A thread for one of the most interesting, most hyped prospects in NBA history. Will he boom or bust (or somewhere in between)?
Pro: At an age when no previous Euro prospect was more than a decent roleplayer, he had one of the greatest individual seasons in European basketball history, first helping Slovenia to an upset win in Eurobasket, then taking home championships and league MVP honors in Euroleague and the Spanish ACB League, arguably the second and third best leagues in the world respectively. Since 2015 he's been tested unlike any previous prospect, across long seasons, against former and current NBA players, and in high-pressure playoff situations.
Pro: Statistically he runs laps around all past NBA prospects, scoring prolifically from all parts of the court, maintaining an excellent assist/TO ratio, gobbling up rebounds, and tallying a respectable number of steals and blocks while facing a longer, tougher schedule than any other prospect.
Con: He lacks the trademark explosion of an NBA superstar, tallying only 7 dunks and 16 blocks across 37 ACB league games this season. Players his size who lack the explosion to consistently make plays above the rim seem to top out as great starters and occasional all-stars, not superstars.
Con: He's on course to become the fastest player to 5000 professional minutes in basketball history, and there were signs toward the end of this season that the heavy workload was taking its toll as he struggled with fatigue and nagging injuries. Will his body hold up as his minutes load continues to increase?
Discuss!
Pro: At an age when no previous Euro prospect was more than a decent roleplayer, he had one of the greatest individual seasons in European basketball history, first helping Slovenia to an upset win in Eurobasket, then taking home championships and league MVP honors in Euroleague and the Spanish ACB League, arguably the second and third best leagues in the world respectively. Since 2015 he's been tested unlike any previous prospect, across long seasons, against former and current NBA players, and in high-pressure playoff situations.
Pro: Statistically he runs laps around all past NBA prospects, scoring prolifically from all parts of the court, maintaining an excellent assist/TO ratio, gobbling up rebounds, and tallying a respectable number of steals and blocks while facing a longer, tougher schedule than any other prospect.
Con: He lacks the trademark explosion of an NBA superstar, tallying only 7 dunks and 16 blocks across 37 ACB league games this season. Players his size who lack the explosion to consistently make plays above the rim seem to top out as great starters and occasional all-stars, not superstars.
Con: He's on course to become the fastest player to 5000 professional minutes in basketball history, and there were signs toward the end of this season that the heavy workload was taking its toll as he struggled with fatigue and nagging injuries. Will his body hold up as his minutes load continues to increase?
Discuss!