Milwaukee Bucks: Dragan Bender proving a seamless fit defensively

Getting his chance in recent games, Dragan Bender has slotted in seamlessly to the Milwaukee Bucks’ league-best defensive system.

As young players try to find their footing in the NBA, achieving any level of competence and consistency on the defensive end is frequently one of the biggest obstacles that stands in their way of regular minutes.

With the Milwaukee Bucks boasting the league’s best defense for the second season running, and their eyes firmly set on winning it all this June, that issue is likely even more pressing on Mike Budenholzer’s team.

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As Donte DiVincenzo has flourished this season, his effectiveness defensively has been crucial in earning the trust of the coaching staff and his teammates, and then giving him the kind of playing time that can lead to offensive improvements too.

That’s a template that should certainly be in the mind of Dragan Bender at this point, particularly given his own recent break in the rotation in recent games.

Buoyed by outstanding play in the G League with the Wisconsin Herd, and assisted by illness sidelining Robin Lopez, Bender has had the opportunity to play meaningful minutes, and offered plenty of positive glimpses of what he could be for the Bucks over the remainder of the season and beyond.

My co-site expert Jordan Treske observed that Bender’s patience has paid off in terms of him getting this chance to play, but it’s the manner in which he’s shining that’s truly piqued my attention.

Bender’s 44.4 percent from deep may catch the eye most readily for many, even at a tiny sample of 13 minutes per game over seven contests. Encouraging on that front is Bender’s 42.6 percent shooting on 6.1 triple attempts per game in his 10 G League outings.

It’s Bender’s work on the opposite end that will afford him the opportunity to prove those percentages can hold up, though.

Where many Bucks big men have failed in recent years — looking at you, Thon Maker —Bender is thriving. The 19-year-old has incredible size at his disposal, but it’s the fact that he is also showing good positional awareness and exemplary discipline that really raises his ceiling on that end.

Bender can gamble and make plays given his mobility and quick hands, but he has clearly watched Brook Lopez, and Robin, closely, got reps in a similar system with the Herd, and fully bought into the role of a Bucks’ big in this scheme.

Even adjusted per 36 minutes, Bender’s tally of 2.0 blocks wouldn’t do justice to his influence in protecting the rim. A legitimate seven-footer with a phenomenal 9’3″ standing reach, Bender has used his verticality in textbook fashion to disrupt opponents at the basket in his limited run with the Bucks so far.

There’s undoubtedly a need to be wary of the sample, but the Bucks have won all seven games Bender has played in, and their defensive rating of 94.6 with him on the court is even better than the stellar marks posted by regular rotation cogs such as DiVincenzo, Sterling Brown, and potential Defensive Player of the Year Giannis Antetokounmpo.

The return to health of Robin Lopez will certainly eat into Bender’s minutes, but as Dan Larsen recently laid out, the Croatian international’s progress may well prove to be particularly bad news for D.J. Wilson.

Next. Bucks approaching historic pre All-Star break win total. dark

Already, Bender has earned the right to be a more consistent fixture in the Bucks’ active, gameday roster. If the opportunities keep coming, he may yet earn an even bigger role before the year is out too.

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