Jan Vesely

[Black Eyed Sooz]

I watched the Hemofarm game and I think Vesely's shooting stroke looks decent and, like Flip Saunders is saying, he just needs to get more shots up and tweak a couple of things and he'll be fine. I think his 35% 3 pt shooting that he put up in limited opportunities will be close to what he can do in the NBA. And that would put him in the same category as guys like Gallinari, Rashard Lewis, and Ginobili, who are all close to 80% from the FT line.

Weight-wise, he is a ways away from being an NBA 4, but he does have the beginnings of a drop step and decent touch in the lane. He just doesn't have any countermoves right now so he kind of freaks out if he doesn't beat his man with the initial move, and then throws a bad pass.

He does seem to have good court sense and positioning, and does a good job of using his length on defense (i.e. not getting pump faked into the rafters a la Pierre).

His athleticism is as advertised, not just his vertical, but man he is quick getting from the 3 point line to the rim on those alley-oops. He also has good conditioning which was one of our big problems last year especially in the 4th quarter with all sorts of teams making runs on us.

I can see why the Wizards like this kid... but I don't know that he looked more impressive than, say, Bismack Biyombo did at the Nike Hoop Summit. I personally would've taken Bismack and his rebounding and shotblocking, but what can you say except that that battleship has already sailed...

[pancakes3]

Free throws are a tricky thing. there are a million different strategies and they all confuse you if you really stop and think/analyze it.

feet together? feet apart. staggered steps? square up or lead with the shooting hand? start with the ball in the cradle or start elevated? am i hitching my arms too much? am i aiming properly? do i aim for a spot in the air where the ball will fall into the basket or aim at the basket itself? did i have enough backspin? did i put too much backspin? did i shoot it hard enough? did i overcompensate for the follow-through that i shot it too hard?

and the worse you get at FTs and the more you look for advice, the more likely you'll end up with a frankenstein monster of a FT shot that feels unnatural and artificial.

ultimately, a decent shooter who's crap at the FT line just has to get over the mental hump himself via thousands of FTs in the gym. Hopla can't do much to help.

a good FT shooter who's a terrible jumpshooter on the other hand... that's a lot easier to help out from a coaching vantage, imo.

[7-Day Dray]

I watched the Hemofarm game and I think Vesely's shooting stroke looks decent and, like Flip Saunders is saying, he just needs to get more shots up and tweak a couple of things and he'll be fine. I think his 35% 3 pt shooting that he put up in limited opportunities will be close to what he can do in the NBA. And that would put him in the same category as guys like Gallinari, Rashard Lewis, and Ginobili, who are all close to 80% from the FT line.

Weight-wise, he is a ways away from being an NBA 4, but he does have the beginnings of a drop step and decent touch in the lane. He just doesn't have any countermoves right now so he kind of freaks out if he doesn't beat his man with the initial move, and then throws a bad pass.

He does seem to have good court sense and positioning, and does a good job of using his length on defense (i.e. not getting pump faked into the rafters a la Pierre).

His athleticism is as advertised, not just his vertical, but man he is quick getting from the 3 point line to the rim on those alley-oops. He also has good conditioning which was one of our big problems last year especially in the 4th quarter with all sorts of teams making runs on us.

I can see why the Wizards like this kid... but I don't know that he looked more impressive than, say, Bismack Biyombo did at the Nike Hoop Summit. I personally would've taken Bismack and his rebounding and shotblocking, but what can you say except that that battleship has already sailed...

Excellent analysis. Agree with all your points.

[fishercob]

[
Also, everybody should WATCH THIS GAME:

http://www.youtube.com/user/underPFC#p/u/23/x0d4TtRMX3s

It is the penultimate Vesley scouting opportunity, being the Tommy Shepherd scouted Serb league championship game that cemented a Partizan sweep from just three weeks ago.

Vesley is hyper assertive in a fast paced match with that being good and bad in that he makes both nice plays and bad ones in a tight concentration. The competition must be the second best in the Serb league, but it's a slaughter and Vesley's man is decidedly not NBA caliber, so that's too bad, but it's still excellent footage for getting a feel for Czech Mate. I've seen the second game of the sweep too and between them, Vesley throws down not one, not two, not three, not four, not five, not six, but seven disgusting Shaka Zulu dunks (and in fact, the other game is missing the fist quarter, so it might be eight). He also shows you a near airball free throw, an airball 3 and a number of bad passes, so it's balanced footage.

