Dragan Bender

[Smartacus]

*Obligatory too early to discuss the *16 draft disclaimer*

Getting in on the ground floor on Dragan Bender. Think this guy has everything your looking for in an NBA big man. Legit size, mobile, strong post game, nose for the ball. Up until his current competetion he seems to have a strong sense of recognizing open space to get shots off. Good Shooter with strong lift and from on his 3 ball. Excellent(IMO) outlet passer, seems like he's been coached to be a team first player.

https://youtu.be/Jee_t14EU8U

https://youtu.be/Qurn1LIowK0

I'm predicting top 5 pick at this point and his pro player comp... I see Kevin McHale.

[Evantime34]

Not really impressed by that youtube video. He is dribble driving by slow bigs and posting up smaller defenders. In the NBA he won't be strong enough to post up smaller defenders and the bigs will be quicker/more able to close out on him.

I think he is a good prospect but there are about 5 other guys I'd rather have than him.

[Smartacus]

Not really impressed by that youtube video. He is dribble driving by slow bigs and posting up smaller defenders. In the NBA he won't be strong enough to post up smaller defenders and the bigs will be quicker/more able to close out on him.

I think he is a good prospect but there are about 5 other guys I'd rather have than him.

Not really too enamored with most of the prospects yet. Of them I'd probably have
Skal
Ben Simmons
Jaylen Brown
Dragon Bender
Jamaal Murray
Malik Newman
Brandon Ingram
Malik Pope

Jamaal Murray probably has a good chance to leap him. Brandon Ingram might be a bit too sleepy, maybe a case of Jeff Green syndrome.

[willyd24]

With the Nets looking so bad this year, I've been looking at some NBA Mock Drafts and Dragan Bender keeps popping up in the Top 5 of many of them. From what I've gathered he is from Croatia, 7'1, and he's only 17 years old (turns 18 this month). Does anyone know anything about how this kid plays? If you were the Celtics would you consider drafting him?

[PhoSita]

Willy, I've watched some video of Dragan and he's kind of similar to Danilo Gallinari, only he's taller, and at this point, much more athletic.

Similar as a prospect to Kristaps Porzingis.  Probably higher offensive potential, not quite the same defensive potential.

I like Dragan.

Especially with the potential for lots of Bender memes, not to mention the similarity of his first name to the word "Dragon."

[Smartacus]

At this point, we're as wait and see with him as we are with the NCAA prospects. Not only do we need to see more footage against legitimate Euro competition but it'll also be good to see how fares in the athletic testing.

My current read on him is that he's long, quick and decisive. Absolutely agree with Pho's assessment on him being something like a more offensively polished Kristaps Porzingis with a lower defensive ceiling.

A big factor for us potentially drafting him could be whether or not Kelly Olynyk take's a significant leap this year. Think they have a similar skill set, unless Bender pull off the often tried rarely successful 7 foot SF, the two of them could be a bit redundant together in the front court.

[GetLucky]

I'd be excited to see the "Dragon Bender" battle "Kristaps Porzingod" in the next great Celtics-Knicks rivalry.

[PhoSita]

At this point, we're as wait and see with him as we are with the NCAA prospects. Not only do we need to see more footage against legitimate Euro competition but it'll also be good to see how fares in the athletic testing.

My current read on him is that he's long, quick and decisive. Absolutely agree with Pho's assessment on him being something like a more offensively polished Kristaps Porzingis with a lower defensive ceiling.

A big factor for us potentially drafting him could be whether or not Kelly Olynyk take's a significant leap this year. Think they have a similar skill set, unless Bender pull off the often tried rarely successful 7 foot SF, the two of them could be a bit redundant together in the front court.

I highly, highly doubt Kelly Olynyk is gonna do anything this year that would make the Celts change their priorities when looking at draft prospects in the top 10.  Kelly isn't blocking anybody from taking a starting spot if they've got that kind of talent.

[kozlodoev]

I'd be excited to see the "Dragon Bender" battle "Kristaps Porzingod" in the next great Celtics-Knicks rivalry.

