Euro Prospect Hype

[KB]

Zubac will probably go mid to late 1st

http://upsidemotor.com/2016/03/30/ivica-zubac-scouting-report-2016-nba-draft-euroleague-thunder/

Ivica Zubac Scouting Report: March 2016

by Trevor Magnotti

Ivica Zubac is a nice representation of the struggles that still can exist in evaluating international players. Zubac has steadily climbed up 2016 NBA Draft boards throughout the season, and has done so while playing just 104 minutes of organized basketball this year. Zubac started the year at KK Cibona in Croatia, averaging 7.2 points and 3.0 rebounds per game in a backup role. But after a minor scandal involving unpaid wages, Zubac was granted release from Cibona, and signed with Cedevita before leaving there as well due to playing time and signing with Mega Leks in Serbia. While the 7-1 Croatian center has not played a game since Jan. 3, he continues to rise up draft boards partly because his situation has made it more and more likely that he will come to the NBA.

From a talent standpoint, it’s easy to see why Zubac is gaining steam. Along withfellow international Paul Zipser and new teammate Timothe Luwawu, Zubac is an international who represents a versatile, clearly useful type of player NBA teams covet. He’s still a bit raw on both ends, but Zubac has a skill set developing that could make him fit as a more modern full-time five in the NBA, à la Andrew Bogut or Timofey Mozgov. Even better, Zubac’s new deal with Mega Leks has friendly NBA opt-outs built in for the next two summers, making him an ideal draft-and-stash candidate.

Let’s dive further into why Zubac is attracting so much NBA attention.

Offense

Zubac projects as an outlet option offensively. He’s not ever going to be a 20-point scorer, and he will do most of his damage without the ball in his hands. Zubac’s at his best finishing off pick-and-rolls, cuts, and put-backs, and he has excellent polish around the rim, converting on 68.7 percent of his 2-point shots for his career. He uses his size well when attacking the rim, and is an absolute freight train finishing through contact, though he also is nimble enough to gather and finish on the break

Zubac projects nicely as a pick-and-roll dive man, as he uses his body well on screens and is mobile enough to clear space in the lane if his guard decides to drive.

Zubac doesn’t really offer much in terms of shooting — a vast majority of his looks come within 5 feet of the basket. Zubac needs to work on his shooting mechanics, both on his release and on his set shot. He shot just 57.1 percent from the line in Adriatic League play this year, and while his shooting form can be good, he needs to develop better consistency with his release in order to improve this. Zubac isn’t Hack-a-Shaq bad, but for a guy who finishes that well against contact, being able to consistently hit the and-1 shot would be a very useful tool. More concerning are his jumper mechanics since he gets minimal bounce out of his legs and he often will kick out his right leg, making his natural jumper motion a slight fall-away. Continuing to improve this and developing at least a tenable 15-footer would be helpful.

Zubac compensates for his lack of shooting prowess with a well-developed post game. Zubac probably has the second-best post game in this draft class behind Utah big Jacob Poeltl, and it’s a weapon that can allow him to be a more diverse threat than just a dive man. Zubac’s go-to move is a smooth baseline spin move, although he’s also strong with either hand on jump-hooks and I really enjoy his half-spin up-and-under move that is relatively new to his arsenal:

Zubac can have some difficulty getting these looks off against larger opponents, which is why his post game will probably not be a go-to weapon in the NBA. But he can do it comfortably if needed, and he’s great against a mismatch. He can also pass pretty comfortably out of a post-up, which is promising. Zubac’s probably at his best as an off-ball weapon, but his post-game diversifies things and makes him a stronger offensive option.

Defense
Zubac looks the part of a capable defender at the next level, but he does need significant work on this end to be a factor. Zubac’s size and mobility should allow him to function highly at post defense, rim protection, and defensive rebounding — three things every good defensive center needs. But while he definitely has shown flashes of skill in all three, he also lacks a lot of fundamental polish.

Post defense is probably Zubac’s strongest defensive aspect so far. He uses his size well to deny opponent positioning and he won’t get backed down even by stronger bigs such as Maik Zirbes of Crvena Zvezda. He doesn’t read opponent moves well, though, and he can get thrown off-balance and mistime his recovery against spin-moves and ball fakes. This is something he should get better at with experience, but he needs some improvement here because he can be prone to fouling if he gets beat.

