Uros Tripkovic is a nice shooter that also can play Point Guard. He saw limited minutes with Partizan Belgrade this season in the Euroleague. His chances to get drafted are probably close to zero. He was considered as a bigger prospect a few years ago.

Nikola Pekovic is probably the best player on the European level for the moment of the whole list. Pekovic is a large 2m10 center who was a dominant force in the Euroleague for Partizan this season. He is not very highly regarded by most of the Mock Drafts. He just signed a big 3 year deal with Panathinaikos so a first round selection would not be a good choice for an NBA team if they want to bring him over one day.

Tadija Dragicevic is the main option in the offense for the ULEB Cup team of Crvena Zvedza Belgrade. Dragicevic has great size for the SF spot and can net the open three point shot without any problem. He has progressed heavily this season and was one of the best scorers in the ULEB Cup with 18.4ppg. More of a Euroleague type player in terms of athleticism and speed, some teams may give him a try late in the 2nd round.

Novica Velickovic is the third guy from Partizan in this review and may be the most complete one. 10.6ppg and 6.9rpg are in the books for the Serbian forward who is also developing a pretty nice three point shot. He plays mainly on the PF position for the Serbian powerhouse, a spot that he would have some trouble in the NBA. A late second round spot would not be lost on him.

Goran Dragic is probably the closest to an NBA point guard in this year’s draft. Highly athletic, creative and quick, the Slovenian player has also great size. A problem that remains is his long distance shot where he does not feel very comfortable. But his left handed drives are hard to defend, also on the NBA level. He could end up as high as the 2nd round even for a team that wants his s back up PG in a few years time.

Anton Ponkrashov was highly regarded as NBA prospect a few years ago because of his nice combination of height and playmaking skills. His development has however stagnated a bit over the last two years and his showing at the Reebok Eurocamp was not giving him a boost in the pre-Draft process. He could end up undrafted after he was considered as first round material 2 years ago.

Kaloyan Ivanov has entered the NBA Draft process last year by entering his name in the Early entrants list. This year, it has been a little bit quieter about him but he remains a strong rebounder and banger in the low post. His chances to get drafted are very low.

Martin Miklosik is 2m26 tall and… Well that’s about it.

Albert Moncasi had an awful season with Barcelona where he barely saw the court in the Euroleague. Moncasi has however nice size with 2m09 and can hit shots from three point area. But is this enough for getting drafted?

Dusan Sakota had finally a season where he played basketball with Panionios Athens and reached the semifinals in the Greek league. Big time prospect back in 2005, Sakota never lived up to his potential of the new 2m10 scoring forward which he was in U18 and U20 categories. Now he is likely to go undrafted.

Mantas Kalnietis is the second athletic PG in this years draft when it comes to Europeans. The Lithuanian youngster showed a correct camp in Treviso which may have helped him to get some attention in the late second round.

Damjan Rudez worked out for the Milwaukee Bucks this week and impressed some people there. He is yet another 2m07 forward who can also hit the three ball. He just signed a new deal with Euroleague team Olimpija Ljubljana so seeing him in the NBA next season would be a surprise.

Luca Vitali is the tallest Point Guard in the NBA Draft with his 2m01. He played an extraordinary season in Italy this year where he averaged 10.3ppg, 2.5rpg and 3.1apg. He will be a Euroleague player for the next season but if his development continues at the current pace, he can end up of being a good producer on the highest European level. For the NBA, it wont be enough.

Semih Erden developed steadily into a correct Euroleague center who has great size and correct athleticism. He did a private workout for attending NBA teams in Treviso where he showed his accuracy around the key. He is also a good shot blocker and could end up somewhere in the middle of the second round.

Mickael Mokongo had a little strange parcours for a French prospect as he moved to Italy and Turkey in his young years. Mokongo was considered as a bottom line NBA prospect but his recent performances did not improve his chances to enter the 60 places available.

Manuchar Markoishvili is on the European scene for many many years now and he is still only automatically eligible this season. He showed his typical game in Treviso with aggressive scoring on the drive and correct three point shooting. His upside seems limited however. That’s why we won’t see his name on Thursday pronounced.

