above average multi positional defender would be very valuable.

you must be kelly olynyk's #1 fan then, KO has a career .465 FG% vs .404 for mirotic. KO is a better defender and passer, and is generally a much smarter player. otherwise their stats are nearly identical (though KO does foul too much). btw they are the same age, though KO has been in the league for one more season.

my problem with mirotic (besides the low FG%) is that he thinks he is better than he is, and offensively makes some really, really terrible plays. people rag on KO for not being aggressive enough, but it's also good when a guy recognizes their limitations. mirotic is also completely lost on defense - he does get some steals and blocks, but otherwise he's a turnstyle, his team defensive awareness is pathetic.

[Tr1boy]

Psst - another interesting tidbit.

Those who discount Bender's vertical should know that Larry Sanders, as a 22 year old, had a 28'' vertical with a 9'4'' standing reach. Bender, as a 17 year old, had a 27.5'' vertical and a 9'3'' standing reach.

Another example is Lucas Noguiera (largely recognized as an athletic big when he was drafted), had a 9'6'' standing reach and a 28'' vertical within one month of his 20th birthday. He was 220 pounds and 7'0''.

Or Gobert had a 9'7'' standing reach and a 29'' vertical as a 21 year old. He was 7'2'' and 238.

Or Hawes had a 9'2'' standing reach and a 29'' vertical as a 19 year old. He was 7'1'' and 244.

Bender needs to develop feel and timing. He had it against guys his own age. He had it in moments against grown men in a solid foreign league. He has to adjust to bigger, faster, and more athletic players in the NBA.

Nice try. He cant jump like hawes

Gobert btw doesnt have to jump

Sanders is above the rim

Lucas can leap with some time to gather

Clearly your opinion trumps the combine numbers.

Bender is in the same athletic category as every one of those guys, including length and vertical. Except he is at 1/2 year, 1 1/2 years, 2 1/2 years, and 3 1/2 years younger than them.

The only difference is that he is obviously faster than each of them.

You know who was "quick" before needing to bulk up to handle nba frontcourt players?

Tyler Zeller

Bender wont be as quick once he adds the weight to handle the nba grind (though he sounds reluctant to want to bulk up)

Sounds like he follows his own rules or something.

He is positionless

[kraidstar]

Really Bender seems more like a very tall SF to me, a bigger version of Andrei Kirilenko or Tayshaun Prince. In today's NBA though those guys might have played a lot more minutes at the PF.

In the past he would have been considered too thin to be a good big man in the NBA, but the landscape does seem to be changing a bit. That might work to his advantage, as his opposition might be similarly more perimeter-oriented and lightweight.

[PhoSita]

(a) Tyler Zeller is still quick for a center. That and his hands are his best attributes.

(b) If Tyler Zeller could shoot threes and move his feet like a small forward he'd be really, really good.