The Phoenix Suns and fans knew Dragan Bender would be a project, but it’s more than fair to expect some progress from the European big in his second season.
Depending on rotations and minutes played by starters, the preseason can tell fans a little or a lot. With the Phoenix Suns that is no exception. There has been some encouraging play from several Suns’ players so far. However, if the preseason has told fans anything, it’s that to expect another mediocre year from second year big man Dragan Bender.
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Before diving to far into this, let it be clear that this isn’t at all saying that Bender is going to be a bust. However, it is pretty evident in the three preseason games thus far that he will not reach his potential this season. Instead of expecting Bender to have a breakout season, it is more than likely fans will see him have very minor improvements in several areas of his game.
In the three preseason games Bender has averaged 23.3 minutes, 2.3 points, 6.3 rebounds and1.3 assists per game while shooting 15 percent from the floor. The only encouraging stat lines are his rebounding and making all three of his free throws in the preseason. One other thing that Bender did that was impressive was being able to bring the ball up after he rebounded it.
If he can continue to develop the skill to start the fast break, then the Suns will be truly blessed. It’s evident that there are flashes of potential, but he is still too raw at this point.
The only way he is going to get better is if he gets more playing time, of which the Suns have plenty. He is still the primary back up at power forward and should see third string minutes at center due to the Alan Williams injury.
Honestly, the best place for Bender to gain experience isn’t with the Phoenix Suns, but rather their G-League affiliate the Northern Arizona Suns. There, he would be allowed to get more playing time and be eased into playing against players with NBA talent.
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Phoenix Suns’ fans shouldn’t expect a break from Bender. However, there should be a small expectation to see minor improvements in several areas. Hopefully, fans can see more as the preseason and regular season progress.