Peja Samardziski is also present for a long time already. The Macedonian Center has great size at 2m15 and his good fundamentals help to build a nice presence in the post. His development however was not as good as expected but he did a nice job in this year’s edition of the Adriatic League where he was the 2nd best shot blocker.

Omer Asik appeared a bit out of nowhere in 2007 when he averaged a double double for the Turkish Alpella Istanbul team. He moved over to Fenerbahce to feel the Euroleague and became a top shotblocker of the highest level outside the NBA. His private workout in Treviso gave a good look at his all around skills for a big man and maybe a possible selection in the 2nd round.

Giorgi Tsintsadze is a correct Point Guard from Georgia who did a nice job this year with Tartu Rock in Estonia. He reached the Final Four of the FIBA Eurocup and was named to the FIBA Eurocup First team because of his 14.4ppg, 3.8rpg, 5.2apg and 1.8spg in this competition. His Draft chances are however extremely slim.

Vladimir Golubovic is a 2m12 tall center who was present at the Orlando Pre-Draft camp this summer and even had a workout for the Sacramento Kings. But seeing him getting drafted would be a nice surprise after his correct season in Serbia where he averaged 13.3ppg and 8.7rpg in the Adriatic League.

Nikita Kurbanov is probably undersized to play the PF spot and not quick enough for the SF spot in the NBA. He is however one of the most hard working guys in the list and shows great understanding of basketball. For me, he was one of the best players in the Reebok camp in Treviso. But his NBA chances are close to zero.

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Danilo Gallinari (10th)

The consensus is that Gallinari will fall at the 10th place to the New Jersey Nets. But the rumors of him being drafted by the Knicks are still there and he may move up when you check out the teams he was working out for. But he is definitely the European player that will get drafted first.

Nicolas Batum (21st)

Another little slide for Batum who did good workouts but got diagnosed with some minor heart problems these days. This may hurt his stock in the next days but the overall impression he gave for the team he worked out for were good to very good.

Alexis Ajinca (24th)

The runner of the last weeks is Alexis Ajinca who rocketed up the boards. His intriguing skills may have been one of the reasons and so he showed all his potential in the workouts. The teams have to considered still that he is not a huge contributor in the French league right now but he may have nice potential. Be prepared to not see him getting big minutes in the NBA next season.

Serge Ibaka (26th)

Ibaka also arrived now in a consensus 1st round area, which is probably the result of his showing at the Reebok Eurocamp. Even more raw than Ajinca, but also a year younger, Ibaka is another long-term potential who may end up as a good player or as a total bust.

Ante Tomic (41st)

Tomic is the only European early-entrant that stayed in the Draft and has no 1st round position among the Mock Drafts. He may be happy with a 2nd round spot as he is probably way more interested in a career in Europe than in the NBA. Being drafted in the 2nd round is better for him too as he may sign a big-money deal in Europe before moving to the NBA in a couple of years.

Omer Asik (42nd)

Asik had a nice workout in Treviso but is that enough to qualify for a 1st round pick. I don’t think so and him being around the 40th pick is probably the best for him and for the drafting team. Asik has more time to develop in the Euroleague and can decide if he moves to NBA in a couple of years. The 2nd round spot gives him also better salary conditions than being in the late 1st.

Nikola Pekovic (46th)

Pekovic, who is officially now a Panathinaikos Athens player remains exactly where I had him on my last Mock Review. Not a lot has changed for him in between as he is not doing any work outs either and does not display big interest in the NBA in general.

Goran Dragic (47th)

Dragic also took some advantage from his showing in Treviso and moved up in some of the Mocks. Some NBA scouts consider him as one of best prospects of the 1986 generation in the Draft internationally. So far, I did not hear anything about NBA workouts for him either. But we may see him end up somewhere in the 2nd round and developing a few more years within TAU Ceramica.

Semih Erden (50th)

For the moment, you don’t hear a lot about him. Still he moved up in some Mock Drafts as he was 54th in the last Review.