Like Nate was saying a few pages back, Vesley will thrive if you put him around a bunch of heady passers as his timing and feel for slashing off the ball is fantastic when combined with his tools and mentality. The dude is really smart and tough in anything that doesn't include defensive rebounding (he's turrible); standing out in particular is how he runs through screens, posts up and goes to the offensive glass. His ball handling is better than expected and he can pass, though he's wild there. His interior defense against anyone other than his (much smaller) man is not great either, at least considering what you'd hope for with his tools. I've seen games where his hands were bad and then I've seen ones where there's zero problems, so that's uncertain to me. He also either shoots 3's or, much more usually, attacks the rim; there's nothing in between with his game from what I've seen which is great if you ask me.

Anyway, just watch that game.

Also, search the page linked for 'Partizan KK' as there's a great trove of full games there.

Hey! So, I watched the game. A couple things before I get into Vesely.
(1) I LOVE the sign at the 1:01:29 mark. CLassy stuff.
(2) Jettles

So, as to Jan, I'm not going to be too alarmed because this was one game. But there's a lot not to like in this video. What is to like is well documented -- the energy, the passion, the athleticism. Seeing him serenaded by the crowd at the end puts the Cameron Crazies to shame. But...

As someone (Pruiti?) pointed out, his jump-passing gets him into trouble nearly every time. If he wants to be able to create out of the post, he needs to be able to shoot from there. I think he had jump passes from the post picked off or at least deflected five times.

He has this terrible habit of getting the ball on the wing and then panic-dribbling to the foul line (aka "the Al Thornton"), but unlike Big Al he doesn't have a pull-up jumper to go to with even a hint of credibility. He must have turned it over that way another three or four times. He needs to learn that if he's putting the ball on the floor he is going in one direction -- the rim.

His shot looked decent when his feet were set and eyes were on the target. He's got food form. It stands to reason that he can improve from 3 (and the line) considerably. Whether he actually does in anyone's guess.

A bunch of his points came during garbage time when the game was decided, and I was thinking back to David Blatt's scouting report (paraphrasing via GSW's SBNation outpost):

Can't shoot, can't create off dribble, can't really rebound, can pass but is not a facilitator or point forward. He can run the court but needs to really fall into perfect situation

This is NOT that situation. Whenever the Wiz retake the court, they're going to continue to lay bricks, turn it over a ton, struggle on the defensive boards, and lose a lot of games. I'm okay with that for another year; tanking for next year's draft is a sound strategy given what we have right now IMHO. But next summer -- draft, free agency, trades -- is going to be critically important, because we need to start showing progress in the win column in 12-13, or else the wheels could fall off the rebuild wagon.

[Severn Hoos]

So I was on vacation for the past week and haven't had much chance to post. When I saw the pick live, I was upset/disappointed to say the least. Since then I've warmed to V-Silly (mostly because the Singleton pick made the Wiz draft, IMO), but definitely still have concerns.

One thing about the pick, though, is - who else they would have taken. 3 of the next 4 picks were PGs (unless you think Jimmer can be a full-time SG, which I don't). The two guys after that are both SGs, but what would Thompson or Burks bring us? Then came the Forwards - Morrises & Leonard. I guess one of them could have been the pick, but based on all the other teams that passed, I don't know that I'm too upset that we didn't pick at 6 the guy who ultimately went 14 or 15.

Then there's the wishful thinking of trade-downs, but we don't have any idea what was actually available, so I'll leave that to the side. Meaning - unless we were going to take Biyombo (and people are complaining about our lack of shooting as it is!), Jan had to be the pick. In other words, my disappointment in the end is not so much with the Front Office as it is in where we wound up in the Lottery.

Now, all that said - I wanted to point out one play that made me think we may have something special here. Check out this video, the play beginning atthe 0:35 mark

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hbq0fSxtRG8&feature=related[/youtube]

OK, first he dribbles the length of the court after a steal. On the Wiz he'd sure better give the ball to #11, but we'll let that slide for this one.

The play I'm referring to is the finish. He's coming in on the right wing (see, I like him already )with a defender chasing from the middle of the court. He takes the ball on his right hip, one step with the right foot, brings the ball over his head to the left as the defender runs underneath him, plants his left foot and is clear to the basket.

Nothing unusual so far, we've seen this play a million times in the NBA. The difference is that most guys - including LeBron, Wade, Kobe, etc. then lay the ball off the backboard because their momentum is going the opposite way, jumping off the wrong foot, etc. But V-Silly is so long, he simply dunks the ball while barely jumping.

As I said, I've seen that play a million times, and a fair number of those times, a trailing defender has an easy block to swat the ball off the backboard, and sometimes even start a fast break the other direction. Try that against Jan and it will end up as a 3-point play. (OK, 3-point opportunity...)

So much length, good coordination, and great speed for his size. I can see how he converted 74% at the rim or whatever it was.

