[UncledrewParticipant]

Have only seen a few clips of his game footage but from what I could see he is 7 foot tall, moves like a sf, has unselfish demeanor, a nice shooting stroke and a high basketball Iq. I see alot of people comparing him and Kristaps which Imo is a lazy comparison. To me the best comparison I’ve seen is prime Kirilenko but more offensive minded. He looks to have a top 3 highest potential in the upcoming draft but does anyone know more about his game/ seen him play and if he will really be worth the intrigue?

[Magic JordanParticipant]

 The comparisons to Porzingy are extremely lazy.  He is nowhere near as polished as KP.  He moves really well.  Doesn’t have the other worldly length, and though he is a DECENT shooter.  He is not great.

[Magic JordanParticipant]

 The comparisons to Porzingy are extremely lazy.  He is nowhere near as polished as KP.  He moves really well.  Doesn’t have the other worldly length, and though he is a DECENT shooter.  He is not great.

[Robb_CParticipant]

 Hes alright..needs to put on size, hes no where near as skilled as Porzingis, so hes going to have to develop more bulk to be able to bang to score in the low post.. hes a few years away and not an instant contributor like Kristap

[Robb_CParticipant]

 Hes alright..needs to put on size, hes no where near as skilled as Porzingis, so hes going to have to develop more bulk to be able to bang to score in the low post.. hes a few years away and not an instant contributor like Kristap

[GBeeParticipant]

 I don’t agree with this at all. Bender is plenty skilled in his own right.  Very skilled for an 18 y/o 7′, but his skill set is different than KP’s (I honestly don’t get why they’re compared).  His is more perimeter oriented.  His best attribute offensively at the moment is probably his passing ability.  Even if he is 7′ his skill set is more of a SFs.  Rip and run, leading a break, diming from the top of the key, face up, even occasionally handling PnR.

KP is more ready to contribute bc he’s older and more physically developed.  He’s also the freakier specimen being 7’3 with his length while maintaining his coordination.  Bender just turned 18 not even a month ago, but at the same stage I would not say that Bender’s skill level is "no where near" KPs. 

 

[GBeeParticipant]

 I don’t agree with this at all. Bender is plenty skilled in his own right.  Very skilled for an 18 y/o 7′, but his skill set is different than KP’s (I honestly don’t get why they’re compared).  His is more perimeter oriented.  His best attribute offensively at the moment is probably his passing ability.  Even if he is 7′ his skill set is more of a SFs.  Rip and run, leading a break, diming from the top of the key, face up, even occasionally handling PnR.

KP is more ready to contribute bc he’s older and more physically developed.  He’s also the freakier specimen being 7’3 with his length while maintaining his coordination.  Bender just turned 18 not even a month ago, but at the same stage I would not say that Bender’s skill level is "no where near" KPs. 

 

[SlickBouncePassParticipant]

supposedly he is in the mold of a very good athlete with crazy size.  he may not be able to shoot like Porzingis, but he might be more athletic than him when he comes over.  I think he has more size than Kirilenko, and his IQ is huge.  I think foreign players have to become comfortable playing american brand ball…..it helps to have a conforming personality.  KP has it.  Rudy Fernandez didn’t, he nver got comfortable with the American way.  Ricky Rubio I think is lost somewhere in between.  The personality of a foreign draft pick matters.  I think Bender’s personality will fit very well in the USA, and I think its because his IQ is high which helps, speaks the language very well, etc  

But I think the fact that he probably won’t come over for a couple years really makes him less intriguing for a team with a top 5 pick.  Almost all the bad teams are in playoff contention mode with their talent, except for the Sixers, who I’d even get annoyed waiting another 3 years for a contributor (move forward with the process already)….and the Lakers who nobody has any idea what the heck they’re doing (win now, tank, free agents) etc.  

 

[SlickBouncePassParticipant]

supposedly he is in the mold of a very good athlete with crazy size.  he may not be able to shoot like Porzingis, but he might be more athletic than him when he comes over.  I think he has more size than Kirilenko, and his IQ is huge.  I think foreign players have to become comfortable playing american brand ball…..it helps to have a conforming personality.  KP has it.  Rudy Fernandez didn’t, he nver got comfortable with the American way.  Ricky Rubio I think is lost somewhere in between.  The personality of a foreign draft pick matters.  I think Bender’s personality will fit very well in the USA, and I think its because his IQ is high which helps, speaks the language very well, etc  

But I think the fact that he probably won’t come over for a couple years really makes him less intriguing for a team with a top 5 pick.  Almost all the bad teams are in playoff contention mode with their talent, except for the Sixers, who I’d even get annoyed waiting another 3 years for a contributor (move forward with the process already)….and the Lakers who nobody has any idea what the heck they’re doing (win now, tank, free agents) etc.  

 

[BornaskulParticipant]

 Porzingis may be better in many areas , but Bender is obviously a better passer and as you mentioned has a high BB IQ,  he has a lot of potential, he was always playing against older competition and was still very good .

in 2014 u18 european championship he was a year younger than most guys and still put up 14,5 pts 10.4 rebounds and 5 assists, also add 2,2 blocks to that

  

[BornaskulParticipant]

 Porzingis may be better in many areas , but Bender is obviously a better passer and as you mentioned has a high BB IQ,  he has a lot of potential, he was always playing against older competition and was still very good .

in 2014 u18 european championship he was a year younger than most guys and still put up 14,5 pts 10.4 rebounds and 5 assists, also add 2,2 blocks to that

  

[TenSecondTomParticipant]

A couple people on here are saying that Porzingis is “more polished” or “more skilled” than Dragan but Dragan just turned 18 years old: he is more polished and has a wider offensive skillset than KP had at that age, especially in the passing department. All Dragan needs is some senior-level experience and a more consistent jumper and you’ll see him develop into a new-school Toni Kukoc or Detlef Schrempf. That player-mold won’t require him to bulk up too much, and he will be effective with the way the NBA game is developing.

[TenSecondTomParticipant]

A couple people on here are saying that Porzingis is “more polished” or “more skilled” than Dragan but Dragan just turned 18 years old: he is more polished and has a wider offensive skillset than KP had at that age, especially in the passing department. All Dragan needs is some senior-level experience and a more consistent jumper and you’ll see him develop into a new-school Toni Kukoc or Detlef Schrempf. That player-mold won’t require him to bulk up too much, and he will be effective with the way the NBA game is developing.

[Author]

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