Vujacic

[Peter Delevett <pdelevett@xxxxxxxxx>]

Here's what NBADraft.net has to say about big Euro PG
prospect Vujacic, who Josh mentioned in a post about
the Chicago camp. (nb: I have no idea whether this
site's profiles are written by people who actually
know the game or by random fans. Not that the two are
mutually exclusive.) 

Big European guard in the mold of Marko Jaric, Jiri
Welsch, and Zoran Planinic. [None of whom, nb, have
set the league on fire yet.] Less quick and explosive
than Welsch and Jaric, but potentially a better fit
for the PG spot. Can really shoot and pass. He just
moved to the PG position, so he is still adapting to
running a team. He has adequate ballhandling and great
size. A good shooter who will become a great shooter
at the PG position. He's unselfish enough to be a good
PG, but for now he doesn't have the PG understanding,
controlling the tempo, the timing, the knack of a PG.
He definitely is a much better shooter than Planinic.
He has the talent to become a great one because he
really has amazing court vision. Already runs the
pick-and-roll quite well. Has great passing instincts
and he's a solid team player. His defense is solid and
his feet are quick. He's got great all around skills,
rebounds well, good ball delivery. Very good defensive
player, quick legs.

Weaknesses: He still needs to learn everything about
the PG position. A great person but maybe too shy. Not
a real specimen type. He's not so quick, or explosive,
or physical. He must work a lot on his body. His
shooting is an area to improve, it's decent, but right
now it's inconsistant. Jiri Welsch is 10 times more
explosive than him.

Notes: Nickname is Sasha
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Playmaker close to the two meters, Sasha is one of
those players who leaves your mouth open with his
fantastic plays. Handles the ball very adeptly. He's
ambidexterous with the dribble and pass, and excells
driving to the basket with both hands. Has instincts
for the basket, drive and dish, He is a master in
making clutch shots and has range. Above all he is a
player who plays fearlessly. He still must learn the
art of playmaking but he has innate leadership skills.
He loves to get teammates involved. He has a great
attitude and does not have a tendency to hold onto the
ball too much. He must improve his outside accuracy,
which will require hours of practice, but the makings
are there. Not an explosive player. On defense he
knows how to defend one-on-one and put pressure on the
ball but suffers from lack of physical strength
especially on the blocks. He's a special player.
Strengths: Ball handling, creativity, penetration.
Drawbacks: Physical strength, shooting from outside,
experience. Overall: A top prospect in Italy and one
of the more interesting of Europe. 


My notes: I like that he's "close to the two meters,"
but I'm a bit iffy about the idea of somebody having
to learn the position. For that matter, it's still
unclear if UNLV's Banks is really a PG or just a great
penetrator who's still learning to set up his
teammates.  Will be interesting to see who takes a
gamble on Bell; I've gotta think that although the C's
worked him out and might like the local-boy-makes-good
angle, that Ainge's first priority will be on getting
somebody who has the position down cold. 

Ray, who was the "mystery PG" who worked out with the
C's and drew comparisons to Bibby? Was that the
Brazilian kid, or were you referring to someone else?

Oh, and about Jon Barry: notice the guy has shot
better than 40% on treys for 3 of the last 4 years.
Ainge will like that. 

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