Dragan Bender is the 17-year-old Croatian salvation for your terrible NBA team

You already know what Europe's next great basketball prospect looks like before you've ever seen him play. He stands about 7 feet tall, but prefers to play from the perimeter rather than bang down low. He's long but skinny, and badly needs to add strength to compete on the glass. The mechanics on his jumper are fluid, but his shooting percentages aren't great. He's universally referred to as "skilled" in a way American players his age rarely are.

Inevitably, someone will call him the next Dirk Nowitzki or Pau Gasol. NBA GMs have been on the hunt for the Next Dirk and Next Pau for 15 years at this point, with diminishing returns. Whether it's Nikoloz Tskitishvili or Darko Milicic or Andrea Bargnani or Kristaps Porzingis, it often seems like the name is the only variable in the equation.

There's a new name ahead of the 2016 draft, and what a name it is. Dragan Bender isn't a 3D fantasy summer blockbuster at the theater or a "Game of Thrones" spinoff. He's a 17-year-old Croatian who stands 7'1 and is already playing on one of the top teams in Europe. He's the best NBA prospect overseas at the moment, and it isn't particularly close.

Bender made his third trip to the United States on Thursday as Maccabi Tel Aviv played the first of two exhibition games against Italian rival Milan at the United Center in Chicago. The game featured former NBA players like Jordan Farmar and Robbie Hummel, a Rockets draft-and-stash prospect in Alessandro Gentile and former college starters like Brian Randle and Trevor Mbakwe.

No disrespect to any of those players, but they weren't the reason multiple NBA GMs were in the gym. Bender has been on the map for a couple years, but this is the first year he's draft-eligible. He's almost certainly a high lottery pick whenever he decides to declare. Right now, he's No. 5 in DraftExpress' 2016 mock, No. 7 on Chad Ford's big board and No. 3 in a mock draft by some guy at this website.

The hype is real even if Bender swears he's not paying attention to it.

"I actually don't see (NBA scouts) in the crowd of people," he said after game. "I just focus on the game and come trying to learn new things every night from my coach and teammates."

Fair enough, but Bender's performance on Thursday night will only get him more attention.

His numbers didn't jump off the page -- 10 points on 3-of-7 shooting in 21 minutes -- but it's the context that matters. During a time when an immensely talented group of high school players are entering their senior year in America, Bender is the same age and already playing against pros. He's working hard, getting better and drawing rave reviews from everyone around him.

This will be Bender's first season playing with Tel Aviv's senior team after making a name for himself playing for his home country of Croatia and Tel Aviv's junior team. It seems like it would be an overwhelming experience for someone who doesn't turn 18 years old until November, but Farmar said the transition isn't all that unusual.

"It's the nature of this game," Farmar said when the night was over. "They say your idols become your rivals. I got drafted when I was 19 and I was on a team with Kobe. I was in 7th grade when the Lakers won their first championship, then I end up playing on the same team and winning championships with him. It's kind of just the nature of this business."

It only takes one look at Bender to see his long-term potential, and also to see how far he still has yet to go. He's currently making a valiant effort to grow facial hair, but the results could charitably be described as mixed. His limbs are impossibly long and he moves well on his feet, but he'll need to hit the weight room hard over the next few years no matter what country he's playing in.

From a scouting perspective, Bender fits the European archetype almost perfectly. He spent of the night floating around the three-point line despite often being clearly the tallest player on court. His length resulted in two impressive blocks but he didn't do much rebounding. It's all par for the course.

But there is one way Bender appears to stand out from those before him, even if it's vague characterization from a small sample size. It really does seem like Bender has a great feel for the game. Sometimes you know it when you see it. He never forced anything and had an impact on the game while playing within himself the entire night.

Bender's most impressive moment actually came on the defensive end. He was matched one-on-one against Gentile on the perimeter in back-to-back crunch time possessions, and stopped him both times. It's that type of versatility that is so en vogue right now, and the reason he's bound to be a very high draft pick whenever he wants to be.

For now, Bender says his focus is on winning titles and developing his game with Tel Aviv. Even if he enters the draft, it's easy to envision a scenario where he stays overseas for a couple of years, like fellow Croatian Dario Saric. His long-term potential is undeniable, though. Whether Bender actually is the Next Dirk or Next Pau remains to be seen, but you can bet some team will be willing to take the chance.