Looking ahead to the 2022 Draft
- Thread starter Tetsujin
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Coming into the ABA season was really looking forward to seeing what Nikola Jovic could do at Mega now that Petrusev and Simonovic have moved on to the Euroleague/NBA. 6 games into the season so far he's been very unimpressive after looking very good in the Fiba 19's World Cup and last season in the ABA. Honestly Alexander Balcerwoski looks easily the best prospect as a skilled 7'2 C on the team (insane amount of potential on the team).
While I don't doubt Jovic will be a decent/good player at any level due to his height/high IQ and elite shooting the stiffness of his ball handling and lack of tricky other than a straight line hesitation has me wondering how high his ceiling is at the next level. I compare him to Gallonari but I think Gallo has more ball handling.
A wildcard prospect who no one really mention but to me could be a tremendous NBA player eventually is Matija Belic. I always get a feeling watching him that I use to only get with one other player and that was Manu Ginobili. He can get the rim with the best of them and score on crafty fadeaways and all sort of angled shots. He is currently 18 years old he's like 6'6/6'7 and plays mainly as a playmaking SG on his team he's not the athlete like Manu was but he's got enough athletic ability to go with amazing natural instincts (very solid shooter) and high IQ.. He currently plays in the 2nd division of the ABA so he's not facing the stiff competition that Jovic is (ABA probably best its ever been) but the talent is very good.
While I don't doubt Jovic will be a decent/good player at any level due to his height/high IQ and elite shooting the stiffness of his ball handling and lack of tricky other than a straight line hesitation has me wondering how high his ceiling is at the next level. I compare him to Gallonari but I think Gallo has more ball handling.
A wildcard prospect who no one really mention but to me could be a tremendous NBA player eventually is Matija Belic. I always get a feeling watching him that I use to only get with one other player and that was Manu Ginobili. He can get the rim with the best of them and score on crafty fadeaways and all sort of angled shots. He is currently 18 years old he's like 6'6/6'7 and plays mainly as a playmaking SG on his team he's not the athlete like Manu was but he's got enough athletic ability to go with amazing natural instincts (very solid shooter) and high IQ.. He currently plays in the 2nd division of the ABA so he's not facing the stiff competition that Jovic is (ABA probably best its ever been) but the talent is very good.
I will give a brief run down from the very talented Mega Leks squad from what i have seen thus far
1. Olekk Balcerowski maybe the best talent ever out of Poland? Easily so far the most intriguing and best prospect on the squad he's 7'2 and athletically/size wise I would place him somewhere between a younger Jonas Val and Lauri (slight less quick). He's 20 and super smooth for his size and has shown a bit of everything except for playmaking this far.
(this is against one the Best defensive EUROLEAGUE SQUADS).
2. Nikola Jovic (read above post)
3. Malcolm Cazalon: Is rated very highly on most euro prospects websites although I personally don't see the hype to me he's something like Kent Bazemore/TLC with better pick and roll game.. Looks to be a 3 and D type guy and a good athlete.
4. Karlo Matkovic: 20 year old Croatian big man (6'10/6'11) with great timing on blocks and relentless motor defensively I would say he's a more athletic Omer Asik and unlike Asik does not have stone hands and can catch and finish pretty well above the rim. He improved an insane amount backing up Petrusev/Simonovic last season, not much of an offensive game although has flashed a mid ranger this season.
5. Matej Ruden: Another 20 year old Croat is a tough rugged mistake free 6'8/6'9 SF/PF,in the few games he's played has been very effective from long range and taking advantage of any size mismatches. Ok athlete nothing special but has really impressed me with his physicality and smarts. Does not seem to have much ball handling but still to be determined been very impressed by him
6. Nikola Durisic: only 17 he's a big PG (they list him as a SG but he's not) they list him as 6'7 but he looks 6'4/6'5 max regardless very aggressive fierce attacker of the rim well be very interesting to see if he has enough trickery in his game going forward because physically he looks good and can easily get stronger to go along with his solid quickness.
