Aleksej Pokusevski | 7-0 center | 18 years old | Olympicacos B
This is the wild card of the 2020 NBA Draft for a lot of teams right now. It’s just really difficult to evaluate where his game is, and scouts are all over the map in their opinions of him. Some buy in enough to have him as a borderline lottery guy. Others think of him as a straight second-round draft-and-stash. I would bet on him going in the first round. Why? Because the skillset is too tantalizing to pass up.
A Serbian-Greek center for Olympiacos’ second team, Pokusevski is a 7-footer with legitimately terrific shooting potential and terrific athleticism. He is seen as an interesting long-term play as the league continues to look for floor spacing from the frontcourt. He moves like a wing and has a 7-3 wingspan. He can pass the ball at a high level. In the second division Greek league, he averaged 10.8 points, 7.9 rebounds, 3.1 assists and over a steal and a block in just 23 minutes per game. That production is terrific, but what scouts are struggling with is that the standard of basketball in the second tier of Greece is not particularly high.
At that level, Pokusevski attacks closeouts like a wing, makes passes on the move and beats everyone down the floor consistently with his speed. Remember, scouts struggled with this while evaluating Giannis Antetokounmpo, which is how he ended up going No. 15. Genuinely, when an elite player is down in that level, it’s just hard to tell exactly where his game is.
But what happens when he’s not the most athletic person on the court, anymore? His slight frame is a major concern at under 200 pounds, and he realistically can’t play at the NBA level next year. But beyond that, he also needs to display better feel for the game as well. His shot selection is all over the map, and he’s a consistent rover on defense who just tries to make things happen. Again, though, it’s just obscenely hard to find 7-footers with this kind of athleticism and these kinds of tools.
Leandro Bolmaro | 6-8 forward | 19 years old, international | Barcelona B
There is some real momentum behind Bolmaro as a guy who could get into the mix late in the first round. It wouldn’t surprise me if he hears his name called there as a stash pick. But I’m not really sure I get it this season. He hasn’t quite earned a real rotation spot for Barcelona’s Euroleague team. Scouts who have gone overseas have been unhappy that there is no consistency in his role, and thus it’s sometimes hard for them to get a chance to see him. When he’s gotten long run, it’s largely been with Barcelona’s B team, which plays in the third division of Spanish hoops.
And even in that limited time, he’s shooting under 30 percent from 3 and has a negative assist-to-turnover ratio. The tape is interesting because he’s big and skilled. He plays with terrific speed as a driver and should be able to get to the paint. And he has showcased high-level feel for the game, with the occasional flash pass really showcasing some vision. Many of the Hornets’ playmakers are of the smaller variety, and many of their bigger wing types are play finishers. Bolmaro could bridge that gap a bit as a bigger playmaker and give them something they don’t have.
Aleksej Pokusevski | 7-0 center | 18 years old | Olympicacos B
This is the wild card of the 2020 NBA Draft for a lot of teams right now. It’s just really difficult to evaluate where his game is, and scouts are all over the map in their opinions of him. Some buy in enough to have him as a borderline lottery guy. Others think of him as a straight second-round draft-and-stash. I would bet on him going in the first round. Why? Because the skillset is too tantalizing to pass up.
A Serbian-Greek center for Olympiacos’ second team, Pokusevski is a 7-footer with legitimately terrific shooting potential and terrific athleticism. He is seen as an interesting long-term play as the league continues to look for floor spacing from the frontcourt. He moves like a wing and has a 7-3 wingspan. He can pass the ball at a high level. In the second division Greek league, he averaged 10.8 points, 7.9 rebounds, 3.1 assists and over a steal and a block in just 23 minutes per game. That production is terrific, but what scouts are struggling with is that the standard of basketball in the second tier of Greece is not particularly high.
At that level, Pokusevski attacks closeouts like a wing, makes passes on the move and beats everyone down the floor consistently with his speed. Remember, scouts struggled with this while evaluating Giannis Antetokounmpo, which is how he ended up going No. 15. Genuinely, when an elite player is down in that level, it’s just hard to tell exactly where his game is.
But what happens when he’s not the most athletic person on the court, anymore? His slight frame is a major concern at under 200 pounds, and he realistically can’t play at the NBA level next year. But beyond that, he also needs to display better feel for the game as well. His shot selection is all over the map, and he’s a consistent rover on defense who just tries to make things happen. Again, though, it’s just obscenely hard to find 7-footers with this kind of athleticism and these kinds of tools.
Leandro Bolmaro | 6-8 forward | 19 years old, international | Barcelona B
There is some real momentum behind Bolmaro as a guy who could get into the mix late in the first round. It wouldn’t surprise me if he hears his name called there as a stash pick. But I’m not really sure I get it this season. He hasn’t quite earned a real rotation spot for Barcelona’s Euroleague team. Scouts who have gone overseas have been unhappy that there is no consistency in his role, and thus it’s sometimes hard for them to get a chance to see him. When he’s gotten long run, it’s largely been with Barcelona’s B team, which plays in the third division of Spanish hoops.
And even in that limited time, he’s shooting under 30 percent from 3 and has a negative assist-to-turnover ratio. The tape is interesting because he’s big and skilled. He plays with terrific speed as a driver and should be able to get to the paint. And he has showcased high-level feel for the game, with the occasional flash pass really showcasing some vision. Many of the Hornets’ playmakers are of the smaller variety, and many of their bigger wing types are play finishers. Bolmaro could bridge that gap a bit as a bigger playmaker and give them something they don’t have.