Still not sure how he'll fit in (PF next to Singleton/Lewis? SF in a triple towers lineup? But for now, I'm willing to wait and see what we have. He certainly doesn't lack for confidence or effort, so if he puts the work in (especially on his shot!) he could end up being special.

[dangermouse]

On an unrelated note, it just occurred to me that in the months leading up to the draft, I finally picked up NBA2k11 and started a My Player.

My dude was...
..... European
..... extremely athletic
..... a great offensive rebounder and dunker
..... deadly on the fast break
..... an excellent defender
..... a mediocre shooter

After I forced a trade to the Wizards, we rolled all the way to a 5th seed in the playoffs. I'm not saying I have magical powers, I'm just saying that if we end up around the 5th seed and Jan is playing serious minutes... ok, yeah, then I have magical powers.

Man, i tried MyPlayer once and i made myself (white, 5'10", shooter PG) and could barely crack a rotation in the d-league haha.

If there is no season this year i think 2k11 and 2k12 (when its out) will keep me from clawing at the walls too much.

[Hoopalotta]

Hey! So, I watched the game. A couple things before I get into Vesely.
(1) I LOVE the sign at the 1:01:29 mark. CLassy stuff.
(2) Jettles

So, as to Jan, I'm not going to be too alarmed because this was one game. But there's a lot not to like in this video. What is to like is well documented -- the energy, the passion, the athleticism. Seeing him serenaded by the crowd at the end puts the Cameron Crazies to shame. But...

As someone (Pruiti?) pointed out, his jump-passing gets him into trouble nearly every time. If he wants to be able to create out of the post, he needs to be able to shoot from there. I think he had jump passes from the post picked off or at least deflected five times.

He has this terrible habit of getting the ball on the wing and then panic-dribbling to the foul line (aka "the Al Thornton"), but unlike Big Al he doesn't have a pull-up jumper to go to with even a hint of credibility. He must have turned it over that way another three or four times. He needs to learn that if he's putting the ball on the floor he is going in one direction -- the rim.

Fisher,

I don't think you should worry so much as that's basically "Vesley's high usage game which came out of nowhere". That's why I picked that one in particular as he's forcing the issue and showing where his skills are (other games can be a lot less illuminating as there's so much team ball going on and he might just put up 2 or 3 shots).

But that was a five turnover game and he only had 4 all year out of 60 games where he registered either 4 or 5 turnovers. Then, he only had 3 games with so much as 3 turnovers as well and that's compared with 39 games with either 1 or 0. Suffice to say the Thornton drives and the high concentration of passing TO's are an anomaly.

I still think it's a good game for everyone to see in that it's kind of concentrated and fairly NBA style from a tempo perspective. And it's best not to just see his absolute best game and be done with it anyway - show me the warts!

Anywho, some of that stuff I don't think you need to worry about as he probably knew there were a bunch of scouts in the building more than anything.

[hands11]

Boiler isn't a small forward.

Yet I will still say that it is likely he starts the season there for the reasons I already posted. I get it that you don't agree. We will have to wait and see what happens.

[montestewart]

Boiler isn't a small forward.

did your fingers slip or this a Booker nickname? I like it. Boiler

[nate33]

Boiler isn't a small forward.

did your fingers slip or this a Booker nickname? I like it. Boiler

Autocorrect on my new smart phone.

[nate33]

Boiler isn't a small forward.

Yet I will still say that it is likely he starts the season there for the reasons I already posted. I get it that you don't agree. We will have to wait and see what happens.

Rashard Lewis will start at SD unless he is amnestied. If he is gone, my guess is that Flip will start Singleton because he can defend like Booker while also having a servicable perimeter shot. I think Booker will fit best alongside Vesely because he can set screens and he can guard both forward positions.

[closg00]

Any word on if Ves will play in Europe during the lockout?

[dangermouse]

Now that the hype of the draft is over, ive had time to think.

Jan needs to develop his shot, become a GOOD 3 pt shooter, work on his handles and work on his core strength to muscle up to some of the bigger NBA small forwards and finish through contact. He has good offensive instincts from what i have seen, and is a pretty good man defender, but this also needs improving. Then, i'm thinking we have a Batum-plus type of player, longer and a more explosive finisher. If he cant do any of that then im afraid we have a bust on our hands and i have a bad feeling that "Blake Griffin is the American Jan Vesely" will be one of those terrible quotes that will come back to haunt us, embarass Jan, will be mentioned during the firing of EG, and remain in RealGM Clipperfan signatures for many years to come.

