Name:Angelo Gigli
Height:6' 11"
Weight:205 pounds
Current Team:Bipop Carire Reggio Emilia , International
NBA Position:PF
Date of Birth:6/4/1983 (21 Years Old)
High School:
Hometown:Durban, South Africa
Earliest Draft Class:2005
Current Position:PF
Possible Positions:SF/PF/C
Best Case Scenario:Raef LaFrentz
Worst Case Scenario:Efthimios Rentzias
Profile Written By:Marco Fracasso
Last Updated:4/18/2005

Strengths:
While a fan will first look at his athleticism and ability to run the floor as an unusual thing for a big man, the first thing a scout will notice when watching Gigli play is his maturity and high basketball IQ. He never forces anything, and knows his role on the team.

On offense Gigli scores most of his points off of cuts to the basket, where he often finishes with a dunk, or by freeing himself out of the paint for a solid set shot. When he gets the ball in the low post he uses his quickness to separate himself from the defender and hit a turnaround shot, or to find a way to the basket for a lay-up, but more often tries to set up his teammates thanks to his special passing abilities. He never looks for the unnecessary spectacular play, while he can find both the cutter or the free man on the perimeter.

He can finish pretty well near the rim with both hands, while his range can go as far as the European 3pt line, and there’s no reason to think that it can’t go further.

His ball-handling is good for a big man, but not at same level of other European big men entering the draft. He can put the ball on the floor in the open court, but he’ll have a hard time protecting it if pressed by smaller players.

He has a remarkable nose for the offensive rebound, thanks to his reactivity he collects tons of them, and scores several points off them each game.

On defense the most interesting part is the way he helps his teammates, using his quick feet to contest every shot in the paint. This makes him the Italian league leader in blocked shots at the moment. His feet also make him a great defender in pick and roll situations, where he’s able to both help on the dribbler and then contain him for a few seconds on the switch.

A difference between him and other European prospects is that Angelo is actually playing starting minutes and contributing on an overachieving team (Reggio Emilia went to the finals of the Italian Cup, after being expected to be in the bottom part of the standings) in one of the best leagues in Europe.

Considering the recent struggles of completely unproven teenagers from Europe, his experience will be surely appreciated, because this experience won't come at the expense of his potential. This is a guy who has dramatically improved since last year and showed a constant progression even during the current season.

Weaknesses:
Angelo’s biggest problem is his weak body. It’s too weak to play inside at the NBA level. While not less bulked up than most of the other European big men in the draft, Angelo doesn’t possess the same youth or guard skills others have so he needs more pounds quick to be effective at the NBA level.

He’s going to hit the weight room in the near future and it will help him a lot to play inside in the NBA, but at this point he can’t hold the position against any NBA post player, considering how he sometimes suffers even against the European ones.

On offense, as already stated, he can use his quickness near the basket, but he struggles if matched up against a very physical player. Considering the differences in the way the game is officiated in the NBA compared to Europe he’ll have a hard time adapting to all the bumping he’ll face in the NBA paint area. And this transition will be tougher when you consider how he has no go-to move at this point, even if he has all the tools to develop one.

He’s not skilled enough, though, to consistently play outside. His handles are good but he’s not a big threat to beat you off the dribble, and while his shot is accurate enough, it has a very low release and he can’t take it while moving yet.
Gigli has to try to become a player that’s able to play both inside and outside, because he’s in the dangerous situation of not being great in any position right now.

Finally, we’ve already mentioned how he’s having an important role on a good team in one of the best European leagues. But it’s still a small team, with no great ambitions and no real pressure, while not playing in any international competitions like the Euroleague or ULEB Cup. This means he plays just one game a week, so will he be able to handle the NBA schedule?

Competition:
Angelo is the starting PF/C of Bepop Reggio Emilia, in a very tough and competitive league that sent multiple teams to the Euroleague Final Fours the last few seasons. He averaged 11 points and 5 rebounds on 64.4% shooting from the field and 35% from outside in 27 minutes per game. He also blocks 2.5 shots per game.

Outlook:
A player probably 10-15 pounds of muscles shy from being a lottery pick, but still with enough potential to fall somewhere in the twenties. Scouts always appreciate smart and coachable guys, because they’re the ones the will more easily fulfill their potential, and Angelo always shows a clever mind on the court and in the interviews he’s had so far.

Being close to 7 feet tall, but without the necessary bulk or inside skills to play Center, his position in the NBA will clearly be the power forward spot, and he’s best suited to play for a team that runs a motion offence to use his vision and fundamentals.

On defense he’s going to suffer trying to contain his man in the short term, but he’ll probably quickly adapt to the NBA speed to properly execute the team’s game plan.

Comments:
A perfect guy to draft and keep in Europe for a few years, and then get back a more polished, experienced and NBA ready player. Angelo himself stated multiple times that he wants first to play in the Euroleague before joining the NBA, and there have been rumors about him playing for Fortitudo (Climamio) Bologna next year.

Facts:
MVP of the latest Italian League all-star game.

He’s a late bloomer, who played his first game in the Italian first division just this year.

Leads the Italian league in dunks and blocked shots.


Links:
http://www.draftcity.com/viewprofile.php?mod=pprof&p=102

I wouldn't be mad at it. But god damn 205 pounds and he's 6-11!!!!!!

That takes skinny to another level. I mean he only has 20 pounds on Steph.

Posted by VDesai:

Considering the only other Gigli I've ever heard of was a major bomb, I'd pass on this one.

