Official Tristan Vukčević Thread

[dobrojim]

He balled out at the combined so there's that. Seems like the potential is there to be a great pick.
Kristaps who?

[payitforward]

Watch on YouTube

[AFM]

Man this kid was a BONAFIDE STEAL!!!!!

[payitforward]

But nate is right that his defense is a problem....

[AFM]

And I'm right when I say we wouldn't have been in position to draft him if he was an excellent defender as well as shooter...

[gambitx777]

You have to hope his issues on defence are fixable things like effort and training. You have to hope that his issues on defence are not skill and IQ based, those aren't as easy to fix.

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[dobrojim]

Watch on YouTube

Being a highlight reel there are a lot of 3 pt makes here. What I notice
is that with him being open, the shooting motion is analogous to a FT with the
ball starting down at his waist. He definitely seems like a floor spreader
and someone who defenses have to account for.

Re his own D, wonder what was said about the Joker when he entered the league.

[tontoz]

Most young guys struggle with defense. He has a 9'3" standing reach with a big frame. I don't think it is a reach to think he can fill out and be at least passable on D. Might take awhile.

Plus team defense is a lot about awareness and positioning which takes time to learn.

[NatP4]

Spinella put about 15 minutes of research into making that video.

[WallToWall]

He will wear a 00 jersey!

[gambitx777]

I was listening to locked in the other day and their guest was taking about him like he was the worst defender to ever live ever. Called him the worst defence player in the draft not drafted but eligible.

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[daSwami]

Here's hoping we have a plan to develop his defensive game, because that video is bleak.

[long suffrin' boulez fan]

Here's hoping we have a plan to develop his defensive game, because that video is bleak.

Agreed. Human sieve.

I wasn’t expecting it to be that bad. He looks like he tries, but he’s sooooo slow

[tontoz]

I used to play pick up games with a guy who had a serious mental block playing defense. He was 6'5" with crazy hops. He would almost hit his head on the rim dunking the ball at times.

But he just wouldn't contest shots. When I first started playing with him I was like dude wtf are you doing? You can't just let a guy shoot layups in your face. His friend told me he just doesn't get defense. It was embarrassing.

I kept bitching at him and eventually he did start blocking shots but it was so strange. He was roughly 30 when I started playing so it isn't like he was a teenager. It was bizarre.

[closg00]

Hoping we do something similar with Vukcevic

The Milwaukee Bucks signed Chris Livingston to a four-year, $7.7 million deal, reported Shams Charania of The Athletic.

The first two years of the contract are guaranteed.

Livingston was the final pick of the second round in the 2023 NBA Draft.

[nate33]

After watching him in two summer league games, I'm a fan.

First of all, physically, he is very impressive. He is tall, long, and surprisingly agile. He looks light on his feet and remarkably balanced and coordinated for a 20-year-old 7-footer. He is only going to get better as the trainers get to work on his core strength and conditioning.

Secondly, he is not afraid - at least not in summer league. The guy is launching shots with confidence, trying to dunk on guys, and he isn't averse to getting into a scrum on the boards. I just like his demeanor on the court. He grabbed 8 boards in 23 minutes last night against a pretty big Boston summer league team.

The big issue is defensive positioning. He plays too deep in pick-and-roll coverage, and when he does challenge, he does so in a way that takes him out of position for the defensive board. It's going to take a while for him to figure this stuff out, and maybe he never does. But there's no reason he can't be a plus defender with his length, athleticism and coordination. It's just going to take work.

Offensively, he certainly likes to shoot, but he hasn't hit them enough for me to know if he is actually a good shooter. Our summer league team doesn't really have a capable pick-and-roll PG so I don't really know how good he'll be as a roll man either. He definitely can dunk with ease, and he has good hands, so I'm encouraged.

[AFM]

Even if he doesnt turn out to ever be a good defender, hard not to like this kid. He can shoot. How much did we pay Bertans again?

[nate33]

Even if he doesnt turn out to ever be a good defender, hard not to like this kid. He can shoot. How much did we pay Bertans again?

Can he shoot though? He made a couple of 3's so far, but he has also thrown up some ugly bricks. He was an 80% FT shooter in Europe, so there's that.

He reminds more of Mo Wagner than Bertans. Wagner could hit a 3, but he wasn't putting any fear into the defense with his shooting.

[AFM]

Even if he doesnt turn out to ever be a good defender, hard not to like this kid. He can shoot. How much did we pay Bertans again?

Can he shoot though? He made a couple of 3's so far, but he has also thrown up some ugly bricks. He was an 80% FT shooter in Europe, so there's that.

He reminds more of Mo Wagner than Bertans. Wagner could hit a 3, but he wasn't putting any fear into the defense with his shooting.

He shot 37% from 3. Okay, he's no Curry, but that's pretty good for a 7 footer.

[closg00]

Still waiting on the offer, will he end-up being a stash?

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