Phoenix Suns: Setting Expectations For Dragan Bender

The Good

At 7’2″, Dragan Bender certainly has the height and length to play the center position. But what made him such a tantalizing draft prospect was not just his size, but his perimeter-oriented skill set that has drawn comparisons to Toni Kukoc and Kristaps Porzingis.

On the offensive end, Bender is a good enough ball handler for his size, but it’s his passing ability and three-point touch that had teams intrigued. Though he hardly got enough playing time with Maccabi Tel Aviv to show it off, this young Croatian is not afraid to let it fly from three-point range.

On the defensive end, Bender has the foot speed and defensive instincts to stick with smaller players, which gives him the versatility to play the power forward spot as well. With such a diverse skill set for a seven-footer, Bender’s sky high ceiling is the reason Phoenix eagerly took him with the fourth overall pick.

The Suns are trying to stretch Bender’s versatility to its limit, playing him out of position at the 3 in the hopes that he’ll be able to spread the floor, act as a secondary playmaker on the wing, and avoid being outmuscled on the interior by stronger 4s and 5s until he can bulk up.

Eventually, Bender will be properly identified as a stretch-4 or stretch-5, ideally once he builds chemistry with Alex Len and/or Marquese Chriss to the point that the Suns can depend on one of those two frontcourt duos for the extended future.

For now though, Bender has shown a few glimpses of his potential in NBA Summer League, the Suns’ intra-squad scrimmage and their first two preseason games — especially when he’s logged time at the 4 or the 5.

In the team’s first preseason game against the San Antonio Spurs, Bender also showcased his playmaking ability, pump-faking on an open corner three on a fast break, driving baseline past the defender who came flying at him, and dishing to an open Alan Williams underneath the basket when the help arrived. Williams was fouled and went to the free throw line.

These are very limited samples for a player who’s largely struggled in the preseason, but they’re encouraging nonetheless. Perhaps just as important, Bender appears to fit in with the kind of culture the Suns are trying to build.

“He’s very mature and professional in the way he handles criticism, challenges and also success,” Watson said. “So we appreciate having those guys and a big part of our draft was actually drafting guys with high character.”