Anton Ponkrashov (59th)

Not a lot of change for Ponkrashov either who could not boost his stock in Treviso with up-and-down play and a lot of individual choices. Still, he remains a good player who can do some good plays but his NBA chances seem very slim these days.

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Oleksandr Kolchenko (1m96 – Shooting Guard – 1988 – Khimik)

The Ukrainian Guard did a good job during the days in Treviso and showed why he is considered as one of the best pure shooters in Europe. With his picture perfect shot from behind the arc, he came up with solid performances throughout the camp and exploded with one 22pts performance where he hit 5 out 7 3pt attempts. He has already a very well developed upper body and big arms. He can hit multiple threes in a row and has long range. Due to correct athleticism, he can also shoot over bigger guys if needed.

Kolchenko also showed several drives to the basket where he mostly tried to come until the rim. He never really showed some in-between game or any kind of out of the dribble mid-distance jump shot. But his big scoring capabilities from behind the arc and his still young age make him a sure bet for a good Euroleague role player with his shooting skills.

Mantas Kalnietis (1m96 – Point Guard – 1986 – Zalgiris Kaunas)

Kalnietis started the camp a bit shaky with some bad decisions and bad shooting. But with the days going on, the days became better for the Lithuanian PG who is automatically eligible for the NBA Draft this year. Easily one of the best athletes in his generation, Kalnietis excels in the drives to the basket where he can score in traffic with his great leaping ability and dish it of when the help comes. Still, he sometimes struggles to make the correct choice in the right moment. When he goes to the basket, he can score with both hands with good touch of the glass.

Kalnietis started to take better shots the last days of the camp and also knocked them down. His game will however remain more penetration-driven than being a huge threat from outside. Another thing to add is that Kalnietis did not display real leader skills, something he should acquire and use in such situations where he is one of the most experienced players.

Alexey Shved (1m95 – Guard – 1988 – CSKA Moscow)

Alexey Shved was once again amazing and show his incredible feel for the game of basketball. With his sweet shooting touch, he came up with several impressive games and saved the best for last and a 8/15 effort from behind the arc. He can hit the threes in every way, out of the dribble or catch and shot are no problems for him. Despite a still very thin and underdeveloped body, Shved can drive and score against the big guys using a good leaping ability. He can even go for some surprising dunks in the traffic.

What Shved is still missing is the experience. After one season on the bench for CSKA, next year Alexey needs finally to get some serious playing time on a good level in order to develop his excellent skills and fulfill his potential. A loan to another Russian team like for Ponkrashov could help Alexey to develop. But also some changes will be made in CSKA rosters so that Shved’s role could increase during the next season.

Anton Ponkrashov (2m00 – Point Guard – 1986 – Khimky Moscow)

Another player that started the camp badly was Anton Ponkrashov who forced a lot of plays. Is it some pressure he puts on himself in order to impress the NBA scouts or has his game changed that much over the season in Khimky? Because his court-vision and passing skills were nowhere to be seen and the Russian guard relied mainly on his scoring skills during the games.

Because he has excellent playmaking skills, and he knows how to use, but unfortunately, he only showed them in a few rare moments. The other time he tried to impose a game that seems not to be his instead of playing what he really excels in. You could also see him several times being very loud on the court and talking aggressively to his team mates when they did not catch a pass or did something wrong.

Jaka Klobucar (1m98 – Shooting Guard – 1987 – Geoplin Slovan)

Klobucar is a favorite of the author for several years now but that is not the only reason why I mention him here. The Slovenian guard showed once again his excellent basketball fundamentals which means nice left handed long distance shot and great court-vision and passing skills. Klobucar is perfect when he comes off screens and receives the ball from his left to catch, turn and shoot the three pointer even with a defender in his face.

Because of his great size, he has a pretty good court-vision and can go for nice two handed passes for cutters or the big guys. Neither the fastest, nor the most athletic guy in the camp, his all around physicals are great. Klobucar will probably move to a bigger team next season despite still being under contract with Geoplin Slovan in Slovenia since his youngest days.

