Still love Hachimura
Will keep a close eye on Jalen Smith
I am hoping the Jazz g-league team drafts Darius Bazley. Would be interesting to see him up close
Of course that Jazz worked out JalenMcDaniels
Oshae Brissett might be a future option as well
Dark hourse pick is Aric Holman
This guy intrigues me
Marko Simonovic | 7-0 | PF/C
1999-born | Siena (LegaDue -- Italy 2nd Division)
Siena, once a longtime Italian first division powerhouse and EuroLeague participant, has been slowed by financial struggles over the years and it's bled over to the on-court product. LegaDue, Italy's second division, isn't the most inspiring level of play from a global standpoint, and the late-blooming Simonovic hasn't done all that much with the minutes he's been given thus far. With that said, he's not in the best evaluation situation as he's used almost strictly as a screener and diver. The 18-year-old late-bloomer showed this summer, by averaging 17.7 PPG at the under-18s, that he's comfortable stepping out to 3 and thriving in more skill-based situations.
Potential NBA role: Agile, Skilled PF/C
Simonovic, who Jonathan Givony profiled more extensively in his most recent
international scouting notebook, is still finding out who he is as a prospect. Formerly a perimeter player, he's extremely agile at close to 7-feet, with budding skill that should allow him to stretch the floor more consistently in time. Because he's not overly long or wide framed, being able to slide up and play some power forward as a more skilled 4 would make Simonovic far more intriguing to NBA teams. Also learning how to defend without fouling and play through physicality are on the priority list for the 18-year-old. With that said, he's a bit of blank canvas who is still at an early stage of his development.
Outlook: Simonovic's combination of agility and offensive upside are certainly intriguing long-term, but he's quite clearly a year or two away from maximizing his draft stock. It will be interesting to see if he attends the Nike Hoop Summit in Portland, as a week of drills in front of NBA scouts will certainly work in his favor given his shooting potential and athleticism. Simonovic may also compete in the under-20 European Championships this summer with Montenegro.