2016 NBA Draft: Top 10 International Prospects

Dragan Bender, a professional Croatian basketball player currently playing for Maccabi Tel Aviv in the Israeli Basketball Super League attends a training session at the Menora Mivtachim Arena in Tel Aviv on March 16, 2016.Bender's name is not yet well known beyond hardcore basketball fans, but that may soon change. Bender is expected to be highly sought after by US professional basketball teams in the coming months. / AFP / JACK GUEZ (Photo credit should read JACK GUEZ/AFP/Getty Images) /

2 of 11

TREVISO, ITALY – JUNE 07: Dragan Bender in action during the adidas Eurocamp at La Ghirada sports center on June 7, 2015 in Treviso, Italy. (Photo by Roberto Serra/Iguana Press/Getty Images) /

Dragan Bender, Croatia

Position: Power Forward
Age: 18 (11/17/1997)
Height, Weight, Wingspan: 7’0.5″, 216 pounds, 7’2″
Slash Line: .425/.362/.719
Season Averages: 12.3 MPG, 4.3 PPG, 2.3 RPG, 0.8 ORPG, 0.7 APG, 0.8 BPG, 0.7 3PM

The No. 1 international prospect in the 2016 NBA Draft is also one of the Top 3 overall players in this class: Dragan Bender. He’s been on the radar since he debuted professionally at the age of 15, and has progressively checked the boxes on scouts’ list of expectations.

Bender may or may not become an NBA superstar, but he certainly has the raw ability to be a starter for years on end.

Per Jacob Eisenbeg of DraftExpress, Bender patterns his game after three players: Toni Kukoc, Nikola Mirotic, and Dirk Nowitzki. All three are giants of European basketball, possessing a unique combination of offensive gifts that create rare versatility.

In Kukoc and Mirotic’s respective cases, it enabled positional versatility.

That’s what makes Bender such an intriguing player; at 7’1″, there’s a legitimate possibility that he could spot minutes at small forward. He’s not an elite athlete, but he’s smooth and fluid, can play above the rim, and excels at putting the ball on the floor.

Bender will make his living at the 4, but the fact that we’re even debating whether or not he can play the 3 is a testament to how remarkably well-rounded a player he is.

Enigmatic as he may be to the general population, Bender is safely considered to be a Top 3 overall prospect and the No. 1 international player in the 2016 NBA Draft.

Next: 3-and-D Potential

Home/NBA Draft