Dusan Mladjan (1m98 – Shooting Guard – 1986 – Lugano Tigers)

One of the big surprises in the camp to me was the Swiss-Serbian guard Dusan Mladjan. Having never heard anything about him before, Mladjan showed a nice arsenal of scoring skills with 3pt range, mid range jumpers and fast breaks. On the downside, Mladjan has some problems in the ball handling area which makes him limited when it comes to drives. Still, it was a good showing by him in Treviso in general and he could be interesting for some bigger teams than his actual Swiss squad.

Rudy Mbemba (1m81 – Point Guard – 1987 – Solna Vikings)

The years go by and Rudy Mbemba is still in Treviso. And the problem is that you don’t see any real progression in Rudy’s game. Still, he is extremely athletic and has incredible speed. But what about some game control, improved shooting or playmaking duties. Mbemba will probably remain an athletic phenomenon if he does not work on his game. Because he has the tools to develop into an excellent player as he has the handles to play the point. But he needs to use his quickness in a more effective way in order to reach anywhere the potential he is.

Goran Dragic is also worth to be mentioned but he did only play one day in the camp. The game he was on the floor, he showed all what we knew from him before. Excellence in running the fast break, huge athletic skills and a long distance shot that is still not his force. However, he can be considered as having showed the best performances of the camp in the guard area together with Alexey Shved.

Reebok Eurocamp Treviso 2008: the Guards is a post from: European Prospects
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Danilo Gallinari (8th)

The uncontested  European No1 remains Danilo Gallinari. After having finished his season with AJ Milano with a 0-3 loss in the playoffs against Montepaschi Siena, the Italian forward can now concentrate fully to the upcoming Draft process which consists of camps, workouts and interviews. Despite the rumors that Gallinari may stay another season in Italy, he is a clear-cut lottery pick that even could go to the Top5 according to some NBA scouts. And the link with the Knicks at the 6th spot may be more than just a journalist’s story. But remains the question, if “il Gallo” is still available when the Knicks have their choice.

Nicolas Batum (20th)

The stock of the French forward is still falling and he reached the 20th spot in the Review this time. The recent comments by Pacers Larry Bird, who draft at 11, may boost him back into the lottery for some Mockers, but it would be more interesting to watch his current performances during the French playoffs. A nearly triple double (11pts 7rebs 9asts) in the match-up with Cholet qualified his team Le Mans for the semi-finals where they will play against the French champion Roanne.

Serge Ibaka (40th)

The Congolese PF is still the total mystery man in the Draft. While two of the most up-to-date Mock Drafts (DX and NBAdraft.net) don’t have him in at all, the other Mockers see him in the first round. So his stock could rocket up when he decides to remain in the process. He will be one of the most followed guys in Treviso in 10 days for sure and this camp may decide a lot on his future this year. He finished his regular season with L’Hospitalet in the second Spanish division with 10.7ppg and 8.0rpg while blocking 3.1 shots in just 25 minutes per game.

Alexis Ajinca (41st)

The long not that skinny anymore French Center is still moving up the boards as he is now considered as a Draft candidate for this season by nearly all of the Mocks. And those, that consider him see him at the end of the 1st round mostly. Ajinca, who is surprisingly not on the list of the Treviso invitees finished his season with Hyères-Toulon in a nice fashion and despite a limited playing time came up with some nice performances during the year. The next season should be his real break-through year if his learning curve remains as steep as it was this year. A little bit more regularity and we have a excellent prospect for the future.

Omer Asik (43rd)

Up and down may be story for Omer Asik from Turkey. Draftexpress had recently a long report on him after they had the possibility to analyse his game for the first time. And the least one could say is that they were delighted and immediately put him higher in their Mock. this has affected Asik’s position in the Review as well and so he is slowly moving up again in the second half of the 2nd round.

Nikola Pekovic (46th)

Still quite a deep position comparing to his current playing level, the Montenegrin Center from Partizan Belgrade remains some kind of doubtful in terms of NBA material. If the Draft would be for European teams only, he would be a Top 3 pick for sure. But we are talking about NBA here and so his “normal” athletic skills don’t give him the necessary credit among the Mock Draft writers.

