By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
Recovering from a long drag on the injury list, Dragan Bender was sidelined indefinitely with an ACL tear in his left knee and the looming possibility of surgery.
Monbus Obradoiro updated the status of the Croatian big Tuesday. He was injured late in the Liga Endesa Regular Season Round 11 away game versus Surne Bilbao Sunday.
Bender, 25, will undergo additional medical tests next week to determine whether he suffered a complete or partial tear, thus if an operation is necessary.
Another ACL tear forced him to the sidelines late in the 2020-21 season and miss the entire 2021-22 season. A similar situation arises with solid showings making things happen from Maccabi Tel Aviv to Obradoiro and attracting attention from potential new suitors, all abruptly stopped by an injury. Back in action in the strongest domestic league of Europe, he was rolling with 17.2 points and 6.6 rebounds per ACB contest.
Bender played in 41 EuroLeague games with Maccabi between the 2015-16 and 2020-21 campaigns and was part of the Israel championship team in 2021. In between, he made his way to 187 NBA games as a member of the Phoenix Suns, Milwaukee Bucks, and Golden State Warriors. The Suns had selected him with the fourth overall pick of the 2016 NBA draft.
Riding a three-game winning streak, his current team, coached by Moncho Fernandez, went up to 5-6, in a five-team tie for ninth place in the Spanish league standings. Maintaining momentum minus Bender will be a challenge. Action resumes at home against Joventut Badalona in Round 12 Saturday.
Photo Credit: ACB.com