Dragan Bender had by all accounts a disappointing rookie year with the Phoenix Suns. The No. 4 overall pick in the 2016 NBA Draft suffered a season-ending ankle injury which limited him to 43 games. However, even before the injury, he struggled to make an impact as he averaged just 3.4 points and 2.4 rebounds per game.
Suns head coach Earl Watson understandably wants more from his talented young big man this season and as Scott Bordow of the Arizona Republic notes, he particularly wants Bender to be more aggressive on offense.
“It’s just a mind shift,” Watson said. “I wish I had an NBA coach tell me at 19 and 20 to be overaggressive. Shoot the ball every time you touch it. Be aggressive and attack the rim. The opportunity is there; he just has to take it upon himself to do it.”
Despite all the excellent tools and skills the 7-foot-1 Bender possessed which warranted the Suns to take him so high in the draft, Bender’s assertiveness, or lack thereof, offensively was one of the knocks on him during the draft process. The fact that he was a teenager playing in a new country also might have played a role as well in his lack of aggressiveness.
While Bender likely won’t ever become the most dominating offensive player in the world, he can at least stand to make some improvements in that area of his game. The Suns need him to show more aggressiveness and contribute on that end of the floor to help justify their faith in him to be a foundation piece going forward.
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