Dragan Bender (1997, 6’10”, SF/PF, KK Split, Croatia)
Dragan BenderStanding 6’10” he has a great combination of height and mobility that makes him a mismatch nightmare at this level of competition. He’s a bit skinny, but his structure is solid and he will put on weight, especially in the upper body, quite easily. He has amazing passing skills and instincts for his size and position, he plays as offensive facilitator of his team, showing great court vision. He’s able to create from the dribble, for himself and the teammates, with some glimpses of pure talent, especially assists. Anyway his ball handling skills need improvement, adding consistency and confidence to his fundamentals. He has also good spacing and game comprehension, also showing a great attitude on the defensive side. He’s a solid rebounder and a good shot blocker, with timing. He needs to work on his shot, especially the mechanics, which is currently rather weak. He also needs to improve his post game, in order to better exploit mismatches that his height cangenerate against other small forwards.
Bender is a prospect with huge ceiling, at 16 years old his development is yet to be completed, and his mobility could allow him to become even better than Dario Saric.