Ante Tomic (50th)

Tomic is still hurt by some Mocks that don’t consider him at all. But Chad Ford for ESPN even sees him in the first round going to the Spurs. Well if that happens, in a few year’s time, everybody will say what a steal that was. Or not… Not a lot of news about him during the past few days though.

Semih Erden (54th)

The Turkish Center is still predicted somewhere in the late second round by most of the Mocks, so here we did not see a lot of change for him only moving from 58th to 54th spot.

Goran Dragic (55th)

Another candidate who has been in our reviews for the last months and always being picked around that 50th place. The athletic guard currently playing for Olimpija Ljubljana in the Slovenian playoffs could be an interesting pick in this region of the Draft as he has the necessary athletic skills to play in the NBA. but if that is enough?

Omri Casspi (56th)

A new entry in our review is the Israeli forward from Maccabi Tel Aviv. After an up-and-down performance during the Euroleague Final Four in Madrid, his name is now entering the boards throughout the net and he could end up somewhere in the second round if he stays in the Draft. Nothing is more unsure than that however.

Anton Ponkrashov (59th)

Having led Khimky to the Russian Finals, Anton Ponkrashov’s season is now ever and he can concentrate on a possible NBA Draft career. He should be one of the top performers in Treviso of the 1986 class if he attends and is motivated as his talent level is without any doubt. What his future looks like is not so sure for the moment as he is just on loan with Khimky and it is probably not in his hands if he stays or will go back to CSKA Moscow for next season.

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Danilo Gallinari (9th)

Gallinari is still at the top of the European ranking. After having announced officially that he will enter the Draft, the spot of the highest European pick seems now clearly decided. Still, the different mocks are not quite sure about his exact position. While he is seen as high as 6th by Draftexpress and NBAdraft.net, ESPN only sees him as the 15th best pick.

Nicolas Batum (18th)

Batum is continuing his slide in the different mocks. The French forward’s ups and downs are maybe one of the reasons for this drop in the rankings. Still, he showcases an amazing combination of physical tools and basketball skills which is probably not topped by any European prospects right now.

Serge Ibaka (37th)

Serge Ibaka is now considered as a first round pick by nearly any of the mocks. While his performance during the Nike Hoop Summit game was not the most remarkable, his physical tools amazed some of the scouts in attendance of the practice sessions. The question remains if Ibaka will enter this year’s draft or not.

Omer Asik (48th)

Another slider of the last weeks is Omer Asik. After a thunderous beginning of the season, the Turkish power forward/center is not seeing as many minutes as he plays with a much stronger team. So his numbers went down as well as the consideration for him by the mock draft writers.

Nikola Pekovic (49th)

Pekovic announced that he is not very interested by the NBA. Maybe this is the reason for his drop to the 49th position this time. As he is automatically eligible, there will probably one or another team that will however try to grab him somewhere in the second round. On the other hand, his agent told the Greek TV that Pekovic is not sure yet about what he does next season and that he is getting a lot of attention by the NBA teams at the moment.

Ante Tomic (51st)

His position has still a lot of upside potential as he is not considered by every mock so far. He has announced that he will be in this year, but was that not the case already some years before. Also, more and more top names in Europe want to sign the tall Croatian for next season. He can move up a lot in the Mocks but also totally fall out when he is not even in the early entrants at the end.

Alexis Ajinca (52nd)

Ajinça did everything right with a second appearance in the Nike Hoops Summit. His stock has moved up and his position in the different mocks ameliorated. However, the only Mock that had him in before the Summit has him now in its 2009 Mock. So there is still a lot of potential when it comes to his final position.

Goran Dragic (57th)

A big drop from the 47th to the 57th for the speedy Slovenian guard. He suffers probably a lot under the announcements of some college underclassmen to enter the Draft which were not in the lists before. Dragic’s future is also not clear for the moment as his “transfer” to TAU a few year’s ago is still in the courts now to be validated.

