From April 19th to April 20th, Laktasi (Bosnia and Herzegovina) held the ABA League U19 Final Four tournament. Mega MIS won the championship after defeating Crvena Zvezda 94-81. Our Assistant to the Director of Scouting, Luka Drca, attended the event, and below he writes about some of the most interesting prospects in the tournament.
Tournament MVP: Nikola Djurisic (Mega MIS)
Best five: Nikola Topic, Nikola Djurisic, Ognjen Stankovic, Vukasin Todorovic, Andrija Jelavic.
Nikola Djurisic ('04, Mega MIS)- 6'7, SG, Serbia
Good-looking body with the solid frame. Solid size for a guard. Wide shoulders. Decent athlete for Europe; average for the NBA standards. Scoring mentality. Played matured. Not selfish. Made plays for others. Off the dribble shots. Some good step backs. Good in high pick&roll situations. Scored in many ways. Good passer with right hand. Has initiative to take bad shots-poor shot selection when things not going his way. Must improve his commitment off the ball on the defensive end. Gambles on defense when on the ball. Overall, he had a decent tournament.
Andrija Jelavic ('04, Mega MIS)- 6'10, PF, Serbia
Decent body and size for his position. Just an average athlete. Neither very explosive nor quick. Got bigger and stronger during this year. Was forcing too much on offense – tried to score over and through defensive players. Solid mid-range shot, also can hit spot up 3s. Needs to improve both on and off the ball on the defensive end.
Timotej Malovec ('04, Mega MIS)- 6'8, SF, Slovakia
Good body frame. Prototype of modern SF. Above-average athlete for Europe. Light on feet. Needs to get stronger. Spot up shooter. Able to make 1-2 dribbles maximum. Doesn’t force things and doesn't do things he is incapable of. Does little things on offense and defense. Glue guy. Moves well without the ball. Reads the game well and finds passing lanes for open shots. Very efficient on both ends of the floor. Good rebounder. Doesn’t lose energy on unnecessary things. Definitely the most improved player on this team during this year.
Vukasin Todorovic ('04, Cedevita Olimpija)- 6'7, SF, Slovenia
Excellent body. Explosive and good athlete. Good ball handler for his size. Can play as secondary ball handler. Stronger right hand. Able to make plays for others - drive and kick. Can shoot off the dribble. Good hesitation dribble. Changes the speed well. Attacks closeouts to the right. Able to finish through contact on this level. Shooting form looks ugly but makes shots. In pick&roll schemes he can create for his teammates as well as for himself. Solid defender.
Lazar Gacic ('05, Crvena Zvezda)- 7'0, PF/C, Serbia
Very long, skinny and lengthy. An average athlete. Narrow shoulders. Lacks strength. Needs to strengthen his body. Talented but occasionally a little soft. Can't handle a contact. Solid ball skills for his size. Okay spot up shooter. Not afraid of contact, but can't hold it up. When playing with a teammate like Nikola Topic he looks much better in a sense that the whole defense is concentrated on Topic which gives Lazar more room. Reads the game well overall. Defensively he is just okay – mostly uses his length but not able to move sideways quick enough to keep guards in front and when guarding big guys he can't hold them outside the paint.
Dusan Makitan ('05, Igokea)- 6'8, SF/PF, Bosnia
Okay body frame. Deceptive athlete. Can space the floor at 4. Able to create as PF. Plays some pick&roll as well. Does a little of everything on both ends of the floor. Able to score in different ways – spot up 3s, 1-2 dribble pull-ups, driving all the way. Solid defender.
Ognjen Stankovic ('05, Igokea)- 6'7, PG/SG/SF, Serbia
Good body frame and size. Below-average athlete. Heavy legs. Talented but limited due to poor athleticism and no shot. Poor shooter – doesn’t even look to shoot the ball. High basketball IQ. I'm not sure what his position is even though his playmaking skills are excellent. Good floor vision and great passer. High basketball IQ. Runs the team well. Strong right hand – rarely goes to the left and when he does, he finishes with right hand. Finds ways to score on this level but not sure how he will be on the next one. Positions well on the defense.
