By Aris Barkas/ barkas@eurohoops.net
Mitch Kupchak, the Los Angeles Lakers general manager, is currently in Israel scouting Croatian prodigy Dragan Bender who is expected to be a Top5 pick in the upcoming NBA draft.
Despite the fact that he is just 18 years old, Bender is already compared to European basketball legends, and the only concern about him is his very limited exposure in the top European top level of basketball. In just seven Euroleague game, Bender averaged 2,1 points, but make no mistake. The talent level is unique in his case, he proved it while being just 17 years old last year in Treviso’s Eurocamp, and despite being already a 7-footer, he plays more in the perimeter than in the post.
Bender is a product of the Nikola Vujcic basketball academy – a Croatian Euroleague legend who is also the Maccabi Tel Aviv’s team manager – and he signed two summers ago a seven year contract with Maccabi. During that period, in August 2014, he also gave to Eurohoops one of his first interviews as a member of the U18 Croatian team. As he said at the team, he liked to comparison with Tony Kukoc, the prototype European point forward.
According to previous reports, his contract with Maccabi Tel Aviv doesn’t include an NBA buy out before the summer of 2018. However according to sources from Israel, Maccabi is ready to part ways with the player this summer if this is his wish and they will not try to keep him in Tel Aviv.
The bottom line for Bender seems quite simple. Talentwise, he is clearly better than Kristaps Porzingis in the same age. However, he is not ready yet to contribute right away to the top level, but there’s no better prospect in Europe…