You know who Bender reminds me of. Even his lack of stats to go by (both players had incomplete stats to go by prior to the draft)
Nikoloz Tskitishvili - 5th overall pick - Denver Nuggets (and we all know what happened to him)
2002 Scouting Report:
Strengths: Offensively there isn’t much Tskitishvili can’t do he is a versatile scorer capable of shooting from the outside or slashing in the lane ... Has great size for his position at 6-11 there isn’t many small forwards he won’t be able to shoot over ... Prefers to set-up his offense by receiving the ball out on the perimeter where he is a threat to penetrate or shoot from 18 ft out ... Due to his long arms he has shown the ability to be a adequate shot-blocker thanks to his long arms and decent leaping ability ... Runs the floor extremely well and is blessed with great agility ... Has excellent court vision and shows some above average passing skills ... Handles the ball very well for a player his size and is decently quick when doing a move off the dribble ... Owns great touch around the basket when getting the ball down low ... Tskitishvili is a competent rebounder thanks to his solid leaping ability and positioning when under the boards ... Plays well when under pressure due to his confidence and competitiveness ... Has loads of potential something which will drive his stock come draft day ... Solid free throw shooter ... Unlike many young players his age his is blessed with a great sense of the game that simply can’t be taught .
Tskitishvili highlights (7 ft player, nice wingspan, Mobile, Not quick off the ground nor can jump high like bender, mechanical jump shot, can drive in/pass)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bsdUPklY5hc
Nice find. That's certainly a bit concerning how similar the reports are.
However, you can't read too much into it because Pau Gasols scouting report is also eerily similar. Furthermore, that report you quoted lists work ethic and overconfidence as weaknesses and Bender seems to be the opposite. when comparing busts I would think the weaknesses are far more relevant than the strengths.
Gasol had the stats prior to the draft that didn't make you feel uneasy
Tskitishvili and Bender share the "mysterious lack of stats" prior to the draft. And they share quite a bit of similarities(face value) as 7ft tall PFs by position with SF skills. Mobile, long
Tskitishvili could not box out against NBA calibre pfs during his time in the NBA. He really struggled to let his strengths shine vs getting his weaknesses exposed. Its the same thing that is happening with Mirotic. He has become an off the bench 3 pt specialist vs how well he was playing in Europe
Interesting thought.
The word uneasy I think is perfect.
Anyone who is sold on Bender, I think needs to reevaluate. There simply isnt enough info to be sold on the guy. There also isnt enough info to condemn the guy.
The two things that make Bender different are his work ethic/character and his defense specifically on the perimeter. Those are two things that if Bender actually has (and theres no way to really verify this untill Danny gets him in a gym) really raise up his floor and make him less of a risk. Mirotic you have to also keep in mind, is not a defensive player at all.
As for Sabonis, I see him as a really nice Sully replacement. I dont think he has quite the natural talent Sully had, but he could be a nice injuryless fatless Sullinger. I could see him being like an improved version of rookie Sully (which would be a very nice player) I just dont really want to use our Nets pick on that player. Now if we do something like trade the 3rd pick to Denver for Nurkic and 7 or something like that then Im less against taking Sabonis.