NBA Draft 2016: 10 players Boston Celtics need to target

2. Dragan Bender

While everyone knows who the top players in the 2016 NBA Draft are, the big unknown in this draft is Croatian big man Dragan Bender. Since the season began, Bender has consistently been the No. 3 pick in mock drafts as the top international prospect.

While he’s more of an unknown quantity than the rest of the players in this draft because of the lack of playing time he received overseas, many scouts see Bender as the type of talent that can really exceed in the modern NBA.

While the overseas picks always seem to carry an extra amount of risk with them because teams really don’t know what they’re going to get as compared to a college prospect, Bender is slotted near the top for a reason and there’s a strong chance that he could be the pick at No. 3 overal.

Part of his potential rise in the draft can be attributed to the success of Kristaps Porzingis, but make no mistake about it, Bender has done the work to make his own name rise on the draft boards of teams.

At only 18 years old, Bender has a lot of potential with his size and he’s considered a very smart player who is also skilled enough to move around various positions. He’s already got a great shot for his age and with time, it’s only going to get better.

There’s a lot of unknown here, but there’s also the potential to strike gold as well.

Next: 3. Buddy Hield