Dragan Bender

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If we needed a reminder, the alarm went off yesterday when Derrick Rose, Jeff Teague and George Hill were traded. Chances are there’s plenty more to come today, especially with multiple teams have first-round picks.

Who are the Wolves going to take? Good question. After looking at 1,398 mock drafts in the last month, here are what some of the mock draft experts (how do you become one of these? Is there an application process?) are predicting:

Sharp has the Wolves taking point guard Kris Dunn out of Providence. Sharp thinks Dunn will be able to help from Day One and that Dunn is built like a “tank and plays like it.”

The question is, will Dunn fall to No. 5?

Parrish, in his third mock draft, predicts the Wolves will take NCAA darling Buddy Hield. Like Sharp with Dunn, Parrish thinks Hield will be able to contribute immediately and that his ability to shoot will help the Wolves. It certainly wouldn’t hurt. The Wolves ranked 29th in the league last season with just 455 made 3-pointers last season.

Howard-Cooper also has the Wolves taking Hield. Like Parrish, he has Hield as one of the most NBA-ready players in the Draft.

Side-note: Did you know Buddy’s real first name is Chavano? True story.

Another Wildcat for the Wolves, predicts Bodner. Bodner thinks Murray would help space the floor (40.8 percent from deep last season) for former Wildcat Karl-Anthony Towns.

But do the Wolves need another 19-year-old player to develop?

The mysterious Dragan Bender. O’Connor thinks he’s a “safe pick with upside to be special.” Not many have said Bender is a safe pick, just given the track record for some players overseas, but he would fit a position need for the Wolves.

Another vote for Murray. Torres thinks Murray could be the perfect floor spacer for Andrew Wiggin and Towns. And (get ready for this) Torres thinks that the Wolves will be in the playoffs thanks, in part, to the addition of Murray.

I have no freaking idea, and that’s what makes the Draft so great. Yeah, there are four or five guys who look like the favorites, but nobody really has any idea what Boston is going to do at No. 3, and that will kind of set the tone for the rest of the Draft. I’m not even sure Boston knows what it is doing right now. Someone get Danny Ainge off the phone.

Here’s my bold (and very company line-ish) prediction: It’s going to be a lot of fun and you should probably skip your Thursday-night softball league to watch. Coverage starts on ESPN at 6 p.m. Tune in. 

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Mock Draft Madness | What Are The Experts Saying?

7’2” wing span, 9’3” standing reach

*Numbers from 2015 Eurocamp (Bender did not participate in the NBA Combine)

Stats In 2015-16 From Maccabi FOX Tel Aviv (per 36 minutes)

10 games, 6.5 points, 5.5 rebounds, 2.1 blocks, 1.7 assists, 23.1 FG%, 16.7 3P%, 50 FT%

In a 100-69 loss to CSKA Moscow, Bender finished with seven points, one assist, one steal and one block in 18 minutes of play. He shot 3-for-7 from the field and 1-for-2 from the free-throw line.

For his size, the dude moves like a deer. He can run the court and also has the handles of a guard. He’s a decent shooter with a good overall feel for the game. He’s long, which is obviously something you can’t teach. He’s more of a pick and pop player than a pick and roll player. He’s a decent driver, although he’s not the strongest guy. When he is in the post, he’s an excellent passer and recognizes the double team. From film, it looks like his effort level is always there.

The biggest weakness for Bender is the small sample size we have to judge off of in a less competitive league, but that didn’t seem to hurt Kristaps Porzingis. He’s not the strongest guy. He’ll need to add some weight. He’s not great in the paint and when he’s down there, he tends to rely almost strictly on his right hand. He’s a solid shooter, but sometimes forces shots, resulting in bad misses. Defensively, he will probably be able to switch on pick and rolls at the next level. He’ll need to get bigger to defend post players, though.

First off, let’s just admit that Dragan Bender is the dopest basketball name ever. What if he becomes a top-5 player of all time? You’re buying your kid a Dragan Bender jersey. But let’s look beyond the name, much like we had to do with Metta World Peace and Panda Bear Friend or whatever Ron Artest changed his name to.

Everyone who knows anything about basketball tells us that Bender is not Porzingis.

OK, then who is he? Obviously he’s pretty good if he’s being considered as a top-3 pick in the draft. Judging off film, he looks like he can ball and that he’s got a great feel for the game.

Porzingis showed us that players can make an impact immediately when coming from overseas, but there’s also guys like Mario Hezonja, who didn’t really contribute at all. That’s probably more on Scott Skiles than Hezonja, though.

For the small-ball era, Bender looks like he’ll fit in well. He can guard perimeter guys and will eventually be able to bang with the bigs inside. My goodness. I’m talking myself into Dragan Bender.

I wouldn’t be terribly shocked to see him jump into the top-2. Just sayin’.

Side-note: He played with former University of Golden Gopher big man Trevor Mbakwe last season, so there’s that.

2016-draft-profile-dragan-bender

2016 Draft Profile | Dragan Bender

2016-draft-prospect-gallery-dragan-bender

2016 Draft Prospect Gallery | Dragan Bender

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