Still standing as an unfinished project heading into his fourth year, new Milwaukee Bucks big man Dragan Bender‘s potential on the defensive end could be a useful way for him to earn minutes and stick around through next season.
In an offseason that was primarily directed toward finding capable reinforcements in an effort to contend for next season’s NBA title, the Milwaukee Bucks’ pickup of Croatian big man Dragan Bender stands as something of an exception.
After hitting the open market this summer following the end of his frustrating three-year stint with the Phoenix Suns, the fourth overall pick from the 2016 NBA Draft was, by all accounts, ready for a fresh start elsewhere in the NBA.
More from Bucks News
- Bucks 2023-24 player profile: Can MarJon Beauchamp take a leap?
- Piecing together the Milwaukee Bucks’ dream starting 5 in 5 years
- Predicting Thanasis Antetokounmpo’s 2023-24 stats for the Bucks
- Grade the trade: Bucks land reputable backup guard in swap with Pacers
- New workout video should have Milwaukee Bucks fans excited
That pursuit didn’t come easy initially as Bender had originally committed to a deal with reigning EuroLeague champs, CSKA Moscow, before the Bucks swooped in to bring in the 21-year-old to fill out their 15-man roster late last month.
While Bender still remains in the NBA at the moment, the Bucks did plenty of work on their own end to insure themselves of some level of flexibility, in the event that Bender doesn’t find his footing in his new surroundings.
Whether that will end up motivating the fourth-year big man will stand as a key storyline throughout the Bucks’ training camp and preseason, all of which is set to tip off late next month.
With all that said, there’s certainly a reason why the Bucks were willing to take on a flyer and offer some guaranteed money to bring Bender on to their roster and fight for a spot to make next year’s team, even as his early career performance hasn’t come close to matching the hype surrounding him upon entering the NBA a little more than three years ago.
As sketchy as that outline may be right now in terms of Bender standing as a capable contributor down the line, especially offensively, it’s on the defensive end where he might have the best route of making a good impression to extend his stint in Milwaukee going into the start of next season.
Standing at 7’1 as well as possessing a 7’2″ wingspan and a 9’3″ standing reach, Bender possesses the size and physical tools needed to earn minutes at the center position on the Bucks’ depth chart. That will already stand as a big change as Bender was often miscast as a forward throughout his time in desert, though 43 percent of Bender’s 776 total minutes last season did come at the 5-spot, per Cleaning the Glass.
Some of that can be drawn to Bender’s strength disadvantages, the fact that he possesses good mobility to warrant some minutes at the 4 or just Phoenix’s horrid development staff that has struggled to find respectable pieces around star guard Devin Booker (all of the above is certainly in play too). That won’t be the case now that Bender has come to Milwaukee to play under a highly regarded staff that’s helmed by reigning NBA Coach of the Year, Mike Budenholzer.
Playing the vast majority of his minutes at the center spot will be the best usage to unlock Bender’s still very raw skill set and there are already some promising indications of how he can make an impact on that side of the floor as a rim protecting big man.
Just last year, Bender tallied a 55.9 defended field goal percentage on shot attempts taken within six feet on the floor, which stood as a stark difference to the 63 percent from the field that opponents converted on the Suns last year. Additionally, Bender’s length and closeout speed rated well in him contesting shots as he averaged 6.8 contested shots per game.
Rounding it all out, Bender has made incremental strides cleaning up on the glass, considering he posted 6.5 defensive rebounds per 36 minutes and logged a 20.3 defensive rebounding percentage last year.
On the flip side, Bender’s interior defending and improved rebounding output did very little to influence his former squad defensively, judging by the 112.7 defensive rating he logged within the league’s second-worst defensive unit last season.
Like all things when it comes to Bender, the biggest challenge in rating his NBA prospects at this stage is discerning where his shortcomings end and where the failings of the Suns’ perpetual rebuild begin. Somewhere in the middle is where the answer lies and the Bucks intend on finding that out in the coming weeks and months before the start of the 2019-20 campaign.
It’s all why, now with the weight of being viewed as something of a franchise savior off his broad shoulders, rediscovering his game while on assignment with the Wisconsin Herd may be the best use of Bender initially, should he make the final roster going into next season.
But there’s still some time before we get to that point and Bender must prove first to the Bucks’ coaching staff and key decision makers that the player many envisioned him being not that long ago is still within himself after enduring many twists and turns.