Among this group of bigs, Aleksej Pokusevski deserves a mention as he, just be the best player of them all (emphasis on, Aleksej Pokusevski is a curious case. Need I say more? Honestly, I’d be surprised if Bane is still on the board when Oklahoma City picks. Olympiacos played a zone defense with Pokusevski as a defensive anchor that would rotate for closeouts when necessary on the past ANGT qualifiers. Full Order. McDaniels’ size, athleticism and playmaking potential gives him one of the highest ceilings in the draft. The Thunder need 3-point shooting help. Pokusevski’s lack of strength makes him struggle to get to his spots when he’s posting up, even against smaller defenders. By Steve Dewald @SteveDHoops Nov 2, 2020, 12:51pm PST Share this story NBA. They loved his skill and fluidity and had seen him in person. Bey is best known for his 3-point shooting, but there’s much more to his play than that. The fact that Pokusevski can’t turn his hips is a concern in itself, but the sight of him giving up on plays as soon as his man gets by him on the perimeter where a lot of times he fouls while lazily attempting a steal only goes to amplify that initial concern. Stats: 9.2 points, 4.0 rebounds, 1.0 assist, 1.0 steal, 1.0 block; 50.3% from 2, 32% from 3. Tankathon. Okoro is very good and can expect to be drafted before No. He even showed some passing chops. At North Carolina, legitimate question marks arose. The answer to this question is what Stewart’s career will rely upon. At 7’0”, he projects as a forward with unique shooting and passing skills, as well as active shot-blocking ability. I like the Bam Adebayo play style comparisons, with the caveat that it’s unreasonable to put the expectation of being Adebayo upon anyone entering the league. He’s athletic, which can help him on defense while giving him the offensive weapons that allow him to play well, including his ability to change speeds and get to the rim. He’ll likely have the chance to be a complementary piece on a playoff team next season. ILOVEIT—Good 'ol Bob. Compare Prospects. Besides his length, it’s Pokusevski’s defensive discipline what allows him to be an efficient rim protector. In these situations Pokusevski is forced to pick up his dribble farther away from the basket than he should, which makes him settle for floaters and runners; the type of shots that he’s still not used to making given his lack of touch and polish inside. 25 pick on any position. That’s not a backcourt that should team up. Smooth and … Stats: 18.5 points, 5.7 rebounds, 4.0 assists; 40.2% from 2, 34.8% from 3 in 22 games. His positives make him an interesting prospect, one who had lottery buzz out of high school, but he needs to improve before playing a real role. He even showed some passing chops. Hampton, who will be 20 in February, already shows a solid feel for the game. Because of that, he’s not on this board. Haliburton, at 6-foot-5 with a 6-foot-7.5 wingspan, is a good shooter and playmaker who can play off-ball and provides defensive skill to guard multiple positions. Read more here. Defensively, he looks like he can be ready for the NBA as a rookie. If he falls outside the lottery, the Thunder would have use for him. His size may make him a tweener in the NBA, but his skill set as a potential small-ball threat who can switch between positions is intriguing at this spot in the draft. And that's a reason some think the Oklahoma City Thunder should take him. 1 pick to draft LaMelo Ball? Powered by phpBB® Forum Software © phpBB Limited. We’ve put together a big board of options. Can he maintain his agility/coordination even after gaining a bit more weight? Aleksej Pokusevski, Olympiacos (Greece) fiba.basketball. In prep play, he often played the primary ballhandler role. Avdija’s placement for me depends on the team. Sportsworld didn't have the vocabulary to talk about someone like Daryl Morey when the Rockets made him GM in 2007, and it hasn't really developed one all these years later as he heads to Philadelphia. I’m a big fan of Riller, but he’ll be 24 as a rookie, and that doesn’t quite fit the Thunder’s timeline. I’d like to clarify why I did not include Tyrese Maxey, who seems like an obvious omission. There are two reasons I did not include him. He reads the floor at an extremely high level, is a better shooter than his 3-point percentage looks, and has All-NBA potential — if he can become a better decision-maker on the court. In these scenarios, Pokusevski tries to rely on his size and length, putting more effort on trying to chase opponents down than in actually containing penetration in the perimeter. First, there’s the physical limitations. Maledon is a creative passer who can absorb contact and score at three levels. Mock Draft. With playmaking skills of a guard and size of a center, he’s intriguing and a unicorn and a player the Thunder have time to develop if they want to take the risk. Probably not enough to trade pick No. He’ll likely have the chance to be a complementary piece on a playoff team next season. While he has improved as a closeout defender as of late, being quick to readjust after pump fakes, Pokusevski seems to trust his length too much. He’s likely staying overseas, which fits well with the Thunder’s timeline, but it would also be nice for the team to have a guard on a rookie deal to take a rotation spot and help save money. Oklahoma City may like McDaniels’ appeal as a forward who can create for himself and defend guards and wings. If he makes it on Serbia U18 team that will play in the European Championship this summer, we’ll be able to see how much he can contribute offensively off the ball as he’s likely to share frontcourt with other really good players like Nemanja Popovic, Mario Nakic and Aleksandar Langovic. Stats: 16.1 points, 4.7 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 0.8 steals, 0.4 blocks; 50% from 2P, 