I was waiting for this post.

he wont be there at 54, either will Hodges, Louis Williams David Lee et al


Im looking at 54 for guys like Lawerence Roberts/Pops Mensah/Louis Tischer/Eddie Badsen/David Harris/Chuch Hayes

Posted by BRIGGS:

he wont be there at 54

You're probably right but I still think there are going to be some big surprises in this draft. Here's another possiblity at 54 (I ain't looking at short guys):

Name:Uros Slokar
Height:6' 11"
Weight:238 pounds
Current Team:Snaidero Cucine Udine , International
NBA Position:PF
Date of Birth:5/15/1983 (22 Years Old)
High School:
Hometown:Ljubljana, Slovenia
Earliest Draft Class:2005
Current Position:PF/C
Possible Positions:PF/C
Best Case Scenario:Troy Murphy
Worst Case Scenario:Eftimios Rentzias
Profile Written By:Jonathan Givony And Luis Fernández
Last Updated:9/4/2004

Strengths:
A finesse player. You can see the talent and his elegance as soon as he touches the ball. A left handed player, he can shoot the ball from anywhere. He has very solid mechanics for a power forward that will allow him to improve even more. Never the less, he's not a great shooter yet. More of a reliable post player right now, but feels more comfortable facing the basket. Fine passer, good decision maker with the ball in his hands. He plays under control. Can put the ball on the floor and go strong to the hoop. Slokar started to play basketball really young, and it's easy to notice it because of his fundamentals. Decent mobility, rather fast for a big man, he can run the floor quite well, although he doesn't excel here.

Weaknesses:
Like many European prospects, Uros is still a skinny player. He needs to bulk up, as he can get easily banged in the paint. He's not always the most intense player on the floor, sometimes losing his concentration on the game. Because of this certain lack of intensity and his thin frame, his rebounding production is poor for a player of his height and position on the court. Slokar had a knee injury in 2000 that needed re-constructive surgery, but he seems now fully recovered.

Competition:
Slokar is currently playing for one of the top teams in Europe, Benetton Treviso. He's not getting huge minutes, but the minutes he does get are consistent. It's hard for a player so young to get playing time on a roster so talented and deep. During the 2002/03 season, with Geoplin Slovan Ljubljana, he averaged 16.4 points and 6.1 rebounds per game on 59% from the field and 42% from behind the arc. Participated in the FIBA Champions Cup as well last season, averaging 16.6 points, 4.4 rebounds and 1 block per game.

Outlook:
If he declares, a first round pick should be a must for him, somewhere between the end of the lottery and the late-twenties. Slokar fits the prototypical description of many European frontcourt players (at least, what it used to be): skinny, with nice mobility but not explosive, not very intense, and multi-skilled, with great fundamentals. He might not be physically gifted enough to make such a great prospect out of him, limiting a bit his potential in the NBA. But it's very hard to turn down a 6 foot 11 inch player with really nice basketball skills.

Comments:
Slokar is an active and versatile power forward. Just like Luis stated, the second you see him play you can tell that the kid has talent. He has been extremely well coached and he seems to be a team oriented player. He is just extremely active when he feels comfortable with what he’s doing on the court (not often because of the way he is being boxed in with his team) he likes being a hustling type of player: setting screens, hitting the glass with reckless abandon (not super efficiently but he does try), and trying to get in people’s way to alter shots. Don’t be mistaken, though, he has the fundamentals of the game down solid. Part of the reason he looks so energetic in the rare times he does get off the bench, is because he wants to prove his worth to the team. It should be mentioned that the only times I’ve seen him play is when he actually DID get minutes and stayed on the floor, so it’s possible he’s not always like that. Needless to say, he plays on one of the top teams in Europe, but doesn’t see much daylight for them off the bench. When he does play, it’s against some of the best competition you will find outside of the NBA, and he practices with some very good teammates as well, along with being coached by the highly regarded Ettore Messina.

Back to his strengths. He has a nice looking stroke from outside, picture perfect you might say even, but luckily for Larry Brown type coaches in the NBA in this case he has usually been instructed by his coaches not to stray out to the perimeter, even though he shows some promise from out there. He can also put the ball on the floor decently, his first step is nothing to write home about, but he is definitely an above average ball handler for a guy his size. Athletically he is decent for a European, he moves well north and south up and down the court, but struggles moving laterally east and west. As noted earlier, though, he is active at least and actually has decent timing for blocking shots. His team defense in general is pretty poor, it’s not rare to see him getting lost on that side of the court. He could also use his wingspan to become a better rebounder, this is actually a must for him. His post moves are developing, but he will eventually become a decent back to the basket player in the NBA because of the way he has been worked with in Italy. He has a good frame, and shouldn’t have too much of a problem putting on the pounds he really needs for the NBA. He has a nice midrange jumper already, and likes to use to glass with a soft touch. He also showed some nifty passing skills in the few times I got to watch him this year, both inside the paint to a fellow big man and from the perimeter to a streaking guard.

All in all he is a pretty versatile PF, he is a lefty and can play both inside and out and he brings intangibles to the table as well which should help him succeed, but it’s unclear how much his lack of explosive athleticism will hurt him and his coaches haven’t done his draft stock any favors at all with the lack of playing time he’s gotten. If he can improve defensively, the Troy Murphy comparison will look pretty accurate down the road. If not, he might be stuck with the tag of a less athletic but not as soft Slava Medvadenko, which might not cut it in the NBA. It’s hard to predict how a guy like him will react coming out of a strict coaching system and into the more free for all style of the NBA. He would make a pretty solid choice with a late first round pick in my opinion. His buyout has been all worked out so there are no problems there either. If he decides to pull out this year and try to impress next year with more minutes, I can see his stock rising as long he continues to improve.

-Jonathan Givony

Facts:
Uros Slokar was named rookie of the year in the Slovenian League in 2002. He has been playing with the Slovenian National Team since he was a cadet.

http://www.draftcity.com/viewprofile.php?mod=pprof&p=46