Overseas Players in the trade

[benchmobbin02]

The forgotten part of the trade, possibly for good reason, are the "overseas players." These are the kind of guys that are on the fence on whether to come over to the US or just play in Europe for awhile. The variable that makes this interesting is Vlade, of course. Divac has spent alot of time with Baltic region basketball and scouting Euroball in general. It wouldn't surprise me to see an article about he knowing this young players and hoping to mentor them in pursuing a career stateside soon. Both have plus tools and size but also common weaknesses for a young euro player contemplating the jump (Mitrovic - strength and athleticism, Gudaitis - needs more aggression to play down low). Lets see if and how fast Vlade can bring them along. They definitely seem to have a chance now that the Kings have shipped two front court players to Philly and only have a untested Moreland as a replacement at the moment.

Luka Mitrovic is a 6'9 225
Strengths:
Character – Elected team captain of a Euroleague squad at just 21 years old
Size – Measurables are on par
Shooting – He is a better shooter than the numbers show
NBA readiness – He can come in and play for a team right away
Weaknesses:
Athleticism and mobility are limited
Age – One of the older prospects on the board
Strength – He is tough but still gets bullied by players bigger than him
NBA Projection:
It is a bit difficult to see Mitrovic wanting to come over at this time on a non-guaranteed contract with an NBA team where he would probably get limited minutes instead of staying put and being the leader of his current team. If he were to make the jump he would be an interesting backup and could help a contending team with his leadership skills and possibly some scoring/rebounding off the bench.

Arturas Gudaitis is 6'10 254
Strengths:
Big body, thick frame, long arms
Throws the ball down with force
Solid rim protector
Advanced footwork in the low post
Weaknesses:
Needs to be more aggressive on the boards
A bit undersized height-wise for a center
Not a shooter
NBA Projection:
An interesting prospect because of his large presence on the court. Likely will have a more successful career in Europe than he ever will stateside but a probable late draft pick nonetheless.