European Prospects

In our review of the Adidas Eurocamp, we will take first of all a look to the players that had declared early for the NBA Draft 2014. Most of these players have withdrawn their name from the pool in between though. The reports below can not be considered as full scouting reports but give an idea on what the players have showed in Treviso.

Vasilije Micic – 1m95 – PG – Mega Vizura – 1994

Micic was clearly the best PG of the camp participants. After a sloppy start, the Serbian showed his great passing skills in multiple occasions. He can find open team mates either out of the drive or in cross-zone skip passes. He likes the one-handed pass to find the shooter on the opposite side and is one of the few players that goes for this kind of assist. In the Eurocamp, Micic was more or less unstoppable by any defender but he clearly focused on finding his team mates than going for his own shot. If he had openings, he used those and showed that he has NBA 3pt range. With his ball handling and size, he can attack against any kind of defender by either posting up smaller opponents or beating stronger or taller players on the dribble.

On the defensive end, Micic needs to improve his lateral quickness which is underlined by his relatively poor lane agility speed in the BAM test results. However, his superior game understanding and upside potential as he is only 20 years old make a potential 1st round pick in the upcoming NBA Draft.

Nemanja Dangubic – 2m01 – SG/SF – Mega Vizura – 1993

The Serbian prospect was probably the player that helped himself the most during the Eurocamp in Treviso. Known for being an athletic swingman, Dangubic looked to have improved his shot considerably as he knocked down the three-pointer on a regular basis. Really explosive when attacking the rim, Dangubic can score on the dunk but also with hangtime moves to avoid the block shot. He has some creativity as well in his finishes but he took some profit of the good combination with Micic who he is used to play with. With his improving shot, Dangubic needs to become a better ball handler in order to play SG on the next level and especially to become a better transition player. With his athletic abilities, Dangubic should have no problems to adapt his game to the NBA which is probably a more suited league for his qualities. After having grown nearly 3 inches in a year according to the Eurocamp official measurements, Dangubic can only get better over the next years as he still needed to adapt himself to a still unfinished body.

Ilja Gromovs – 2m08 – C – Jurmala – 1994

The Latvian big guy showed his limitations during the Eurocamp as he was more or less an non-factor offensively lacking the necessary size to play center and not being skilled enough to move to the outside positions. A big shot blocker in the Youth Categories, Gromovs could not develop these qualities in Treviso in a way that he was a defensive threat so that the camp as not a really positive event for him.

Berkay Candan – 2m01 – SF/PF – TED Kolejliler – 1993

The Turkish forward did not really stand out in Treviso as he just played solid basketball without any special skill set that put him apart from other forwards. Capable of scoring from inside and outside, Candan used the camp to show what he can do but he will probably not be an NBA player in the future.

Adin Vrabac – 2m01 – SF – Spars Sarajevo – 1994

The left handed forward from Bosnia showed that he is one of the more interesting shooters in Europe but he will probably not develop into an NBA player in the future. There was no real progress in Vrabac game over the last year. He still has a quick release from behind the arc but when he puts the ball on the floor, he is mostly limited to his strong hand. As he is not the greatest athlete, Vrabac upside potential is not that good.

Ojars Silins – 2m02 – SF/PF – Reggio Emilia – 1993

The Latvian forward is progressing step-by-step and he continued on that pace in Treviso. After having played a good season in the highest Italian League, Silins showed during the Eurocamp that he has become a modern PF with the possibility to become a Small Forward in the future. He lacks the top-level athleticism but his understanding of the game gives him an advantage that he mainly uses through his good shooting skills in catch and shoot situations but also out of the dribble. On the defensive end, Silins is present and has really improved his positioning. He is a good help defender but can also stay in front of his man with good lateral speed and intelligent close outs. The NBA looks a bit out of reach right now because of his limited athleticism but he might find a niche there in a few years when he has gained more experiences on the international level.

Guillem Vives – 1m91 – PG – Joventut Badalona – 1993

The Spanish PG did not leave a lasting impression during the Eurocamp, at least to me. I put down exactly 0 notes on him so it is difficult to tell you anything. As he has withdrawn his name from the Draft, I have another season to get a better understanding of his game.

Eleftherios Bochoridis – 1m94 – SG – Aris Saloniki – 1994

The Greek guard played mainly in a shooter role during the camp. He has a nice and quick stroke with his left hand and could nail some shots from the NBA distance. He rarely put the ball on the floor and did not really ask for getting more possessions. Physically, he is not that strong so that his potential for the NBA level seems to be far away. Bochoridis will certainly become an interesting player for the Greek top clubs but I do not see him in the NBA in the future.

Marcus Eriksson – 1m99 – SG – La Bruixa d’Oro – 1993

The Swedish shooter underlined his qualities in Italy as he was the player with the quickest release and the smoothest shot independent of the distance. Eriksson can knock down shots in series from NBA range but he is also able to create his shot out of the dribble in step-back fashion. However, with his limited physical power, he struggles to go to the rim and finish there as he loses balance when getting hit with stronger players. On the defensive end, Eriksson has some potential as well but he needs to get tougher here as well in order to be competitive on the next level. A role player role as shooter is the minimum into what Eriksson can develop over the next years on the highest European level.