Post#25 » by azkrock » Thu Jun 26, 2008 9:22 am
2008 Reebok Eurocamp in Treviso, Day Two
June 8, 2008
As soon as Blatt’s lecture was over, we were granted a pretty special treat, two of the top international big men in this draft—Omer Asik and Semih Erden—rolled into the gym to participate in a private workout alongside Giorgi Shermadini, Henk Norel, Goran Dragic and Rudy Mbemba. The players were put through a number of drills—ball-handling, the Mikan drill, finishing through contact in the post and coming off a screen, pick and rolls, pick and pops, 5-spot shooting from mid-range, running the floor, and then competitive 2 on 2’s and 3 on 3.
Omer Asik clearly stood out from the pack as being the most intriguing big men in attendance, almost from the very start. He had the best frame of the four (great size at a legit 7-feet, good shoulders, a solid lower body, a nice 7-2 wingspan and 9-4 standing reach) to go along with the best motor and the most athleticism of the four. He came out with a business-like mentality, dunking everything around the rim (even when it wasn’t called for), not giving anyone an inch to breathe defensively, pushing guys out of the paint mercilessly, shooting the ball better than expected in the mid-range drills, and just leaving a very solid (and quite competitive) impression despite the fact that there was only so much you could take away from watching him in this setting.
Offensively, he’s nothing to write home about this point, even though he does have nice hands, a good feel for the game and some all-around craftiness that allows him to be fairly effective at what he does well (mainly finishing in close proximity to the basket). The fact that he was here working out for all to see was clearly a feather in this camp’s hat, as only a select number of NBA teams will be able to evaluate him in a private setting. It was hard not to come away from this workout with the impression that if he keeps progressing the way he has over the next few years, he’s going to be a huge steal in the second round.
Asik’s teammate and country-mate Semih Erden looked intriguing enough to warrant another glance as well. He has a good frame, legit size, solid mobility and very nice footwork in the low post. He did not shoot it all that well, but still showed enough ability and upside to warrant being picked somewhere in the second round to see how he develops over the next few years.
Word on the Street: Love to Minnesota?
May 27, 2008
We had the chance to go over quite a bit of film, advanced statistics and previous scouting reports over the past few days in advance of a large quantity of NBA draft content we’ll be providing Yahoo! Sports once again this year. While doing so, one player really stood out as someone we (the DX crew in America, not Europe) may have previously been overlooking—Turkish big man Omer Asik. You may have read some of his scouting reports on this site already, as Luis Fernandez has gone into quite a bit of depth on him recently.
Asik has very good size, a frame that looks capable of adding more weight over the next few years, and a phenomenal wingspan that helped him break the Euroleague Top 16 round shot-blocking record. Asik is an extremely late bloomer who barely could minutes on the basketball court two years ago, but has quickly developed into one of the top big man prospects in all of Europe this season. He started the season on loan with Alpella, and averaged 15 points, 11 rebounds and 2.2 blocks in 34 minutes per game over the first 10 games of the season. After exploding for a 25 point, 16 rebound, 6 assist outing against European powerhouse Efes Pilsen, Asik was brought back to the team that owns his rights, Fenerbahce, and was quickly added to their roster for the Euroleague.
On a per-40 minute basis, Asik’s numbers are spectacular—averaging 16.8 points, 11.5 rebounds, and 4.5 blocks, while shooting just under 60% from the field. He ranks 5th in Win Score and 16th in PER, behind some of the most established players in European basketball.
This is coming remind you from a fairly skinny player who is extremely raw offensively and is only playing essentially his second season of professional basketball, meaning his learning curve is still very steep. He put up those numbers against a level of competition that is far stronger than anything any NCAA player faced this season, against the cream of the crop of Europe in the second round of the Euroleague. There is a very good chance that once his body develops, and his skill-level becomes more polished, we could have a very intriguing player on our hands, in the mold of an Andris Biedrins. He doesn’t turn 22 until July.
We’re talking about a pretty athletic big man, with good hands, solid touch, and great extension around the basket thanks to his length. He is a good defender, mobile enough to defend on the perimeter and physical enough to defend down low, thanks to the high amount of energy he brings on both ends of the floor. His rebounding numbers with Alpella or per-minute with Fenerbahce don’t lie.
On the downside, Asik is still fairly raw on the offensive end, possessing very little in terms of perimeter shooting ability or scoring moves in the pivot, and no left hand to speak of. He struggles at the free throw line, shooting just 52% in the Euroleague. He is certainly not a player that can be relied upon to get points, and also struggles when pressured with the ball in his hands. While his frame is solid and should develop in time, he still needs to add plenty of strength to play in the NBA. He currently struggles at times finishing with contact due to his underdeveloped body.
With two more years left on his contract, and no NBA out clause, it will be a while before the team that drafts him sees dividend from the pick, which could be viewed as a positive by some. His team is currently playing in the finals of the Turkish league playoffs, and he won’t be able to come over for private workouts until probably the middle of June, which eliminates the possibly of getting a physical at the Orlando pre-draft camp or playing at the Reebok Eurocamp in Treviso.
We’ve moved Asik all the way up to the top of the 2nd round, and will be curious to hear what teams think of him once he comes over for private workouts. While there are certainly no guarantees that he will develop, adjust culturally or even make it over to the NBA, there is very little downside to drafting a long, athletic and productive 7-footer with a big upside in the second round. We could easily see a team with multiple picks, such as Seattle, Minnesota or Portland targeting him, as all have very competent international scouting operations as well.
Top Draft-Eligible Performers in the Euroleague Regular Season
February 4, 2008
Asik could only play half of the regular season for Fenerbahce, but it was enough to leave a very nice impression, to the point that he made strides in the rotation during that short tenure. The Turkish center emerged as a solid defensive and rebounding presence for his team on the lane, fuelling a frontcourt full of youth.
Having joined Fenerbahce midway the regular season, Asik doesn’t qualify for the official Euroleague statistical rankings, but he projects as a top-20 player in field-goal accuracy, a top-10 player in offensive rebounds and a top-5 player in blocked shots, which is remarkable since he barely averaged 19 minutes per game.
Long, nicely athletic, showing a very promising frame and actually being physical enough to take advantage of it, he’s one of the very best European big-man prospects in terms of physical-athletic profile. Skill-wise is another story. Asik relies on his off-the-ball moves and his strong finishes to add points. He doesn’t have any jumper to speak of at this point, his footwork is rather poor, and he barely uses his left hand to finish around the rim, becoming pretty predictable in his low post moves, as he always works to try releasing a right-handed jumphook, but anyway enjoys limited touch. On the other hand, he easily gets up to deliver powerful dunks, which ends up pumping up his shooting percentages.
Things get better on the other end of the floor, as Asik emerges as a pretty solid low post defender, also with nice mobility for defensive rotations, and a serious intimidator who takes advantage of his length, nice athleticism and timing. Very active cleaning the boards on the offensive glass, he needs to improve his boxing-out efforts to secure the defensive rebound.
Every season there’s at least one guy coming virtually out of nowhere draft-wise. Asik did have experience with Turkey in the youth categories, but he had never transcended a marginal role (he always had a lot of competition there, that’s true, like his fellow teammates Semih Erden and Oguz Savas). Already virtually a lock to be drafted, his stock might climb as high as the late first round, although his lack of skills limits his potential to get really high in the draft.
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