Semih Erden (58th)

The biggest slide came for Semih Erden, the athletic Turkish Center. For him may count the same story than for Dragic, suffering from the US early entrants. Erden is automatically eligible and should however find some interested team in the late second round.

Anton Ponkrashov (59th)

Ponkrashov is still there but is he a legit NBA prospect? He played a good season so far for Khimky Moscow but it may be possible to see him back with CSKA next year and not in the NBA.

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Danilo Gallinari (8th)

The Italian forward is improving his Draft stock with the different mocks and moved several places higher in the Ranking. He is definitely the Number 1 pick from Europe right now according to the different sites in our review. NBAdraft.net is still having him behind Batum but “il Gallo” is the man right now.

Nicolas Batum (11th)

Not a lot of changing for Batum who remains with a predicted averaged 11th place but sled behind Danilo Gallinari. The last four games in the French league were impressive for the 1988 born forward as he averaged 14ppg 6.3rpg and 4.5apg to lead Le Mans to a 10-1 streak over the last weeks. Since the end of the Euroleague, his mediatic presence may have decreased but he is now preparing to lead Le Mans to the French title.

Omer Asik (37th)

A big gap between the two top prospects and the rest and we have a new third highest ranked player with Omer Asik. Pretty unknown before this season, Asik is constantly moving up the different Mocks and is now even a first round pick for some of them. His still improving performances in the Euroleague are certainly not passing the eyes of the NBA scouts and he might end up around a 30th place in June.

Nikola Pekovic (40th)

The weeks follow and the performances of Pekovic maintain as well. Also in our review, he improved just one spot from 41 to 40 and he is considered throughout the panel as a legit early second rounder. He has one of his most important games ahead this week in the Euroleague as he can help Partizan to qualify for the Top8 playoffs which would be a big surprise.

Serge Ibaka (41st)

Still not considered as a Draft pick this year for Draftexpress and Basketdraft, Ibaka remains a consensus second rounder for 2008 even if those that have him in their Mocks see him at the end of the first round. Far away from dominating in the 2nd Spanish league, the Congolese born forward is still all about potential right now. The next season may be determinant for his future if he moves up to a higher ranked team in European hierarchy eventually.

Semih Erden (45th)

Yet another member of the impressive Fenerbahce Ülker frontcourt and also a nice progression over the season for him. Moving up from 51 to 45 is nearly the top performance of this month in the different Draft boards. Erden, who is back from his little injuries is still contending for a Euroleague Top8 spot and his athletic play should help his team to move to the next round.

Goran Dragic (47th)

Despite still lots of ups and downs, Dragic has maintained an interesting scoring level over the last few weeks in the Adriatic league. Still not a major assist deliverer, his athletic capabilities are interesting on the European level but average for a NBA point guard. It is Draft year for him, so he will probably be present at some workouts but they will coincide with the preparation of the Slovenian NT for the Olympic qualifier in Athens.

Rodrigue Beaubois (48th)

Another upmover in the person of Rodrigue Beaubois who is coming seriously back from his injury at the beginning of the season. Heavily athletic,he averaged more than 20 minutes per game over the last weeks with Cholet and he is now a regular contributor for the surprising French team. Still not being considered by half of the Mocks, he will probably enter the race when the Draft is approaching.

Anton Ponkrashov (52nd)

Another nice move up for the Russian guard who is playing a great season away from his hometeam CSKA Moscow in Khimky. While Draftexpress and NBADraft.net are particularly high on him, some other Mocks do not have him at all in their Top 60 predictions. As he is automatically eligible this season, Ponkrashov comes up with his best basketball in the right moment.

Ante Tomic (53rd)

The talented big guy from Croatia is still not being considered as one of the top prospects in Europe despite a perfect set of basketball skills. He is playing in the somehow anonymity of KK Zagreb and so his individual performances are not at the top of the radar of the media coverage. However, he came up as DX’s European Prospect of the week but still he is not on the board for a lot of people as the consensus goes for a 2009 Draft for him.

