The more I watch of this kid, the more I'm impressed.
For his size he's very, very quick. Spins, cuts and side to side I'm not sure I've seen anyone bigger who is that quick. When you watch that video everyone else looks like they are moving in slow motion. That's really impressive. His stroke looks nice and fluid. He needs to put on about 30 pounds but given his age it's no wonder he doesn't have his "man strength" yet. If he truly is a gym rat then there's massive upside.
I know it may sound a bit strange but I think he may have an advantage of some other foreign-born players. He's already been uprooted numerous times and his command of English is excellent. His transition may be easier than it was for some.
Of course, you have to be careful of the Porzingis effect. Yi Jianlian rode the Yao effect to good measure when he got drafted. Of course, the similarities end there. Yi was far older than claimed when he was drafted (22 or 23 rather than the 19 he said he was) and that shows his lack of character. He was drafted by the Bucks (his agent told them not to draft him) and according to all accounts he was lazy (supposedly even Yao criticized him in the Chinese media). I don't see those same concerns with Bender.
If Bender truly is a gym rat, the Cs would be an ideal place for him to wind up. Stevens already has a role carved out for KO that Bender would also fill and with guys like IT, Smart, Crowder and Bradley around Bender would see what hard work really is. Assuming Sullinger leaves then there's playing time available if he's hungry enough to seize it. I wonder if the Cs would overpay Pau Gasol to come in for two years to (1) start and (2) act as a mentor to Bender.
