European Prospects

After having been hyped a lot 2-3 years ago, Ponkrashov has come back to earth. And after a correct season with CSKA Moscow where he won some titles but did not see the court that much, he has been loaned to Khimky in order to play. And he is playing good.

It is still a bit of a question if Anton Ponkrashov can ever become a PG. He has great size with 2m and he has also very good court vision which he proves in this year’s ULEB Cup where he averages 3.7apg and only 1.4TOs in about 22 minutes per game. This very good ratio is even better when you check his stats in the Russian Superleague where he is at 4.4apg versus 0.5TOs.

Still Ponkrashov can also be used at the SG or even at SF as he has become quite regular in his three point shot with 47.9% in the ULEB Cup. However, talking about regularity is still a big issue for Ponkrashov as his numbers really go up and down in that competition. His last four contests, he finished with 2, 24, 0 and 17pts and also in Ranking points it is really going up and down (0, 30, -2, 22).

The main question remains, when talking about a possible NBA future is his position. Actually, he has not the speed to defend against very quick and short guards but he has the potential to post up smaller players.

He remains however a very interesting player when talking about the 2008 NBA Draft where he is automatically eligible. You don’t have a lot of 2m tall PG potentials that in addition are left handed and have a nice stroke from outside the arc.

Below you can find a Video of his time at CSKA where he had a nice preseason game against the LA Clippers. You can see his shooting and driving skills and also a bit of his court vision.

[youtube ZJPJLvo2M8s nolink]