On Defense
I actually think that Bender’s defense would help him to find the energy and confidence to play better on offense. Sometimes one feeds into the other and if Bender were placed on opponents who expend a lot of energy on their offensive end, then he will bring that energy to his own offensive end as well.
What I mean by this is simple: not that he gets bored playing defense, but he’s not necessarily given important defensive assignments. He has shown that he has the lateral movement to stay in front of even guards, he has the height to defend centers, and he has the intellectual instinct and wherewithal to not swipe at the ball arbitrarily and recklessly racking up fouls that place him on the bench early.
This season, per-36 minutes, Bender is averaging 2.7 personal fouls, far below the 4.6 that he averaged last season. We have all seen him too, stiff as a board and hands to the sky, standing in front of bigger opponents, not swiping, and then perfectly in position for rebounds.
I’m not proposing that he should be put on Karl Anthony-Towns, Tyson Chandler is still a beast on the defensive end. But regardless of who the Suns are playing, giving him the responsibility of taking on one of the better scorers on the opposing team could both give him the confidence on that end that will spread to his offensive game, while also giving him additional energy that may trickle over to the offense end as well.
Certainly I hope that I am not too much of a Dragan Bender believer that I am not seeing the flaws in his game. I do, and I am not expecting him to become Kristaps Porzingis over night, if ever. However, I cannot help but see several aspects of his game that are negatively effected by usage that if turned in his favor would actually open things up for the better in a way that we have yet to see.
Offensively he can shoot – why not get him more shots? Defensively he is both intelligent and capable – why not give him greater responsibility?
Next: With Devin Booker out, this is Josh Jackson's Time to Shine
Bender has a long ways to go before he is a mainstay in the offense and a must have in the starting lineup. But for a kid who does have the capability to pull off many of those aspects that makes one a Unicorn, why not use this season (and particularly this period with Devin Booker out) to flesh out those qualities and talents, exploit them, give him greater confidence on the court, and see if the development process cannot be sped up somewhat, not only making Bender a better player, but the team as well?
Dragan Bender is being held back.
It’s time to Release the Dragan.