By Kostas Psimoulis

 

Few days ago we went to Patra, Greece, in order to watch Red Star’s junior team on a local tournament which featured the Serbians and three Greek teams (Panathinaikos, Aris and Esperos). Red Star happens to be the only unbeaten team in Serbian Juniors league after 10 games, having an incredible point differential against its opponents. As expected the tournament’s level was mediocre (main reason was Panathinaikos’ decision not to use its two best players -Diamantakos and Charalampopoulos) with Red Star dominating every game thanks to the combination of talent, athleticism and length.

The first thing that stands out when watching them in person is how superior they are from a physical standpoint; they are bigger (eight players over 6-6 feet), stronger and more physical than most of the junior teams around. They are capable of pressing all over the court and creating chaos while being discipline and committed on the defensive end. Bad or mediocre teams just can’t find counters against that press. In the half court defense they employ tactics which fit their personnel; they can blitz every ball screen while extending their defense and denying ball reversals, and then rely on athleticism in order to recover on time and make the opponent shoot a contested three, or just switch every screen from “1” to “4”. When the ball is on the one side they crowd the ball, making almost impossible to penetrate the defense or move the ball side to side or inside out. That’s gets worse if your team does not have enough talent in order to make the defense to move. Slobodan Klipa has guys who are capable of putting tremendous pressure on the ball and make the ball handler of the opposition completely uncomfortable. Stefan Simic, Stefan Lazarevic and Vojislav Stojanovic are guys who bring effort and energy on a consistent basis, can get in stance and move their feet against any kind of opponent.

Red Star is an excellent transition team, something you’d expect from a team that relies on creating chaos on the defensive end. They fill the lanes and run as hard as they can without overdribbling or overthinking. They find one another, many times without dribbling the ball at all, knowing that the ball travels faster via the pass. In the half court set they run lots of Flex and motion sets, not many Pick N Rolls, however they often try to stay with the play instead of creating good shot opportunities. They are not so creative but they try to create mismatches and then exploit them; they have guys who can make a play in the post if guarded by a desirable matchup.

Player Analysis

Stefan Lazarevic (SF, 2.00 - 6-7, 1996)
Lazarevic looks like the best player of Red Star junior team right now. He is an amazing athlete who brings tremendous energy and effort on the floor. Lazarevic is an excellent rebounder capable of rebounding the ball far outside of his area thanks to his great hands, motor and lift. One of the best transition forwards in Europe, always first to the ball. He just denies to be screened and fights his way through the screen. You can switch him onto guards or put him on bigger and stronger players, Lazarevic will not give an inch to his opponent. Very effective when putting pressure on the ball and incredible in the passing lanes. On the offensive end Lazarevic is still a work in progress; he can help a team with his ability to cut through spaces or attack the glass, but he can’t space the floor. Actually he’s a non shooter having attempted just 4 threes over ten games in the Serbian Juniorska liga. He has shown the ability to hit a few shots off the bounce, but needs to improve his standstill shooting if he wants to become more of an offensive threat down the road.

Voijslav Stojanovic (SG-SF, 1.98 - 6-6, 1997)
Stojanovic has an excellent body for his age standing around 6-foot-6 while possessing a 6-foot-9 wingspan. He is strong, athletic and has a solid basketball IQ. He’s still trying to find his niche on the offensive end; he was used mostly as a point-forward but seems that he doesn’t possess the natural ability to consistently share the ball and make plays off the PNR. He was hesitant with his shot at times and rarely looked at the basket. His mechanics look inconsistent from time to time and seems that he lacks confidence. When driving he’s got to keep his head and probe the defense instead of going all the way to the rim without noticing the position of the defenders. He is a clever passer, capable ball handler and very promising as a post up player. He’s also a good rebounder and a fine defensive player. He gets in stance and has active feet and hands, putting extreme pressure on the offensive player.

Aleksander Aranitovic (PG-SG, 1.94 - 6-4, 1998)
The lone Red Star cadet who travelled with the team in Patra, Aranitovic looks like a ‘96-’97 guy from a physical standpoint. He has enough experience as he got almost 16 minutes per game at the U16 European Championship in Ukraine. He’s smart and knows how to play the game; he needs to improve his mechanics and develop a jump shot. He got minutes against inferior opponents without taking many responsibilities. He has a really high upside if he keeps working hard.

Bratislav Jekovic (PF, 2.00 - 6-7, 1996)
Jekovic voted as the tournament’s most valuable player thanks to his ability to knock down threes. He displayed a good touch and the ability to space the floor or move the ball quickly. He possesses a good looking stroke and solid range on his shot. He connects on a 47% clip in Serbian Juniorska liga while shooting 3.6 threes per contest. Not as good an athlete as his teammates, lacks mobility and lift but has decent stretch-4 credentials.

David Miladinovic (Center, 2.09 - 6-10, 1997)
One more player from Serbia’s U16 team which won the silver medal in Ukraine, Miladinovic moves in a fluid way on the floor and covers lot of ground especially on the defensive end. He features a remarkable 7-foot-2 wingspan. He can blitz ball screens and then recover onto his man, or just make the proper rotations as a back side help defender. Offensively, he displays good touch, intriguing coordination and post moves and the ability to attack the defense from the high post.

 

 

Twitter of the author: @Gus_bball