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NYKBocker
Posts: 38046
Alba Posts: 474
Joined: 1/14/2003
Member: #377
USA
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Here is a link on DraftCity.com profile
http://www.draftcity.com/viewprofile.php?p=37
Profile
Hometown:
Belgrade, Serbia and Montenegro
Earliest Draft Class:
2005
Current Position:
SF/PF
Expected Position:
SF
Possible Positions:
SF/PF
Best Case Scenario:
Rich Man's Keith Van Horn
Worst Case Scenario:
Rich Man's Antonis Fotsis
Strength
Nemanja Aleksandrov is one of the most gifted prospects seen lately in Europe. He is a player that shows an amazing combination of size, athleticism and skills; the combination that all NBA teams dream of. He's really long, with a great wingspan, has great mobility, a nice vertical, and he is very coordinated. He can run the floor almost like a guard, and thrives when doing so.
He enjoys a beautiful jumpshot; fluid, just perfect. It’s a real jumper, as Nemanja elevates more like a guard than like a forward to release it, making his shot nearly impossible to block on the perimeter. Everything is performed in a very quick movement, so he needs very little time and space to execute it.
Aleksandrov can produce in the paint thanks to a variety of post moves, a soft touch and, of course, his height and long arms, ala Pau Gasol. His favourite move is spinning after a fake to deliver a semi-hook. He has very good handles and can pass the ball. He can eventually lead the break and feed his teammates. He finds the right man to pass to in every situation, keeping the ball moving on the offensive end. You won't see him spending valuable seconds of a possession thinking what to do with the ball. He just has a great feel for the game and a very fast mind. He sees the best option right away.
Nemanja has huge potential as a slasher. He has a great first step, being too fast for most of the forwards to stop him, and nice handles. A couple of steps and he’s right at the rim. With his size and long arms it’s very easy for him to leave the ball in the net. Also, you can see him finishing alley-oops, effortlessly as usual.
The kid enjoys a very good lateral speed, being able to stop almost any forward and also making sure to take care of the team defense, always helping his teammates when needed. He can also grab a good amount of rebounds and block shots on a regular basis. Great basketball IQ. Aleksandrov knows the game and makes very few mistakes.
Nemanja is a humble player. He plays for the team, he is a hard worker. He never forces shots or plays just to fill the box-score. He's not ****y at all, and you won't notice any sign of disrespect to his rivals, nor his teammates.
Weakness
Many questions have been asked about Aleksandrov’s character. He’s a player that doesn’t seem to have enough killer instincts, perhaps not being able to become a clear leader, a go-to guy to assume the offensive responsibility of his team. He could also use some extra aggressiveness in certain situations.
Beyond that issue, Nemanja needs to bulk up. Right now he’s a boy playing against grown men, and he physically suffers. He’s pushed around the rim both on the offensive and defensive ends. He finds it difficult to play in the post, he gets banged defending the paint and he gets out-muscled when it comes to gaining rebound positioning. Gaining strength will be necessary for him, but he should be careful in order to keep his athleticism intact, or even improved. That’s one of the reasons why he’s spending so much time at the small forward position playing far from the basket right now.
One of the biggest concerns for him right now, especially if we consider that he’s playing mainly SF, is his shooting percentage. He’s struggling big time to find consistency in his perimeter stroke. As a consequence, he’s finding less spaces to penetrate, as his defenders don’t worry that much about his shooting threat. I expect him to recover, because he shows great mechanics, and sooner or later the shots will start falling. Also, his shot is still mainly static, although he’s working on his off-the-dribble jumper.
Although showing some improvement lately, he still finds it difficult to penetrate in traffic in the paint, but that's logical given that he's a forward, and doesn't dominate the ability to make sudden changes of direction in a confined space, like many guards can. He should also try to polish his post up moves, as once he gets strong enough, he would be able to take big advantage in the low post against any small forward with his size, and against any power forward with his quickness.
With his athleticism, height and long arms, you might expect more blocks out of him. The truth is he doesn't go up wildly for blocked shots, like many players his age, and usually won't risk his defensive position to take one.
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