Zubac’s block numbers aren’t very impressive for a guy his size, but he has excellent mobility and it’s not hard to see him developing into a good pick-and-roll defender and rim protector. Zubac averaged 3.3 blocks per 36 minutes this past season and 3.6 per 40 minutes at the U19 championships over the summer, which are good but not dominant. He struggles at times with footwork, especially in the pick-and-roll, where he can get caught standing upright or flat-footed and he struggles to contain drives. However, Zubac’s mobility and 7-4 wingspan mean that he can still provide a contest even if he lets his man get near the rim.

Zubac’s positioning and footwork are major issues, because he can get out of position easily and he might struggle defending more perimeter-oriented bigs at the next level. But he just turned 19 a week ago, and there aren’t many bigs who have that down at that age, much less in European ball. It’s a concern, but something he should continue to improve at.

Defensive rebounding is probably a greater concern with Zubac than subpar rim protection. Zubac does decently at this, although with his size and mobility, he should be better than 7.1 defensive rebounds per 40 for his career. Zubac relies a lot on length around the basket, and doesn’t really establish position well on the rare occasions he attempts to box out. A majority of the rebounds Zubac gets are ones that fall close to the basket, and he is prone to getting beat by offensive players for longer boards. It’s not necessarily the biggest problem, because Zubac still puts up decent overall rebounding numbers since he’s a strong offensive rebounder. However, Zubac probably needs to be paired with a strong rebounding power forward to create quality team rebounding lineups, and that’s something to note.

Injury History

Zubac does have a history of both a stress fracture and a knee injury. He suffered the stress fracture in his foot in 2014, and missed two months last season with a mild knee injury. Neither appears to be a long-term concern; Zubac recovered well from the knee injury, and the stress fracture occurred when Zubac was 17, and those generally have a decent prognosis when they occur in adolescence. Zubac needs to prove that he can stay on the floor over a long stretch of games still but individually, none of his injuries are particularly concerning by themselves.

Overall Impression

Based on the admittedly limited knowledge we have on Zubac, he appears to fit the mold of a useful player archetype in the modern NBA. Zubac appears to be a similar player to guys like Mozgov or Tiago Splitter, playing 20-25 minutes as a screen-setter, finisher, and rim protector. He’s gigantic with deceptive mobility, a great combination, and while he lacks in some areas regarding fundamentals, he’s young and a lot of that can be developed.

Zubac is an ideal late 1st round draft-and-stash prospect, someone a team like the Oklahoma City Thunder could pick up and allow to get a year or two as a regular rotation guy at Mega Leks, then bring over as a way to replace Steven Adams for cheap. While Zubac hasn’t played much this year, his skills are very real, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see him drafted over more known commodities like Diamond Stone and Stephen Zimmerman.

Video Strengths

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bw9binwhqBM


Video Weaknesses

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8J2-hGlzqmI

 

[KB]

Guerschon Yabusele looks really interesting, like he could turn into a Batum style player with more girth and a better shot

http://upsidemotor.com/2016/05/16/international-scouting-report-guerschon-yabusele/

2016 NBA Draft Scouting Report: Guerschon Yabusele

by Trevor Magnotti

Draft Express released their newest mock draft update over the weekend, and it featured a curious name at the 34th pick. Ahead of more well known international names like Isaia Cordinier and Paul Zipser, sits Guerschon Yabusele, a 20-year old power forward from Rouen Metropole in France. Yabusele hasn’t really received much press this year from NBA Draft analysts, as he toiled away as the starting power forward for the 17th place team in the French Pro A league. While many of his international compatriots were starring in continental competitions or dominating in domestic play, Yabusele quietly has been piecing together a decent season on a bad team, which to this point hasn’t made him particularly notable.

Yabusele was last on draft radars at the Adidas Eurocamp in 2015, where he had a strong three-day performance for the French U20 national team. He posted a 17-point, 4-rebound performance against the U.S. team, then paced the squad with 23 points and nine rebounds against the Greek U19 team. To top it off, he posted 20-and-7 as the U20 squad nearly beat the Eurocamp All-Star team on day 3. From that camp, Yabusele was able to score a contract with Rouen, which allowed him a chance to play full-time in the Pro A league, after spending the previous season as a role player in the 2nd division with Roanne.

