Milwaukee Bucks: Dragan Bender could be the wildcard in 2019-20

Dragan Bender could be a wildcard contributor for the Milwaukee Bucks, if he can turn around his career with the team in the 2019-20 season.

With their final open roster spot heading into the 2019-20 season, the Milwaukee Bucks opted to take a gamble on Dragan Bender.

A fourth overall pick in the 2016 NBA Draft, Bender failed to find any real success or consistency in his time with the Phoenix Suns. With a winning culture and more stable supporting structure in place, though, the Bucks have every reason to believe he could yet become a low-cost gem for them, though.

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When the Phoenix Suns drafted Bender, a 7’1″ Croatian big man, back in 2016, he was expected to bring a great combination of shooting and rebounding to the Suns at a time when the league had evolved to create an incredible desire for skilled bigs who could stretch the floor.

In hindsight, that draft class produced some valuable talent across the board after the Bender pick, including the likes of Pascal Siakam, Jamal Murray, Domantas Sabonis, Malcolm Brogdon, Buddy Hield, and Caris LeVert. There may not be a glorified superstar yet from that draft, but there are plenty of potential All-Stars, Sixth Man of the Year candidates, and a Most Improved Award winner.

Bender certainly doesn’t fit that bill yet, but he has also been a part of an incredibly unstable franchise in his first three seasons with the Suns. For proof of just how unstable it was, look no further than the infamous tweet from Bender’s former Suns teammate, and current Buck Eric Bledsoe.

The Suns were at the bottom of the Western Conference every year since Bender arrived there. Phoenix was not even looking close to being competitive in most games, and many of the games were simply the Devin Booker show. Their win totals while Dragan Bender was there were 26, 21, and 19. These were abysmal returns for a Suns franchise stuck in rebuild mode.

On top of lackluster team play, Bender also had three different coaches in all three seasons in Phoenix. This changes the offensive and defensive schemes each season for an 18 to 21-year-old raw NBA talent. How can you expect him develop under such instability? The Suns did not seem to have a goal in mind, and arguably still don’t in their ongoing rebuild.

Bender never seemed to find a role or a rhythm over the course of his rookie contract in Phoenix. And he never acquired consistent minutes in any of the three seasons. Undoubtedly, part of that responsibility falls on the player, but it also reflects poorly on Phoenix’s development of one of their more valuable young assets.

Bender’s averages in Phoenix were 5.3 points, 3.2 rebounds, 1.2 assists on an average of 20.3 minutes per game. If you were the head coach in Phoenix, particularly as the Suns were often mired at the bottom of the West, wouldn’t you think to give your previous fourth overall pick more minutes so he could potentially develop?

It is also worth noting that Bender did have ankle surgery in the latter half of his rookie campaign. Ankle injuries always seem to linger, which is especially held true for big men. Could this have altered and permanently set back Bender’s development? Possibly, but I think with the right development staff, trainers, team culture, and coaching that could also have been negated.

All of this combined so that before signing with the Milwaukee Bucks this summer, Bender was reported to be signing with CSKA Moscow to play professional basketball in Russia. That move seems to suggest that either Bender had lost confidence in his own ability to be successful in the NBA, or that the NBA had lost confidence in him after just three years.

Of course, that changed when the Bucks decided to take a chance to turnaround Bender’s career. The contract coming in at two years for around $3.5 million makes it a very low risk, high reward deal for the Bucks, and even more so given it includes frequent partial guarantee dates that mean the Bucks can cut ties sooner and at a lower cost if they wish.

Bender, though, is now coming into Milwaukee with a chance at winning an NBA ring without any high expectations surrounding him like he did in Phoenix. The culture on this Bucks team, going back to last year, is built on great camaraderie, and the players seem to have a strong bond with one another. The Bucks looked like they were having fun while winning a lot of games. That’s the perfect formula for a successful team, and I would assume they have welcomed Bender on to the team with open arms.

Another thing to note in terms of the environment being tailor-made for Bender to help find his feet in the NBA is that Bender has some familiarity with the aforementioned Eric Bledsoe. A familiar face will help in its own right, but so should considering the improvements and accolades Bledsoe has been able to make since moving on from the Suns.

All of this into to predict that Bender will not have a crazy season, earning Most Improved votes, or averaging more than 10 points, but I do think he will play a lot better and more consistently than in his previous three years. Bender showed flashes of his talent as a member of the Suns, but just never seemed to really get going consistently. There’s every reason to believe the Bucks can change that.

The Bucks have so many tools and positive influencers to help with his game. Coach Budenholzer will bring out the best of him and put him in successful situations. Giannis Antetokounmpo, the reigning MVP, will no doubt help him to establish a more consistent all-around ball game. Kyle Korver and Khris Middleton can help him to develop a consistent jump shot. The Bucks seem to have a coaching staff that really has figured out how to develop raw NBA talent and untapped potential as well.

In his first three preseason games with the Bucks, Bender has been playing really well, with his averages coming in at 13.3 points, 5.3 rebounds, 2.3 assists, and 2.0 blocks in 17.3 minutes of game time. Shooting splits of .583/.545/.750 don’t hurt either. If Bender can produce close to that in the regular season, he will blow away all expectations as a Buck. Even him playing at that kind of level in more limited opportunity could be a really positive boost for both Bender and the Bucks.

Dragan Bender will most likely begin the season deep on the bench, if not even logging DNPs. He will probably see most of his time come during blowouts or when Milwaukee’s starters get load management days, but who knows what his role will be by the time the All-Star break passes.

Could Bender be someone that readily contributes to the Bucks on a game to game basis? Time will tell and the experience will undoubtedly be exciting to watch. But based on the early glimpses in preseason, and his long-held potential, Bender certainly shouldn’t be written off just yet.