Alexis Ajinca (58th)

Still only one Mock that has him in for 2008, and that even in the First Round. NBA Draft.net is particularly high on him and his limited performances since the Semaine de As did not hit his stock as one could expect. He has of course still high extremely intriguing athletic potential, now he has to become a regular contributor on the French national level.

Mantas Kalnietis (59th)

Kalnietis’ numbers are improving the last weeks and so does his Draft stock. Undrafted in our latest consensus, he has now entered the board. Also a 1986 born player, he has to come up big in the next weeks if he wants to remain in the race for the Draft spots.

Undrafted: Peja Samardziski, Rudy Mbemba

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I have selected 7 Mock Drafts websites and checked their respective latest versions of their Mock. The 7 selected sites are the following: Draftexpress, NBADraft.net, Real GM, Draft Review, BasketDraft, Hoopsvibe and NBA Draft Guru. And here are the results.

Nicolas Batum (projected Draft position: 11th)

It is not a big surprise to see him at the top of the list. Batum is clearly the most NBA type of player actually on the radar of NBA scouts. What is interesting that 4 out of 7 mocks see him as top European pick with Basketdraft going highest with the 7th overall. The lowest prediction for him is a 15th place according to the NBA Draft guru.

Danilo Gallinari (13th)

The question remains if Gallinari is the better prospect or Batum. For 3 of the 7 websites, he is. And the difference is particularly speaking for Draftexpress that sets him as high as 5th place. For the moment, the performances of Gallinari in the Euroleague are clearly above those of Batum. But still, a lot of people see more upside with the French guy. But of course, both have to enter the Draft first in order to get drafted as they are both born in 1988.

Serge Ibaka (39th)

He is probably still the biggest mystery in the Draft. While two mocks (DX, Basketdraft) don’t have him at all in their listings presuming that he won’t enter this year, the other see him drafted between 19th and 28th spot. As Basketdraft and DX have probably more reliable sources in Spain due to their writers, it is strongly possible that we won’t see the Congolese this year. At least, the two non-selections hurt his position in the EP.com Mock draft Review a lot.

Nikola Pekovic (41st)

Probably the most imposing force at the present, but also being born in 1986 and hurting in that way his potential upside which is still a huge factor in NBA Drafts. Pekovic is a fundamentally sound big man who could contribute immediately as his learning process is already well developed. Imposing force in the Euroleague, he may have some trouble in playing against NBA centers which are way more physical; if he is interested in moving over.

Omer Asik (43rd)

The late bloomer from Turkey that moved to Fenerbahce Ülker during the season and is getting serious Euroleague minutes in a prospect loaded team on the inside positions. He only entered the draft boards recently as the two elder mocks don’t even mention him. What is also interesting is that DX and DraftReview see him above Pekovic.

Semih Erden (51st)

Another Fenerbahce front line member is Semih Erden. He is sidelined with an injury at the moment but a good start in the Euroleague season earned him a spot in the second round for most of the Mocks. Again like for Asik, the elder mocks don’t have him at all in their rankings so he must get a little boost in our next edition when those have updated their predictions (hopefully).

Goran Dragic (53rd)

The Slovenian PG rocketed his stock during the Eurobasket 2007 but after some up and down games in the Euroleague, his is now somewhere in the middle of Round 2 for most of the mocks. However, while DX is quite high on Dragic having him at 37, NBA Draft.net only sees him at 53 which is quite a big difference.

Rodrigue Beaubois (55th)

The French PG just comes back from a minor injury and he should move up the different mocks in the coming weeks. Having created a huge buzz around him last year by announcing his name to enter the Draft, Beaubois has lived up the expectations by cracking the rotation at Cholet. Being from the 1988 generation, he still has a lot of upside and should improve with increasing playing time until the end of the season.

Ante Tomic (56th)

The Croatian Center is still a mystery if he ever can come over to the NBA. According to the different mocks, his actual place is between 31 and undrafted. Tomic is still putting up interesting numbers in the Adriatic League but his non-presence in the Euroleague seems to hurt his stock with some mock draft writers. His talent is undeniable, but he has to produce on the next European level in order to get the necessary recognition. He has still one year left before being automatically eligible.

