Strengths: Has the size and physical tools to become an incredible player ... Not many players at his position have the combination of speed and athleticism that he possesses … At least once or twice a game he will make a brilliant play that shows the amount of potential that he has … He is able to consistently finish above the rim, both in transition and in traffic … He has an extra gear which allows him to turn the corner or to explode by defenders in the open court … Going full speed he is not only faster than anyone else on the court, but he is also very comfortable handling the ball as he is weaving through defenders … Very impressive is his ability to change direction in mid-stride while going full speed … In ISO situations, he is almost impossible to stop because of his great first step as well as the variety of moves that he can use off the dribble … He has good instincts and because he consistently gets into the lane, he is very good at finding teammates when the help defense comes over … His freakish athleticism and extremely long arms make him a serious threat in the passing lanes as well as a weakside shotblocker ...

Weaknesses: He is still a very raw player, heavily depending on his athleticism to help him get away with a number of things … As a playmaker he is much more effective in transition, once the tempo slows he struggles making reads and deliver passes … His release is a little slow, but his shooting form is decent, unfortunately at this point he is a non threat from the outside … The shooting inconsistency limits him since people back off, making his driving lanes that much more congested, forcing him to drive into heavy traffic … In pick&roll situations, he is also very shaky because defenders always go under the screen daring him to shoot, which limits the movement and action as well as his passing options … His touch around the rim is unrefined, unless he is dunking he struggles to convert on layups as well as floaters and teardrops … As a defender, he has the length, athleticism and lateral quickness to become a stopper, but at this point he is not very dedicated on that end … He takes plays off and lets inferior players get by him off the dribble … He is very turnover prone, sometimes attempting to throw passes that have no way of finding the target …

Borko Popic - 8/29/2008