2018 NBA Summer League: 5 biggest disappointments

2. Dragan Bender

If Josh Jackson was disappointing in his approach and production in NBA Summer League, at least there are no doubts he is an NBA player. The same cannot be said for fellow Phoenix Suns youngster Dragan Bender, who enters his third NBA season looking like he just might not belong.

The promise was there coming into the 2016 NBA Draft, where the Suns selected Bender fourth overall in the hopes he could be that ever-so-rare unicorn big man, spacing the floor and protecting the rim. Like his fellow 2016 lottery teammate Marquese Chriss, Bender has been unable to turn potential into production.

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As a third-year player in Las Vegas, one would expect that Bender stand out, with conditioning and experience that only come from being an NBA player for two seasons. Instead the Croatian center looked downright lost at times, unsure of where to be on the court. When he had the ball he was as likely to give it up as attempt to do something with it.

When Bender did shoot he was not successful, hitting just 37 percent on only 35 total shots across five games. He could not average even half of an assist, steal or block per game. What he did average were turnovers, tallying 11 total to just two assists. His shot looked hitched and hesitant, his dribble was not tight, and overall he looked like a player not prepared for primetime.

The Suns have not and should not give up on Bender, as there may still be something there waiting to be unlocked. But the clock is ticking for the young player — still just 20 years old — to show he belongs.