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Dragan Bender

Dragan Bender

27-Year-Old ForwardF
 Free Agent  Foreign  
2024 Stats
PTS
0.0
REB
0.0
AST
0.0
STL
0.0
BLK
0.0
ROS Projections
PTS
REB
AST
STL
BLK
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2024 Fantasy Outlook
There was no outlook written for Dragan Bender in 2024. Check out the latest news below for more on his current fantasy value.
RANKS
Current Season
From Preseason
Height 7'0"
Weight 249
DOB 11/17/1997
College Croatia
Drafted 1st Rd, #4 in 2016
Signed a 10-day contract with the Warriors in February of 2020. Signed a second 10-day contract with the Warriors in February of 2020.
Personal Bio/PreCareer Summary

Dragan Bender, son of Bernada and Rafo, was born in 1997 in Capljina, Croatia. Bender's younger brother, Ivan, is a senior basketball player at the University of Maryland. Bender played four professional seasons in Europe, most recently in Maccabi Tel Aviv, for whom he played 42 games in Israel and across Europe while averaging 4.4 points per game. He made his professional debut in 2012-13 at just 15, playing for KK Split in Croatia's A-1 League. In 2017, Bender played for the Croatian National Team in the FIBA Eurobasket Tournament, averaging 4.3 points and two rebounds as Croatia finished in tenth. You can find Dragan Bender on Twitter @DBender03 and on Instagram @Draganbender35. Bender was something of a basketball prodigy in Croatia. He played professionally when he was 15, appearing in two games for KK Split. In 2013-14, he played for a second division team, KK Kastela. Later that season, Bender played for the KK Cedevita junior team in the Euroleague Basketball Next Generation Tournament. Against the KK Mega Basket junior team of Serbia, the 7-foot forward notched 21 points, nine rebounds and six assists. He moved to the Israeli Basketball Premier League in 2014 and played for Ironi Ramat Gan of the second division league where he averaged 9.7 points, 7.4 rebounds and 2.6 assists in 28 games. Bender moved back to the first division for the 2015-16 season. In 25 games for Maccabi Tel Aviv, the forward provided 5.5 points and 2.7 rebounds in 13.7 minutes. Bender also appeared for the Croatian national team in the 2012 and 2013 FIBA Europe Under-16 Championship as well as the 2014 Under-18 Championship, where he led his home country to the bronze medal with 14.4 points, 10.4 rebounds and 4.9 assists.

Going overseas
FFree Agent
September 23, 2020
Bender agreed to a contract Wednesday with Israeli club Maccabi Tel Aviv, Nemanja Zoric reports.
ANALYSIS
Bender saw action with both Milwaukee and Golden State in 2019-20, averaging 6.7 points, 4.6 rebounds and 1.8 assists in 17.9 minutes. However, there was going to be little interest for Bender from NBA teams this offseason after four underwhelming campaigns. As a result, he's opted to go overseas, where he should see a bigger role.
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Stat Review
2019
2018
2017
2016
How does Dragan Bender compare to other players?
This section compares his stats with all players from the previous three seasons (minimum 200 minutes played)*. The bar represents the player's percentile rank. For example, if the bar is halfway across, then the player falls into the 50th percentile for that stat and it would be considered average.
  • True Shooting %
    An advanced statistic that measures a player's efficiency at shooting the ball that takes field goal percentage, free throw percentage, and three point percentage into account.
  • Effective Field Goal %
    A statistic that adjusts field goal percentage to account for the fact that three-point field goals count for three points while field goals only count for two points.
  • 3-Point Attempt Rate
    Percentage of field goal attempts from three point range.
  • Free Throw Rate
    Number of free throw attempts per field goal attempt.
  • Offensive Rebound %
    An estimate of the percentage of available offensive rebounds a player grabbed while they were on the floor.
  • Defensive Rebound %
    An estimate of the percentage of available defensive rebounds a player grabbed while they were on the floor.
  • Total Rebound %
    An estimate of the percentage of available rebounds a player grabbed while they were on the floor.
  • Assist %
    An estimate of the percentage of teammate field goals a player assisted while they were on the floor.
  • Steal %
    An estimate of the percentage of opponent possessions that end with a steal by the player while they were on the floor.
  • Block %
    An estimate of the percentage of opponent two-point field goal attempts blocked by the player while they were on the floor.
  • Turnover %
    An estimate of turnovers committed per 100 plays.
  • Usage %
    An estimate of the percentage of team plays used by a player while they were on the floor.
  • Fantasy Points Per Game
    NBA Fantasy Points Per Game.
  • Fantasy Points Per Minute
    NBA Fantasy Points Per Minute.
True Shooting %
58.2%
 
