Where has Dragan Bender shown growth?
2016-17 shooting line : 35.4% field goal – 27.7% 3 point (0.7 treys) – 36.4% free throw
2017-18 shooting line : 38.6% field goal – 36.6% 3 point (1.4 treys) – 76.5% free throw
That rookie stroke was so ugly it should only be seen on Halloween.
Granted, the overall field goal percentage in his second year is bad, especially for a 7’1″ guy, but at least it went up. Though 42.6% on 2-point field goals needs a lot of work.
He did have a 9% improvement from downtown, doubled his made triples, and actually became a fairly good 3-point shooter. He still doesn’t really get to the line, but at least he makes them at a good clip now when he does.
How about his overall stats from one year to the next?
2016-17 : 3.4 points, 2.4 rebounds, 0.5 assists and 0.5 blocks in 13.3 minutes over 43 games
2017-18 : 6.5 points, 4.4 rebounds, 1.6 assists and 0.6 blocks in 25.2 minutes over 82 games
Bender logged twice as many minutes of court time and didn’t miss a single game so he had more of a chance to show his skills while also showing durability. Although he doubled his scoring average thanks to his improved shooting. 2 more rebounds per game is good too, but you expect much more out of your big man.
The passing ability was shown to be a legit hype as he had 10 games with 4+ assists. That said, his still less than a lock per game does not give his defensive potential any extra credit, although he has some highlight blocks that can even make Dikembe Mutombo break out his finger wag
Overall, there was quite a jump from one season to the next. Yet, he still has a long way to go to validate being chosen with such a high lottery pick.
Logging 30 plus minutes in 26 separate games, he somewhat showed his potential shooting 41% from the field and 40.8% from downtown, making 2 treys and averaging 9.2 points, 6.5 rebounds, 2.1 assists and 0.9 blocks in those matches.
Marquese is more athletic, an explosive scorer and oozes confidence – too much at times – although along with a feeling of entitlement that only led to him getting into trouble.
Dragan is more graceful, has the potential of being an all-around gifted player, and seems to be a better fit next to number one pick Deandre Ayton.
However, he has a very light frame and seemingly lacks any kind of self esteem on the court.
Bulking up wouldn’t hurt at all. He needs to spend a very generous amount of time in the weight room. This would tremendously help him with driving to the basket, posting up, finishing at the rim and being able to pull of more of those highlight blocks and play better defense.