7. Borisa Simanic the fact this 23 6'11 PF is not in the NBA already is a massive red flag, athletically in terms of quickness/jumping he's probably as good as your going to get out of Serbia. He's still super skinny and is a stretch 4. He in 6 games is 15 from 25 from 3 which is insane. He when you watch him has NBA moves but again why he's not in the NBA already clearly indicates something is very deficient cause there's no reason in terms of physical ability /skill why he's not there. Borisa made the same mistakes countless other good young players make and that's go to an elite team (Red Star) where you don't play instead of going to one of the more average teams that will let you develop. NBA comp taller less skilled Jake Layman.
8. Samson Ruzhentsev: 6'7 Russian looked ok from the 1 game I have seen him play is talented but can't say much more.
1. Olekk Balcerowski maybe the best talent ever out of Poland? Easily so far the most intriguing and best prospect on the squad he's 7'2 and athletically/size wise I would place him somewhere between a younger Jonas Val and Lauri (slight less quick). He's 20 and super smooth for his size and has shown a bit of everything except for playmaking this far.
2. Nikola Jovic (read above post)
3. Malcolm Cazalon: Is rated very highly on most euro prospects websites although I personally don't see the hype to me he's something like Kent Bazemore/TLC with better pick and roll game.. Looks to be a 3 and D type guy and a good athlete.
4. Karlo Matkovic: 20 year old Croatian big man (6'10/6'11) with great timing on blocks and relentless motor defensively I would say he's a more athletic Omer Asik and unlike Asik does not have stone hands and can catch and finish pretty well above the rim. He improved an insane amount backing up Petrusev/Simonovic last season, not much of an offensive game although has flashed a mid ranger this season.
5. Matej Ruden: Another 20 year old Croat is a tough rugged mistake free 6'8/6'9 SF/PF,in the few games he's played has been very effective from long range and taking advantage of any size mismatches. Ok athlete nothing special but has really impressed me with his physicality and smarts. Does not seem to have much ball handling but still to be determined been very impressed by him
6. Nikola Durisic: only 17 he's a big PG (they list him as a SG but he's not) they list him as 6'7 but he looks 6'4/6'5 max regardless very aggressive fierce attacker of the rim well be very interesting to see if he has enough trickery in his game going forward because physically he looks good and can easily get stronger to go along with his solid quickness.
7. Borisa Simanic the fact this 23 6'11 PF is not in the NBA already is a massive red flag, athletically in terms of quickness/jumping he's probably as good as your going to get out of Serbia. He's still super skinny and is a stretch 4. He in 6 games is 15 from 25 from 3 which is insane. He when you watch him has NBA moves but again why he's not in the NBA already clearly indicates something is very deficient cause there's no reason in terms of physical ability /skill why he's not there. Borisa made the same mistakes countless other good young players make and that's go to an elite team (Red Star) where you don't play instead of going to one of the more average teams that will let you develop. NBA comp taller less skilled Jake Layman.
8. Samson Ruzhentsev: 6'7 Russian looked ok from the 1 game I have seen him play is talented but can't say much more.
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I didn't list him because I thought he got drafted (he was projected to be a 1st round pick) but now looking at it a bit further yeah he withdrew (not sure why he could have got drafted and stayed an extra year). With Roko I will caution that despite all the upside ((only 18-19) and the physical tools every time I have watched him and he comes up against an NBA body/athlete (average at best NBA athlete/size) type player he literally can't do anything he demolishes at times the smaller/slower types when he's matched with them and in the open court is a monster with real nice side steps attacking the rim.
His shooting has improved out of sight since I first saw him 2 years ago which is a good sign and I think his frame is built to be massive which he will need to do imo at the NBA level. My concern is with guys like him unless he becomes a knockdown 3 point shooter he will not be able to rely on his athletic ability at the NBA while since there he's not an elite athlete anymore. Very interesting prospect Croatia has a few more coming up as well that play in the ABA 2 league. Depending on what you look for Roko is the best to 3rd best prospect in the ABA (atm I have him as the 3rd).
