Jonathan Givony is on an 11-day trip through seven countries to evaluate most of the top NBA draft prospects in Europe. On the fifth and sixth days of the trip, he was in Ljubljana, Slovenia, watching projected lottery pick Dragan Bender.

Dragan Bender, who turned 18 just 10 weeks ago, is the youngest prospect in this year’s draft class. He made the difficult decision to leave his home country of Croatia two years ago to follow mentor Nikola Vujcic to Israel, where Bender signed a seven-year contract (with comfortable NBA out clauses) with Maccabi Tel Aviv.

Vujcic, a 6-foot-11 center who was a nightly triple-double threat in his playing days, is a European basketball legend and was considered an NBA prospect. He now serves as the team’s general manager.

Dragan Bender has impressive length and a high motor. (Getty Images) More

Bender has always been ahead of his peers, playing at the U16 European Championships as a 14-year-old in 2012 and making his pro debut as a 15-year-old in the Croatian league for KK Split.

Bender played in the Israeli second division last season, where he became the target of many undersized, undertalented and overly physical Americans who were looking to make a name off the ballyhooed 17-year-old. It forced him to toughen up despite his skinny frame. He is playing 12 minutes per game this season in the Euroleague, EuroCup and Israeli league, but has been hampered over the past 10 days with a bone bruise in his foot that has been slow to heal.

He’s nevertheless had some strong moments this season, in domestic-league competition in particular, scoring 16 points in 29 minutes in a rare start against Hapoel Holon and dropping in 15 points in 19 minutes vs. Kiryat Gat.

STRENGTHS

Bender has tremendous size, measuring 7-foot-1 last summer with a standing reach of 9-foot-3. His frame is still very thin and he has a long way to go, but he seems to be continuously filling out. He is a small forward/power forward right now, but with the direction the NBA is headed, it might not be a stretch to see him eventually developing into a modern-day center. While not a great jumper, Bender is extremely fluid, nimble and light on his feet for a player of his size. He’s regularly tasked with staying in front of significantly shorter small forwards on the perimeter and does not look bad doing so.



Bender’s perimeter shooting has improved dramatically since he arrived in Tel Aviv. He used to shoot the ball with ugly mechanics, but he’s raised his release point and is now shooting cleanly and fluidly. He’s seeing results this season, shooting 21 of 48 (43.8 percent) from beyond the arc. It’s a small sample size, but the way he shoots in practice and with the touch he displays, his jump shot is easy to project as being a significant weapon in the future.

Versatility has always been the key to Bender’s game. He was considered a non-shooter early in his career, yet continuously found ways to be productive with his passing, ball-handling and high basketball IQ. He plays with great confidence and does not hesitate to assert himself in games. Even when most young players would be comfortable parking in the corner and staying out of older teammates’ lanes, Bender comes into Euroleague games looking to make his presence felt.

Bender’s most underrated quality is his toughness. Some may look at his lanky frame and assume he’s just another soft European 7-footer who only wants to hide on the perimeter and jack up 3-pointers, but in reality that couldn’t be further from the truth.

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