European Prospects

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Adidas Eurocamp 2012: auto-eligible players

June 15th, 2012 · 1 Comment

We start our in detail analysis of the Adidas Eurocamp 2012 with those players that are automatically eligible for the NBA Draft 2012. Even if the number of high level prospects is limited, there might be one or two players that will see their name come up in the second round as a pick and stash option.

Andrew Albicy – PG – 1m74 – France – BCM Gravelines

The tiny French Point Guard had a good season in France where he played massive minutes with the best team of the regular season Gravelines. However, they got eliminated in the first round of the Playoffs. Albicy showed during the season that he has the capability to run a team on a mid-European level at the age of 22 and being only 1m74 tall. Mainly known for his defensive qualities, Albicy showed in Treviso that he can set up the plays and find his team mates in the right positions. However, a setting like the Eurocamp is not really favoring guards that do not have their main strengths in scoring. But Albicy has slowly moved up the steps and is now potentially at Euroleague level already. This speaks in favor of him as despite his short size, he is able to play defense against any kind of guards. He was for example not in trouble against the much taller Tomas Satoransky in Treviso. But I do not see him being drafted as his offensive potential remains limited, especially on the NBA level.

Dusan Cantekin – C – 2m19 – Turkey – Mega Vizura

The Turkish big man did not really shine at the Adidas Eurocamp even if he stood out as the tallest player in the setting. Cantekin runs the floor well and excels with a nice shooting touch around the key. He was one of the best players in this exercise during the morning sessions. On the other hand, you could not see him dominate in the paint despite his size. Rarely used in the low post, Cantekin scored his baskets with jump shots or on stick backs. Defensively, he moves nicely but is not really a dangerous shot blocker. He might become an option for some NBA team because of the traditional saying that you can’t teach height. A pick in the end of the second round would not been wasted most likely.

Olek Czyz – PF – 1m99 – Poland – University of Nevada

The Polish forward was one of the major surprises in the camp as nobody really knew him before. Having moved to the United States in his teens, he was recruited by Duke where he never really cracked the rotation though. Moving to the University of Nevada was probably the best decision and despite his good numbers there, he was not really in the focus until now. What stands out first with Czyz is his extraordinary leaping abilities and explosiveness on the court. Always going hard against anyone, the Polish forward was one of the best scorers in the paint and with contact. Mainly playing with his face to the basket, he drove past bigger PF in the camp with ease if he was not called for a travel on his quick first step. This might be a problem for him in the Europe in the beginning as he has grown up in the US system.

Nevertheless, Czyz showed that he is able to play from outside and can develop a SF game in the future. To do so, he needs to work on his shot which is far from being regular and even turns a bit sideways in stead of backwards. Czyz himself wants to get a chance in the NBA but I think that his chances are slim at the moment. The best options for him would be to sign in Europe and work on his Small Forward skills. This would certainly help him on the long term because he is only 22 years old despite having been a transfer in the College system.

Nihad Djedovic – SG – 1m97 – Bosnia – Galatasaray

The Bosnian scorer has been there for years but somehow, I do not see any major development in his game. He looks to have matured quite young which is not a surprise as he is playing as a professional already for several seasons. He stepped out of the camp before the last day which looked to me more like a decision about not being interested than having shown enough. In my eyes, Djedovic is not an NBA player and will have a long career in Europe as a combo-guard with first of all good scoring instincts and a quick shot. His mechanics are really fast but this is also a must as he does not have a really high release point which makes him a target for being blocked. He can play all positions from 1 to 3 on the European level but in the NBA, he would be more or less a SG where he lacks though the necessary athletic abilities.

David Jelinek – SG – 1m94 – Czech Republic – Joventut Badalona

The Czech guard had a camp similar to his overall season which means with several ups and downs. When he was playing with full energy, he was one of the best guards in the whole camp. Nicely athletic with a quick shot, Jelinek can attack the basket hard and finish above the rim easily. His three-point shot is a good option as well as he is not afraid to use it a lot and from anywhere with good percentages. However, Jelinek can also disappear during long moments on the court where he does nothing as he is not aggressively asking for the ball to score or being a vocal presence. The Czech guard is most likely not a NBA option for the future even if he can bring some scoring in a limited role coming from the bench. Athletically, he has the potential and when he is playing with full energy, he has also the defensive presence to be a factor. I see him though more likely to continue his career in Europe.

