10 young NBA players in need of a breakout season in 2018-19
8. Dragan Bender, Phoenix Suns
Dragan Bender isn’t approaching free agency next summer. He’s played a grand total of 125 games in his NBA career, and he won’t turn 21 until November. So what gives? How can he already be on this list?
The fact that he’s a fourth overall pick who’s done squat in his first two years in the league puts pressure on him entering year 3. So does the Phoenix Suns‘ desire to accelerate the Timeline and start getting help for Devin Booker. So does the arrival of a new head coach, Bender’s three disappointing stints in NBA Summer League and the clear message the Marquese Chriss trade sends.
That message? You were the raw project we decided to keep for now, but if you don’t step up, you could be next. Bender is still young, has plenty of two-way upside and even shot 36.6 percent from deep last year. If the Suns don’t work out, someone will pick him up and try to mold him. Even so, this is a huge season for Bender to prove he belongs as part of the rebuild in the desert.