Yes, how often can you watch someone who can bend dragons?

[The One]

https://youtu.be/U0Epg_sBZq4

New video from two days ago.

I don't know...I'm liking this cat.  I think he's going to be special.

Very tall and athletic with some skills.

[Csfan1984]

I see him as a better defender than offensive player actually. A guy with very advance basketball IQ and awareness. For an 18 year old he has good physical tools that can develop to mid NBA levels but don't see it becoming elite upper NBA. He is not in Porzingis level on either side of the floor in terms of skill but he is two years younger so it's not even comparable right now. 20-25 years of age and you get an idea of a players game for their career. 28-31 they tend to really tune in their shooting and become very crafty. To judge a guys offense or defense at 18 is very hard which is why there are so many bust picks in the draft. I can see him not declaring if he doesn't project top 5 at end of the year.

[wiley]

Willy, I've watched some video of Dragan and he's kind of similar to Danilo Gallinari, only he's taller, and at this point, much more athletic.

Similar as a prospect to Kristaps Porzingis.  Probably higher offensive potential, not quite the same defensive potential.

I like Dragan.

Especially with the potential for lots of Bender memes, not to mention the similarity of his first name to the word "Dragon."

How does Bender do his scoring?  Porzingis looks like a lock to be very good offensively.  Incredibly smooth shooting stroke.  And then the dream shake, etc...  I know nothing about Bender so I'd be curious to here if he's more of an outside shooter, mixed offense, etc..

[wiley]

Not really impressed by that youtube video. He is dribble driving by slow bigs and posting up smaller defenders. In the NBA he won't be strong enough to post up smaller defenders and the bigs will be quicker/more able to close out on him.

I think he is a good prospect but there are about 5 other guys I'd rather have than him.

This was my initial reaction too.  But that's only to say I think he'll need more time before he's ready.   I think Porzingis, for whatever reason, is way ahead of him. Porzingis is a rare cat in that he's already ready to bang against NBA bigs at such a young age, which may be one reason he's seen as having excellent defensive upside.  I think Bender might need two more years before we can start to evaluate whether he has a shot to be as good as Porzingis.

[PhoSita]

Willy, I've watched some video of Dragan and he's kind of similar to Danilo Gallinari, only he's taller, and at this point, much more athletic.

Similar as a prospect to Kristaps Porzingis.  Probably higher offensive potential, not quite the same defensive potential.

I like Dragan.

Especially with the potential for lots of Bender memes, not to mention the similarity of his first name to the word "Dragon."

How does Bender do his scoring?  Porzingis looks like a lock to be very good offensively.  Incredibly smooth shooting stroke.  And then the dream shake, etc...  I know nothing about Bender so I'd be curious to here if he's more of an outside shooter, mixed offense, etc..

I'm just going on YouTube videos I've seen of him, so who really knows, but Bender seems like more of an isolator / driver than Korzingis.  He reminds me of Danilo Gallinari.  Whereas Porzingis is like some weird 7'3'' hybrid of Dirk Nowitzki and Andrei Kirilenko.

[Evantime34]

Not really impressed by that youtube video. He is dribble driving by slow bigs and posting up smaller defenders. In the NBA he won't be strong enough to post up smaller defenders and the bigs will be quicker/more able to close out on him.

I think he is a good prospect but there are about 5 other guys I'd rather have than him.

This was my initial reaction too.  But that's only to say I think he'll need more time before he's ready.   I think Porzingis, for whatever reason, is way ahead of him. Porzingis is a rare cat in that he's already ready to bang against NBA bigs at such a young age, which may be one reason he's seen as having excellent defensive upside.  I think Bender might need two more years before we can start to evaluate whether he has a shot to be as good as Porzingis.

It's funny because I wrote this in December and forgot about it.

This week I watched the draftexpress video on Bender and liked him a lot more.

He seems raw as a scorer, but considering his length I am really impressed with how fluidly he moves. He is a lot more fluid than Porzingis, able to bend his knees and stay in front of guards on the perimeter. His passing indicates a high basketball IQ. Bender seems to have all the tools to be an elite player.