The idea of him at PF is as weak as the KG comparison. Yeah, ok, Jan may have the same competitive fire, and hes coming into the league tall and rather skinny, and is considered by some to be a tweener. I think thats where any comparison ends. KG was as skinny as Jan, but he was also, what... 4 years younger? Unless Jan holidays on the Jersey Shore and hits the juice regularly this off/lockout season, he is never going to have the strength or bulk it would require for him to successfuly play at PF. Plus, if we have him bulk up too much, it impacts his athleticism, which is at the moment his #1 reason for even being here.

We have no idea how well he does or doesnt rebound, so i wont mention that, but again to play at PF it has to be something he does well. We'll have to wait and see there.

I think many were enamoured when the FO mentioned Jan at PF because it meant we have a prospect to maybe one day replace Blatche. I just dont think that will happen, and im one of the guys that wants Blatche gone soon. Jan should be treated as a SF prospect, i believe its really the only position where he has any chance to even be a good player. With Lewis and Singleton eating minutes, he will really have to work on his shooting and perimeter defense to get a shot there.

In saying that though, with a bit more strength I think he could be one to successfully guard Nowitzki and such perimeter oriented bigs. But Jan the PF is a stretch, and has a greater failure chance than Jan the SF imo.

[doc.end]

Any word on if Ves will play in Europe during the lockout?

Not decided yet. Looks like he is going to meat his family, go on holiday with his girlfriend, for example this weekend he is attending a wedding of his former teammate from Partizan, and then he will start to prepare for new season (whatever it is). I guess it is probable he will return to Europe to play but no clear statement so far as much I know.

[closg00]

Any word on if Ves will play in Europe during the lockout?

Not decided yet. Looks like he is going to meat his family, go on holiday with his girlfriend, for example this weekend he is attending a wedding of his former teammate from Partizan, and then he will start to prepare for new season (whatever it is). I guess it is probable he will return to Europe to play but no clear statement so far as much I know.

Thanks for the inside scoop.

[Silvie Lysandra]

The idea of him at PF is as weak as the KG comparison. Yeah, ok, Jan may have the same competitive fire, and hes coming into the league tall and rather skinny, and is considered by some to be a tweener.

]I think thats where any comparison ends. KG was as skinny as Jan, but he was also, what... 4
years younger?

KG was 19 years and 2 months when he was drafted. Ves is 21 years and 3 months. KG came into the league at 210-215? Ves is already 230-240. He's heavier than McGee was when he was drafted.

Unless Jan holidays on the Jersey Shore and hits the juice regularly this off/lockout season, he is never going to have the strength or bulk it would require for him to successfuly play at PF

How big do you want the guy to be? He's 6'11, 240, maybe 6'10 230 if you want to be stingy.

Guys like Taj Gibson, Tyrus Thomas play PF. Pau Gasol is 235 at most. LMA is 240. No, he's not gonna back down people in the post, and a guy like Z-Bo could mess him up bad. But to say that 6'11, 240 is NOT a good size for a PF is silly. I mean, Tyson Chandler is 235-240. Playing C on a championship team.

The idea that Ves is a bad fit at PF is kinda strange to me. I think defensively PF plays to things he does well (P&R and weakside D) and offensively he can work as a P&R finisher and develop a decent post game (which imo is farther along than his shot and his handles).

6'11 240 are good measurements for a C, let alone a PF. His skillset at least has a slight bias towards PF (imo) on both ends of the court (I'd rather have him checking Dirk than checking LeBron or even Rudy Gay). His rebounding is questionable but I'm way more optimistic about it than before, especially since he knows how to box out.

[dangermouse]

Did he have a backpack full of rocks on when he was officially weighed?

[New Now]

Any word on if Ves will play in Europe during the lockout?

Ves has contract with Partizan until 2013, and what I know he will certainly practice with them. Will he play depends on duration of lock out and Partizan roster for next year. But I think there is a chance that he plays first part of Euroleague in Partizan, because I think lock out will last at least until end of this year.

As for his height and weight he is 210 cm and 109 kg, that would be 6-11 and 240.

[nate33]

Any word on if Ves will play in Europe during the lockout?

Ves has contract with Partizan until 2013, and what I know he will certainly practice with them. Will he play depends on duration of lock out and Partizan roster for next year. But I think there is a chance that he plays first part of Euroleague in Partizan, because I think lock out will last at least until end of this year.

As for his height and weight he is 210 cm and 109 kg, that would be 6-11 and 240.

Have you seen on official measurement of his wingspan?

[nate33]

I wouldn't mind at all if Vesely stayed another full year in Europe. It would clear up the log jam at forward, it would give Vesely another year to fill out, and it would postpone the start of his rookie contract. Also, I suspect that Vesely would be a more valuable trading chip in a Howard deal if he hadn't burned any years on his rookie deal.

Mcgee + Vesely + 2012 pick would be a good foundation for a Howard trade.