Ilkan Karaman – PF – 2m04 – Turkey – Karsiyaka

The Turkish power forward impressed during the Adidas Eurocamp with his athleticism and vertical presence. Karaman had several impressive dunks or blocks high above the rim as the left handed player was up in the air a lot of times. Mainly living from his jump on offensive, he either scored close to the basket or with the three-point shot. I had already a longer report on him a few days ago where I described his game in more details. During the camp, he underlined these strengths and weaknesses but showed a good defensive presence as well. Often coming as a great helper, he closed the door with his huge jump presence on shot blocking. This might give him a shot in the NBA Draft in the second round even if he remains limited offensively as he did not show a lot of ball handling or drives which would give him a future as a versatile power forward.

Paul Lacombe – PG/SG – 1m94 – France – ASVEL

The French guard is always having a good Eurocamp but then somehow has a up and down season with his club. This year again, Lacombe had a terrific showing in Treviso where he was running the PG all the time. Good court-vision and strong drives are the main factors of his game. When Lacombe attacks the basket, he can finish strong against the defense or the dunk but also find the cutter in the last and decisive moments. The good leaper can also hit the three-point shot but rarely stops on his drives for the mid-range shot. Defensively, he put a lot of effort but sometimes did look a bit lost in his decisions on that side of the court. The question is why he has never really been used as a PG on the club level while he is always doing so in a setting like the Adidas Eurocamp. The NBA looks a bit far away right now for Lacombe as he could not yet break out fully in France. His camp has certainly helped him in terms of being on the tables of other teams but he needs to break out first in his country.

Darko Planinic – C – 2m08 – Croatia – Siroki

The Croatian big guy who was born and raised in Bosnia had quite a good camp last weekend. Being a very solid player with no real outstanding skill set, Planinic looks like an instant-impact guy on the next level after having played long minutes in the Adriatic League over the last years. The 2m08 tall and quite physical player runs the court well and finishes mainly close to the basket. He has some basic low post moves where he can also score with his weaker left hand, especially on the jump hook. Not overly athletic, Planinic can be a threat though as a shot blocker especially coming from the help side. He certainly helped himself in Treviso as he was one of the most-ready big men in the event and he will certainly see a better option for him in the next season.

Izzet Turkyilmaz – PF – 2m12 – Turkey – Banvit

The Turkish forward was probably one of the most interesting players of the whole camp. Being measured at nearly seven feet without his jordan 1 shoes, Turkyilmaz showed great agility and the potential to play as a Small Forward in the next years. He run the court extremely well, played with great energy and even showed some leadership skills. His three-point shot looks very fluid and he is able to score from behind the arc on a regular basis. He can though also put the ball on the floor to attack the basket where the Banvit player can finish high above the rim or with more technical plays like scoop shots. Rather thin, Turkyilmaz is not afraid of the contact and works hard in the paint where he plays in the low post in a more inside oriented role.

Having played only a very limited role with his Turkish team this season, the 2m12 tall forward underlined in Treviso that he is ready for the next step. He is a great shot blocker as he does not only have good timing for rejections but also the necessary athletic abilities and long arms to come up from the weak side. Being able to guard SF as his lateral speed is correct, Turkyilmaz needs to improve his ball handling in order to be a full-time small forward where he would be a major match-up problem. I would not be surprised if a NBA team takes a gamble on him in the second round as he looks to be a very good long term potential. Once he can stabilize his game on the level he showed in Treviso, Turkyilmaz looks like one of the best prospects of this event.

Maik Zirbes – C – 2m05 – Germany – TBB Trier

The German big guy struggled a bit in the beginning of the camp as he was only used as a PF where he was unable to guard anyone because of his lack of lateral speed. Once moved to the Center spot, Zirbes showed some good things scoring in the paint where he compensated his limited size with his good wingspan. Not really effective with his left hand, he often goes for the right handed jump hook in the middle of the paint. He is a good Pick and Roll player but he could not really show this in Treviso. Being able to score also on the jump shot from around the key, Zirbes looks though limited to develop into a PF in the future because of his lack of ball handling and defensive presence. He will now make the next step by signing with a team playing internationally and being said to be a hard worker, he will normally have a serious career in Europe over the next years.

1 response so far ↓

  • 1 Boris // Jun 16, 2012 at 5:16 am

    Planinic is from Herzegovina, not Bosnia

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