For Rouen, Yabusele expanded his role from quality 2nd division starter (8.5 points, 4.3 rebounds per game for Roanne) to quality scorer. As Rouen’s youngest starter, Yabusele finished third on the team in scoring, averaging 11.5 points per game on 57.2 percent shooting to go with 6.8 rebounds and 1.1 assists. His strong numbers point to the offensive versatility Yabusele could have in the future, which you can see in his 22-point performance against Limoges (Yabusele is #16):

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pInOoCo-oj4


With a good frame and versatile scoring ability, let’s break down why Yabusele is suddenly on draft radars now that the Pro A season has finished.


Offense

Yabusele has the size of a typical European offensive bruiser – he’s 6-8, a solid 240 pounds, and has a massive, well-developed upper body. But while Yabusele isn’t afraid to wrestle for tip-backs and throw his weight around inside, his game hints at a much more versatile style of play. Yabusele appears to enjoy playing as a face-up, away-from-the-basket option, and he has good success with this. His handle is well-developed for his size, and he uses it well to attack bigger defenders off the dribble or create space in the face-up game:

Yabusele also has great potential as a shooter, with a decent stroke that allowed him to hit 42.6 percent from outside for Rouen on 61 attempts. He needs some continued development on his release to gain more consistency, as he went through cold stretches this year and he struggles with shooting over close-outs. But in the future, there’s potential he can be a pick-and-pop option, something he has done a lot with the French national team. To reach this status, he will need development in screen-setting, as well – Yabusele is prone to slipping screens prematurely and he struggles to use his body to cut off a defender’s path. The raw talents are there for him to slip into this role, but it will take some time.

Yabusele’s post game needs development, but he does show good footwork at this point. His strongest move at this point is spinning against an opponent to create a seal, then catching a lob over the top to get a chance close to the basket:

He’s also a decent passer out of the post, although he needs to get more consistent with his decision-making. He can be hesitant with the ball at times, and he will force passes across court, trying to hit an open skip pass to a teammate on the perimeter. He makes some very good and crisp passes at times, but he struggles with a high turnover rate (15.0 this season), and a lot of that comes from bad passes.

Yabusele’s offensive game is still fairly raw at this point, but he displays the skill set of a player who should be a solid scorer, both from the perimeter and under the basket. With time, he has the potential to make for a good inside/outside threat at the four, even if lack of consistency will limit his ceiling.

Defense

On the defensive end, Yabusele is a mixed bag. His potential will be limited by his physical profile, as he has a game more well situated to defend fours, but lacks the ideal height and length to do this. He has decent athleticism, but he gets beat off the dribble by perimeter scorers regularly, so he may have some difficulty becoming a good defender in the NBA.

Where Yabusele can stake his claim is that he’s one of the better pick-and-roll defenders in this class. The French U20 team threw him in this look a lot at the FIBA U20 Championships, and he showed a solid ability to hedge and recover, both to the perimeter and the frontcourt:

Yabusele doesn’t always have the best positioning defensively, but he has been generally effective in one-on-one and off-ball situations. He recovers well when he does get beat, and while he can be overwhelmed by size and quickness, he generally gives good effort and he’s a willing defender both on the perimeter an underneath. He has been a solid defensive rebounder (Defensive rebound rate of 19.4 percent), although I do wonder if he’ll have the same success against larger competition. Overall, Yabusele has decent potential despite his size, and his major issues on this end are problems basically any 20-year old is going to have on defense. That should improve with time, and Yabusele should at least be good enough to stay on the floor.

Overall Impression

While there are concerns about his size as a “tweener” forward, Yabusele appears to have a solid perimeter-oriented game that should be enticing for an NBA team. If his shooting can become more consistent, and he continues to develop defensively, it’s easy to see Yabusele turning into a solid bench scorer at the NBA level, a guy who can slide to the three in bigger lineups and bang underneath as an undersized four. He’s still incredibly raw, so he’s more than likely a draft-and-stash candidate, but given his profile, it would not be a surprise to see him go early in the second round.

Video Strengths

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_byJ_VztiSU


Video Weaknesses

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hJYwBqlOqAg

 

[PIP]

The one that got away will always be Serge Ibaka.... I remember Smooth and I talking up Serge Ibaka for months and months before the draft.....

Nobody would listen...