Lazar Djokovic ('04, Crvena Zvezda)- 6'7, PF, Serbia
The best athlete of this tournament. Explosive and light on feet. Solid Shooter behind the three-point line. Spaces the floor well. If he stays healthy, he can become a solid pro player. Defensively he can stay in front of the guards and cover a few positions.
Tournament MVP: Nikola Djurisic (Mega MIS)
Best five: Nikola Topic, Nikola Djurisic, Ognjen Stankovic, Vukasin Todorovic, Andrija Jelavic.
Nikola Djurisic ('04, Mega MIS)- 6'7, SG, Serbia
Good-looking body with the solid frame. Solid size for a guard. Wide shoulders. Decent athlete for Europe; average for the NBA standards. Scoring mentality. Played matured. Not selfish. Made plays for others. Off the dribble shots. Some good step backs. Good in high pick&roll situations. Scored in many ways. Good passer with right hand. Has initiative to take bad shots-poor shot selection when things not going his way. Must improve his commitment off the ball on the defensive end. Gambles on defense when on the ball. Overall, he had a decent tournament.
Andrija Jelavic ('04, Mega MIS)- 6'10, PF, Serbia
Decent body and size for his position. Just an average athlete. Neither very explosive nor quick. Got bigger and stronger during this year. Was forcing too much on offense – tried to score over and through defensive players. Solid mid-range shot, also can hit spot up 3s. Needs to improve both on and off the ball on the defensive end.
Timotej Malovec ('04, Mega MIS)- 6'8, SF, Slovakia
Good body frame. Prototype of modern SF. Above-average athlete for Europe. Light on feet. Needs to get stronger. Spot up shooter. Able to make 1-2 dribbles maximum. Doesn’t force things and doesn't do things he is incapable of. Does little things on offense and defense. Glue guy. Moves well without the ball. Reads the game well and finds passing lanes for open shots. Very efficient on both ends of the floor. Good rebounder. Doesn’t lose energy on unnecessary things. Definitely the most improved player on this team during this year.
Vukasin Todorovic ('04, Cedevita Olimpija)- 6'7, SF, Slovenia
Excellent body. Explosive and good athlete. Good ball handler for his size. Can play as secondary ball handler. Stronger right hand. Able to make plays for others - drive and kick. Can shoot off the dribble. Good hesitation dribble. Changes the speed well. Attacks closeouts to the right. Able to finish through contact on this level. Shooting form looks ugly but makes shots. In pick&roll schemes he can create for his teammates as well as for himself. Solid defender.
Lazar Gacic ('05, Crvena Zvezda)- 7'0, PF/C, Serbia
Very long, skinny and lengthy. An average athlete. Narrow shoulders. Lacks strength. Needs to strengthen his body. Talented but occasionally a little soft. Can't handle a contact. Solid ball skills for his size. Okay spot up shooter. Not afraid of contact, but can't hold it up. When playing with a teammate like Nikola Topic he looks much better in a sense that the whole defense is concentrated on Topic which gives Lazar more room. Reads the game well overall. Defensively he is just okay – mostly uses his length but not able to move sideways quick enough to keep guards in front and when guarding big guys he can't hold them outside the paint.
Dusan Makitan ('05, Igokea)- 6'8, SF/PF, Bosnia
Okay body frame. Deceptive athlete. Can space the floor at 4. Able to create as PF. Plays some pick&roll as well. Does a little of everything on both ends of the floor. Able to score in different ways – spot up 3s, 1-2 dribble pull-ups, driving all the way. Solid defender.
Ognjen Stankovic ('05, Igokea)- 6'7, PG/SG/SF, Serbia
Good body frame and size. Below-average athlete. Heavy legs. Talented but limited due to poor athleticism and no shot. Poor shooter – doesn’t even look to shoot the ball. High basketball IQ. I'm not sure what his position is even though his playmaking skills are excellent. Good floor vision and great passer. High basketball IQ. Runs the team well. Strong right hand – rarely goes to the left and when he does, he finishes with right hand. Finds ways to score on this level but not sure how he will be on the next one. Positions well on the defense.
Lazar Djokovic ('04, Crvena Zvezda)- 6'7, PF, Serbia
The best athlete of this tournament. Explosive and light on feet. Solid Shooter behind the three-point line. Spaces the floor well. If he stays healthy, he can become a solid pro player. Defensively he can stay in front of the guards and cover a few positions.
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