Effective Field Goal %
57.1%
 
3-Point Attempt Rate
42.9%
 
Free Throw Rate
14.3%
 
Offensive Rebound %
0.0%
 
Defensive Rebound %
20.5%
 
Total Rebound %
10.9%
 
Assist %
12.5%
 
Steal %
0.0%
 
Block %
4.8%
 
Turnover %
13.7%
 
Usage %
20.1%
 
Fantasy Points Per Game
10.5
 
Fantasy Points Per Minute
0.8
 
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NBA Historical Fantasy Stats
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How are these ratings calculated?
Our historical fantasy ratings are standard scores calculated using 8-Category settings with 12 teams and 13 players per team.
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Historical ADP
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Past Fantasy Outlooks
2018
2017
2016
After playing in just 43 games as a rookie, Bender took the court for all 82 contests this past season, including picking up 37 starts. He nearly doubled his playing time, going from 13.3 minutes to 25.2, while posting career highs across the board. However, those averages were still just 6.5 points, 4.4 rebounds and 1.6 assists, so despite the improvements, Bender wasn't a viable Fantasy option in the bulk of leagues. His upside as a floor-stretching big man still remains after hitting 1.4 three-pointers at a 36.6 percent clip, but if he doesn't take another step forward as an all-around player during the upcoming campaign, the Suns could look elsewhere to fill their power forward minutes. With the potential for the Suns to roll out some small ball lineups with guys like Trevor Ariza and T.J. Warren at the four, as well as less time being available at center following the addition of No. 1 overall pick Deandre Ayton, Bender could have a tough time even matching his workload from last year. It'll be safe to avoid Bender in a plethora of different formats.
Bender missed almost half of his rookie campaign last season due to a combination of DNP-CDs and an ankle injury, which required surgery. When he did step on the court, however, he averaged 3.4 points and 2.4 rebounds across 13.3 minutes per game while shooting 35.4 percent from the field and 28-of-101 from beyond the arc. While the lack of efficiency is certainly disappointing, it’s important to keep in mind that he wasn’t a staple within the Suns’ rotation and often played on a sore ankle. That said, he did occasionally flash potential when he was feeling good. During Dec. 26’s game against the Rockets, Bender recorded 11 points (5-11 FG, 1-4 3Pt), 13 rebounds, three steals, two blocks and two assists across 27 minutes. He will have to compete for playing time during the upcoming season, however. The Suns drafted Josh Jackson with the fourth overall pick during the 2017 NBA Draft. With Jackson being primarily touted as a small forward, that may push the likes of T.J. Warren up to power forward – Bender’s position. Not to mention the presence of Marquese Chriss and Jared Dudley. While coach Earl Watson will likely do what he can to get Bender significant run, it may come down to how Bender performs during training camp and what kind of improvements he can show throughout the season. As a result, Bender can probably be avoided in the vast majority of Fantasy formats, as it’s uncertain if he’ll even take the floor during every game he suits up for.
The consensus top foreign player in the 2016 NBA Draft, Bender went No. 4 overall to the Suns, who doubled down on the power forward position by using their second lottery pick on Washington freshman Marquese Chriss. The 7-foot-1 Bender epitomizes the stretch four most teams are looking for in the modern pace-and-space NBA, but the 18-year-old may face a longer development curve than most of his fellow first-rounders after doing little to distinguish himself in summer league play with the Suns. Over five games, Bender averaged 8.6 points and 5.6 rebounds across 32.0 minutes per contest while shooting an abysmal 27.5 percent from the field. The Suns won’t overreact too much to the small sample, as Bender exhibited much improvement from three-point range last season with Israeli powerhouse Maccabi Tel Aviv and was lauded during the pre-draft process for his willingness to move the ball, ability to make plays off the dribble and excellent mobility. While Bender’s lack of bulk makes him susceptible to getting outmuscled in the paint defensively, his long arms still allow him to make an impact as a shot blocker. Both Bender and Chriss are expected to see their minutes expand in the second half of their rookie seasons once they’ve gotten fully acclimated to an NBA training regimen, but in the meantime, veteran Jared Dudley is set to assume most of the court time at power forward in the early going. As such, Bender’s fantasy value figures to remain mostly limited as a rookie, but he makes for a worthy target in dynasty formats.
More Fantasy News
Pops for 23 points in loss
FGolden State Warriors
March 11, 2020
Bender totaled 23 points (8-12 FG, 2-5 3Pt, 5-5 FT), seven rebounds and three assists in 25 minutes during Tuesday's 131-107 loss to the Clippers.
ANALYSIS
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Re-ups with Golden State
FGolden State Warriors
March 5, 2020
Bender re-signed Thursday with the Warriors on a second 10-day contract, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reports.
ANALYSIS
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Contract expires
FGolden State Warriors
March 4, 2020
Bender's 10-day contract with the Warriors expired Tuesday, Anthony Slater of The Athletic reports.
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Coming off bench
FGolden State Warriors
March 3, 2020
Bender will return to a reserve role in Tuesday's tilt against the Nuggets, Wes Goldberg of The San Jose Mercury News reports.
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Starting Tuesday
FGolden State Warriors
February 27, 2020
Bender is in the starting lineup for Thursday's contest against the Lakers, Anthony Slater of The Athletic reports.
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Latest Fantasy Rumors
Aiming for NBA return
FFree Agent
November 21, 2022
Bender is keen on making an NBA comeback, Johnny Askounis of Eurohoops.net reports.
ANALYSIS
"Undoubtedly, I want to return to the NBA down the road,'" he said in an interview with Israel's One. Bender last played in the NBA during the 2019-20 season, appearing in a combined 16 games with Milwaukee and Golden State. He spent his first three seasons with Phoenix but never lived up to his status as the fourth-overall pick in the 2016 NBA Draft. He's currently playing for Monbus Obradoiro in Spain's Liga Endesa, where he's averaging 20.6 points and 6.7 rebounds per game.
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