45.1% 3P on 5.6 3PA. Bolmaro is a great passer and a good finisher. By: Bryan Kalbrosky. With playmaking skills of a guard and size of a center, he’s intriguing and a unicorn and a player the Thunder have time to develop if they want to take the risk. Grant Riller, Point Guard, College of Charleston, Combined junior and senior year stats: 21.9 points, 4.3 rebounds, 4.0 assists, 1.4 steals; 58.9% from 2, 34.4% from 3. This section has the most legitimate candidates to wear blue next season. Achiuwa has some finesse as a finisher that is not often seen in someone so tall, though he does need to improve his shooting percentage from 2-point range to be a consistent threat. These concerns are reflected in his shooting percentages, as Pokusevski holds career marks of 46.3% in True Shooting and 41% from 2-point range, both subpar numbers for a 7-footer playing at the junior level in Europe. More. Read more on the guards draft guide. That piece could be Aleksej Pokusevski, an 18-year-old Serbian/Greek 7-foot ultra-skilled big man with shooting and playmaking skills. It’s easy to dismiss his potential as an NBA big due to his issues with finishing at the rim, defending on the perimeter and with the motor concerns that the international draft community mentions every time you bring up his name. Has unique dimensions for a perimeter player, standing more than 7-foot in shoes, with a 7-foot-3 wingspan and 9-foot-1 standing reach. This impressive stretch started at the U17 World Cup where Pokusevski led the tournament in blocks per game and finished top three in blocks per 36 minutes and BLK%, possessing a similar statistical impact as one of the top candidates for the first overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft in Evan Mobley and one of the best 2022-eligible international prospects we’ve seen so far in Adem Bona. The answer to this question is what Stewart’s career will rely upon. He’s a good defender, a better passer than his assist tally looks, and he has potential on offense. Hampton, who was one of the top high school players in his class, went overseas instead of college. From 11 to 17 is a group that could be a trade-up target. Read more on the wings draft guide. His tendency is to pin shots against the backboard instead of going for the volleyball spike type of block, which allows his team to regain possession of the basketball following one his blocks. Even though his tendency to gravitate towards the rim on defense can make him vulnerable when he has to close out on shooters on the perimeter, Olympiacos went with a defensive scheme that placed Pokusevski around the rim as much as possible, trying to maximize his defensive value as a rim protector. Nesmith is also efficient from 2 and he has showed skills at cutting, making turnarounds and even creating his own shot. – Motor/Energy. There are areas to round out, but his skill set screams role player early in his career. NBA comparisons: Toni Kukoc, Dragan Bender. Long player – above average length for PF, below average wingspan by .25 inches and standing reach by 1.5 inches. Stats: 12.7 points, 5.1 rebounds, 1.4 steals, 1.0 blocks, 41.5% 3 on 3.5 3PA. His ability to be a playmaker at the forward position is unique, and for a team like the Thunder that will have chances at point guards in the future, I’d look for a home run swing on a wing this year instead of a point guard if there is a debate between two players of those positions. The Oklahoma City Thunder are almost certainly not going to be in position to draft any of these guys, so we’re going to keep these descriptions short. I was on a 3 hour drive yesterday and was listening to draft podcasts and one of them had Poku at no. Maledon needs to get better at playmaking in traffic, work on his speed and lateral quickness and prove he’s a consistent shooter. Read more. Some see Pokusevski with potential that could make him the best player in the draft. Steve Dewald stops by the Blazer’s Edge podcast to discuss the upcoming NBA Draft and the Trail Blazers’ offseason options. As a defender, Achiuwa is versatile, which can help him establish a role as his offensive grows. The biggest improvement Pokusevski has made during the past year has been as a 3-point shooter. Breaking down LaMelo Ball, Tyrese Haliburton, Killian Hayes, RJ Hampton, Cole Anthony, Kira Lewis Jr., Nico Mannion and the other top point guard prospects of the class. I split this board up into three tiers. I will. This leads me to the second factor for concern which is his overreliance on his size and length. You can read a comprehensive draft profile on Pokusevski’s strengths and weaknesses here at Blazer’s Edge. He’s a good defender, a better passer than his assist tally looks, and he has potential on offense. Others think he won’t be able to make it from overseas. Can he gain enough strength to be better to finish through contact on offense? All teams missing the playoffs are in the Lottery, Teams with worse records get more chances at winning a top four pick (more ping pong ball combos), The 1st overall pick is awarded by a drawing of ping pong balls, The 2nd overall pick is awarded by a drawing of ping pong balls, The 3rd overall pick is awarded by a drawing of ping pong balls, The 4th overall pick is awarded by a drawing of ping pong balls, Remaining lottery teams, sorted by record, fill out picks 5-14, Playoff teams, sorted by record, are assigned picks 15-30 - playoff seeds and outcomes have no impact, Random drawing decides who picks first between teams with same record, Tied lottery teams split their ping pong balls evenly, and any odd remainder and the better draft order position are given to the random drawing winner, Second round is ordered by record without playoff consideration, Second round ties are in reverse order of the teams' first round picks.
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