Anton Ponkrashov (57th)

The Russian guard is playing an outstanding season with Khimki where he has recently won the Russian cup, is second in the Russian Superleague and also able to go far in the ULEB Cup. However, his interesting numbers don’t seem to give him enough credit to be worth more than the end of the second round. He showed however with CSKA last year in the NBA Europe Live Tour what his potential level is.

Alexis Ajinca (59th)

Probably the most interesting case in this edition. Being of the board for all the mocks, Ajinca has reentered the NBA Draft.net mock again and is actually listed as a potential first round pick at the 28th spot. His very improved performances during the last weeks and especially his shot blocking effort in the Semaine des As seem to have motivated the NBA Draft team to bring him back to the first round. The presence of a scout of them in Toulon is certainly also one of the reasons for this change.

undrafted: Peja Samardziski, Mantas Kalnietis

Present in some mock drafts, but the overall ranking does not give them actually a spot in the Top60 of the EuropeanProspects.com Mock Draft Review.

The European Prospects Mock Draft Review is a post from: European Prospects
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In the Adriatic League match-up between East and West in Ljubljana, two of the most interesting 1986 born prospects led their East team to an easy win 136-113. Of course, such games don’t mean a lot in terms of talent scouting, I just wanted to mention some performances that show somehow the importance of these players in regards to the Adriatic league. I speak of Nikola Pekovic and Tadija Dragicevic. While the first one showed once again his dominating position in the paint with his typical numbers (26pts at 81% and 8rebs), Dragicevic came up with a nice scoring effort too (22pts at 9/14) and also won the Three-point shootout. Other notable presences were Milenko Tepic with 17pts for the East and Jaka Klobucar, Damjan Rudez as well as Ante Tomic for the West All-Stars.

You can also mention the presence of some other 1986 born or younger players during the game with Jure Lalic, Andrija Stipanović and Nemanja Gordić. The big absent was of course Goran Dragic who got injured on Saturday.

For the French All-Star game on Saturday, you will see a Starting line-up for the French selection composed of three of the most promising players of the Hexagon. While Nicolas Batum and Marc-Antoine Pellin already get a lot of attention because of their Euroleague presence, the player to discover for some observers will be Nando de Colo from Cholet. The 1987 born guard is playing a very interesting season so far and is excelling also in the FIBA Euro Cup. In the French Pro A, de Colo is actually averaging 13.2ppg, 2.2rpg, 4.1apg and 1.8spg in 27 minutes of action while his EuroCup numbers look good too with 17.0ppg, 3.8rpg and 2.5apg.

Some All-Star game notes is a post from: European Prospects
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After a somehow slow start into the Euroleague season, Dragic is now putting up more regular numbers. He scored in double figures in 7 of the last 8 Euroleague games and he is also turning regularly around 3-4 assists per game. Scoring mostly on drives, where he uses his good athletic abilities, he still has no regular three point shot which he can hit. He improved in that exercise in the last game though so that he is not at nearly 30% from behind the arc.

There is still some work to do on his shooting mechanics so that you can hope on a better shooting percentage in the coming months. As defenses often let him open, he is forced to take more shots from behind the line than he wants. And this also makes his penetrations less dangerous as he has more trouble to beat his opponent of the dribble.

What is interesting in his physical combination of good size, great speed and athletic skills is his defensive potential. He was one of the key players in Slovenia’s run in the Eurobasket this summer to qualify for the Pre-Olympic tournament. His presence on the court was always paired with huge defensive pressure on the opposing guards and easy buckets on the fast break.

For the moment, Dragic still has to improve in decision making; he is not a floor general at the moment. But as he is getting huge minutes in the Euroleague, he should improve in this area in the future. However, he will probably never become a true PG leader who is a pass first guy. His scoring skills are at the moment more developed than his passing so that he is more of a scoring PG right now.

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Prospect update: Goran Dragic is a post from: European Prospects
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