His shooting has improved out of sight since I first saw him 2 years ago which is a good sign and I think his frame is built to be massive which he will need to do imo at the NBA level. My concern is with guys like him unless he becomes a knockdown 3 point shooter he will not be able to rely on his athletic ability at the NBA while since there he's not an elite athlete anymore. Very interesting prospect Croatia has a few more coming up as well that play in the ABA 2 league. Depending on what you look for Roko is the best to 3rd best prospect in the ABA (atm I have him as the 3rd).
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I think third is fair. As I said, I have to see how he plays this season. I'm not as concerned about some of his weaknesses because I think all young players coming into the NBA have to adjust to the physicality and speed of the game at that level. Some do and some don't! And I'm not saying you shouldn't pay attention to it, but I'm more concerned with a players skill set. I'll take a highly skilled player with average athleticism over a an elite athlete with a limited skill set every time and I'll win more games. Elite athleticism without skills is like owning an Indy car and not knowing how to drive. Now if you have both, then you have Michael Jordan!
A wild card pick for the Kings (assuming they are again late lottery or possibly a low playoff seed) would be Damion Collins. He's a project, but a project with pretty amazing tools. I don't know that he ever becomes a true big, but I think he could be a Siakam like PF that slides to C in certain matchups.
He's super skinny but with a 7'5" wingspan, huge vertical (and a quick leaper) and who has shown remarkable improvement in his ball handling and especially his jumper.
I'm not even sure who to compare him to. Because he's a Kentucky player I'm sure the AD comparison will be thrown out but he doesn't move like Davis. He's almost more like Jerami Grant on offense and Nerlens Noel on defense with a chance to exceed both of those comparisons. He's a project, but at some point the Kings need a big swing on a home run pick.
He's super skinny but with a 7'5" wingspan, huge vertical (and a quick leaper) and who has shown remarkable improvement in his ball handling and especially his jumper.
I'm not even sure who to compare him to. Because he's a Kentucky player I'm sure the AD comparison will be thrown out but he doesn't move like Davis. He's almost more like Jerami Grant on offense and Nerlens Noel on defense with a chance to exceed both of those comparisons. He's a project, but at some point the Kings need a big swing on a home run pick.
Collins is such a hard prospect to get a read on. He's got legit NBA length and then some and is probably the quickest big the Wildcats have had since WCS but like WCS his offensive skillset is a, er, work in progress and he is skinnier than all-get-out. Willie's added muscle over the years and Collins' frame does look like its capable of handling added bulk moreso than a guy like Chet Holmgren, who might have the skinniest hips I have ever seen, but it's always a concern for me. Also I'm not sure he's going to enter this year's draft since he's apparently starting the season buried on the bench behind Tshiebwe and Brooks (I don't think that lasts the entire season).
Also on an unrelated note, it is bizarre seeing Kentucky being the team using almost entirely 3 or 4 year college guys and Duke being the team led by three highly-touted five-star recruit freshmen.
Also on an unrelated note, it is bizarre seeing Kentucky being the team using almost entirely 3 or 4 year college guys and Duke being the team led by three highly-touted five-star recruit freshmen.
Not one game, I've watched footage on him. I was responding mostly to the tweet hinting towards him being the best prospect since Zion/RJ using his first performance as bait. It was good but best? Eh, maybe, maybe not. Even though it was against an inferior program, Jalen had a super strong first showing and displayed almost everything skill wise you can as a top shelf wing in his first go around. Banchero looked a little bit like he was bully balling which if he can fully develop those wing skills great, if not, he's not going to be a Tatum type of player. He'll be different.
Gonzaga vs. Texas tonight at 6:30 will be a good one. The only bummer is that Texas doesn't have a true center this year for a head to head matchup with Chet Holmgren.
Year in and year out of having elite bigs... not this year.
Year in and year out of having elite bigs... not this year.
My bias aside, keep an eye on Keegan Murray out of Iowa. 6’8 sophomore who might be available in mid first round. He is an ascending player so I won’t be surprised if he ends up drafted higher but could be a nice addition to our squad.
