[FONT=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]NBA comparison: Kenny Thomas
Strengths: Has great hands, and NBA upper body strength. Will not have the problems that other Euro players like Kirilenko and Gasol have been facing. Also, a good athlete with leaping ability and runs the floor pretty well for a big man. Used to playing high-level basketball at the age of 22. Played in the Euroleague Finals last year which was the highest level of club competition in Europe. Also, almost doubling his averages every year (last year: 8.8 ppg, this year: 16.4 PPG). Besides that, used to play in a big rotation which shows that he is not likely to have "staying on the court for longer minutes" syndromes. Has good ball handling skills for a big man. Can go coast to coast and finish it off with a dunk. Can spot a fellow big man from a variety of positions. Also, a good pick'n roll player. Can score by popping up from up to 15 ft, rolling down with control, find an open teammate both on the perimeter as well as down low. Very good at passing to big men, especially from high post to low post which will be beneficiary for zone offenses. Has the experience, the vision and the guts to select the correct pass. Knows how to score around the basket whether it be a fade away, a finger roll or a bank shot. Uses his body well not to get blocked. Also, contains a nice touch with a right hand jump hook.
Weaknesses: Not versatile. Can only play one position, namely power forward and may be a little soft for the position. Probably will have difficulty in defending big PF's. Not possible for him to "steal" some minutes from either C nor SF as he is literally too small for one and too slow/small for the latter. Needs to improve rebounding skills. Good at crushing the boards when running from the wing but not nearly as effective from a stationary position. Must improve upon his 65% free throw shooting.
-Emir Alkas -
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PHOTO by Diario Olé[/FONT]