Remember before we drafted Bender I said many times that Bender is a prospect on the level of Zubac and Zizic. I would still say that, he was never more than a late first or 2nd round prospect.
His hype was just that hype. Hyped by amercian twitter influencer with little actual information or access.
I wouldn't be surprised if the Draftexpress scouts were paid by European basketball agents either with money or simply by allowing them access in return of favorable scouting reports, knowing full well that a player ranked high on draftexpress suddenly generates a hype wave.
Look at Kellan Olson, every single year that guy falls in love with some middling Euro prospects.