Just got done watching the Hawks play an inferior opponent but Murray finished with 27 points 21 rebounds and several blocks. He has an NBA body already with guard skills and a decent stroke from 3. Would more than likely be a 4 in the NBA
Just got done watching the Hawks play an inferior opponent but Murray finished with 27 points 21 rebounds and several blocks. He has an NBA body already with guard skills and a decent stroke from 3. Would more than likely be a 4 in the NBA
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As I said, I have to see him play a lot more. I've probably watched the same video's you have, and with some I can see where you might think that Jalen Johnson was a better prospect, and to be fair, the jury is still out on Johnson. He might end up being the better player. As you know, I liked Johnson's skill set. Right now I see Banchero as more of a PF, and he is a physical player. But he does have game away from the basket which makes him enticing. Have to see him play more!
Diabate (Michigan U) is something else. Talent just oozes from that kid. You don't see someone that tall who is that fluid and athletic unless you're talking about Greek Freak. Give him a couple of years to get his ball handling a little better and he is a scary dude. I think he's better than Jaren Jackson Jr. was as a freshman.
Watched the Santa Cruz Warrior/G-League Ignite game, and was blown away by a 17 year old player who isn't draft eligible until the 2022 draft. So he'll be playing for the Ignite team for the next two years. Somehow they need to find an exception to the rule, because this kid can play in the NBA right now. His name is Scoota Henderson, a 6'3" PG with the speed of Fox and a explosive first step. He plays with an attitude on both ends of the court. He scored 31 points, had 5 assists and 6 rebounds along with 3 steals. The Warriors put Kuminga on him and he ate Kuminga alive.
Speaking of Kuminga, he was God awful turning the ball over 8 times. he had 12 points on 4 of 16 shooting, and played like a crazed bull in a china shop. By comparison, Moody who played 10 less minutes than Kuminga, scored 17 points on 5 of 10 shooting overall while going 3 of 7 from the three, while adding 5 boards. Moody closed out the game by blocking the final shot that would have either tied or won the game. I couldn't see if he was inside the 3 pt line or not.
I liked some of what I saw from Jaden Hardy. He has a lot of twitch to his game and a explosive first step. Took some bad shots, and forgot to defend a couple of times, unlike Henderson who is a tenacious defender. Michael Foster had a nice game and is a presence around the basket defensively. However that probably needs to be taken with a grain of salt since the Warriors played with essentially no bigs in the game. So Foster was one of the tallest players on the floor at 6'8".
Bottom line, write down the name Scoota Henderson because your going to be hearing it a lot in the future!
Speaking of Kuminga, he was God awful turning the ball over 8 times. he had 12 points on 4 of 16 shooting, and played like a crazed bull in a china shop. By comparison, Moody who played 10 less minutes than Kuminga, scored 17 points on 5 of 10 shooting overall while going 3 of 7 from the three, while adding 5 boards. Moody closed out the game by blocking the final shot that would have either tied or won the game. I couldn't see if he was inside the 3 pt line or not.
I liked some of what I saw from Jaden Hardy. He has a lot of twitch to his game and a explosive first step. Took some bad shots, and forgot to defend a couple of times, unlike Henderson who is a tenacious defender. Michael Foster had a nice game and is a presence around the basket defensively. However that probably needs to be taken with a grain of salt since the Warriors played with essentially no bigs in the game. So Foster was one of the tallest players on the floor at 6'8".
Bottom line, write down the name Scoota Henderson because your going to be hearing it a lot in the future!
Patrick Baldwin Jr. took a different route and skipped on Duke and Georgetown to play for his dad at UW-Milwaukee. That means you probably won't get a ton of chances to see him on TV, but he's likely to fall in that 10-15 range where the Kings will probably pick. He has legit wing size at 6-9, but probably isn't the greatest athlete (he's also recovering from an ankle injury so that may affect his burst). The major attraction here is that he has a Steph-level beautiful jumper, and with his height and length he will easily be able to get if off at the next level. Looks to make good, quick decisions on offense. I'm pretty sure he's going to be in the discussion for the Kings this year.