Five reasons Dragan Bender is turning the corner

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MINNEAPOLIS, MN – DECEMBER 16: Dragan Bender #35 of the Phoenix Suns shoots the ball against the Minnesota Timberwolves on December 16, 2017 at Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2017 NBAE (Photo by David Sherman/NBAE via Getty Images) /

His individual fadeaway aside, Bender’s 3-point shooting too has improved, and at a clip that would make one believe that he could very easily being on the way to some serious improvement in that category, not only helping to better space the offense, but to also extend his game beyond the range of the close in shot. His outside shooting too would add a superior dimension to his game that would even make the fadeaway seem like a secondary shot in a wide-range of offensive moves.

So far this season Bender is shooting a fantastic 37.8% from beyond the arc – over 10% better than his rookie season. 43 players in the NBA listed at 7’0″ or taller have made an appearance so far this season. Of those, 32 have attempted a 3-pointer. Of those eight who have attempted at least 100 3-pointers, Bender has the 4th best 3-point percentage.

Bender has made multiple 3’s in a game 13 times already in 33 games, and has only gone oh-for 10 times on the year. He has made at least 3 four times, and set a career-high of 5 on December 16 and has made at least 1 in five straight games. In the month of December he is currently shooting 40.5% from beyond the arc.

Bender has the skills and size to be much more than a spot-up outside shooting big who stretches the floor for the guards. While players like Channing Frye have similar size and height and never really matured into more of an offensive threat that a stretch-4, Bender has shown that if cultivated and encouraged, his outside shooting can be a supplement to an overall far more polished offensive game.

That being said, with the strides that he has made thus far this season in his 3-point shooting, if that category alone can continue to improve, there is no reason why he cannot eventually become a consistent 40% 3-point shooter, a stat that would place him in a category of outside shooting bigs that is about as lightly populated as there are teams in any particular division.

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