JNixon-Iggy9’s Countdown to the Draft: 60 Prospects in 30 Days (6&5)

6: Jan Vesely, 6’11 240, PF/SF, KK Partizan Belgrade (Serbia), 21 years old

Vesely is a Euro prospect who has been known in scouting circles for a while, and he was a very likely lottery pick in the 2010 draft but he returned to Europe. There is considerable talent and potential in Vesely, and just enough ready-made ability to allow him to contribute a bit early on in his rookie year as well. Physically, Vesely is great. At 6’11 240, he’s an oversized combo forward. His size and length will make him huge for a SF, and he’s got more than enough size to compete at PF too. He could stand to get bigger and improve his strength though. Athletically, from what I’ve seen Vesely is also great. He runs well and shows great explosiveness and leaping ability. He’s also pretty quick, especially for his size.

Offensively, Vesely is pretty good right now despite not having considerable polish. As a shooter, he’s a bit shaky though. His release is high and he has the added advance of being 6’11, but his touch isn’t great although his mechanics are consistent and somewhat smooth. He will need a lot of reps and to work on making his mechanics more natural before he becomes dependable with his feet set or off 1 or 2 dribbles. It’s also worth mentioning that he has never shot better than 67.4% from the FT line, so he’s a bad free throw shooter, which speaks to his touch and need to improve. As a slasher, Vesely is better from the mid-range area against PF’s where he usually has a quickness advantage than he is on the wing against SF’s. His ball-handling skills aren’t great from around the arc, and he generally doesn’t create in isolation against SF’s. Only effective for 2-3 dribbles. Lucky for Vesely, and one of the main reasons he should be able to play early is that he doesn’t need to handle the ball a lot to be effective right now. Outstanding motor allows him to score off scraps plays. Willing and competitive player. Is outstanding in transition, one of the very best in this class, and sprints the floor and finishes emphatically in the open floor. Rarely looks to lay the ball in when close to the rim, and is more than capable of finishing very strong in traffic. Has developed the ability to post up SF’s. He’s extremely oversized for the position, so although he’s not super skilled down low and relies on a right handed jump hook and a quick drop step to get shots off, it’s a positive development. As he continues to add base strength, that skill will only get better. Not selfish as a passer.

Defensively, Vesely has potential but some concerns as well. Right now, his athleticism and length will allow him to be a versatile pick and roll defender and he should be able to effectively guard SF’s and PF’s in time. Right now he can struggle to guard PF’s due to his lack of great strength, and he struggles to contain the quicker SF’s too. Is a wee bit foul prone at times due to his struggles with matching up with certain types of players on this end, but as he gets stronger it should become less of a concern. He is a solid ball-thief and shot-blocker though, as his length and leaping skills help him greatly. Where Vesely really struggles at and puts a dapper on his ability to play extended time at PF is his rebounding skills. He’s a very mediocre rebounder, and well below average for someone with his level of athleticism and physical tools. That will have to improve.

Vesely has huge potential, and his skill level is developing. His ability to play without having to handle the ball a ton will be a tool that should allow him to get on the floor very soon and play solid rotation time for a rookie. Still, he’s a work in progress with his skill set offensively and his struggles right now defending a certain position make it likely that he will run into problems with fouls as he did overseas. Sooner or later though, Vesely will be a solid starting SF for a team. His defensive ability will improve in time, as it’s not a matter of athleticism, he just has to improve his physical tools and strength.

5: Jimmer Fredette, 6’2 196, PG, BYU, Sr.

Wow. CRAZY good basketball player for BYU over his last 2 or 3 years. Teams threw all kinds of defense at him, he lost the only other truly talented player on the BYU in Brandon Davies to end his Sr. season, and he still was remarkably efficient for all that he faced, and got them to the Sweet 16. He got national notoriety during his Sr. year, but he really was great his Jr. season as well, some may argue even better. Very well-spoken and seems to be humble and nice. Has some unique stories about his growing up. Plays with a very even demeanor on the court and it’s extremely rare for him to lose composure. Physically, Fredette has good size for an NBA PG, as he’s 6’2 and a shade under 200 lbs with a strong build and an average 6’4 wingspan. Athletically, Fredette shows pretty good quickness and agility, but he’s not an explosive guy at all in terms of leaping or his speed, being just alright in both instances.

Quite the offensive talent, really, really good player on this end. Hard to talk about Jimmer without discussing his UNREAL shooting skills. Possesses a very soft touch, good release speed, and great elevation. Absolutely incredible range, out consistently to around 30 feet. Most range since Salim Stoudamire came out of Arizona in 05. What Fredette particularly special as a shooter if the fact that he can shoot just as well with his feet set, as he does off the dribble or off screens. Real compact shooter off the dribble, who can go from dribble to shot instantaneously. Super confident and must be accounted for as soon as he passes half-court. Makes some shots that make you go “Wow, really?” Took bad shots as a Sr., but definitely was much better in shot selection all of his other years when the team had more balance. Fredette certainly isn’t a slouch as a slasher either. Possesses some strong crossovers and hesitation moves. Is a strong slasher who uses his jump shot to set up slashing lanes. Possesses a solid 1^st step, but he likes to utilize crossovers as opposed to a quick 1^st step to set his defender up to better attack and get a step on his man. Had a fairly predictable right-left/left-right crossover that guys (mainly Jacob Pullen and Malcolm Lee) picked up on, but he’s added more crossovers to his arsenal since then. The threat of his pull-up jumper makes him extremely tough to contain in isolation. Has effective floaters and runners in the lane. Understands weakside defense and occasionally will beat his man AND shield himself from help D, which is very impressive. Still, he struggles at times with length and athleticism when at the rim and dealing with helpside D. Capable of making impressive lay-ins, shielding the ball from shot-blockers using the rim and the net. Has mastered the scoop shot. Impressive pick and roll player, both as a shooter, passer and slasher. Unselfish player, who some think is a scorer based on how he looked as a Sr. He clearly is more of a PG to me, as evidenced by his Soph. and especially his Jr. seasons were he quarterbacked some solid BYU teams. Capable of finding open shooters in the drive and dish. Shows a high IQ. Will be able to play alongside a ball-dominant guard, and he shows the ability to play off-ball some. Solid transition player.

Fredette’s playing for a team with limited talent forced him to conserve energy, and not play all that hard on this end. Almost always closes out slowly on shooters, and isn’t very good denying dribble penetration. Not going to be much of a threat in the passing lanes. Plays a bit upright and lateral quickness is limted. Never going to be a truly good defender, but he has the ability to be just good enough to defend long enough to were his team D can bottle up his man. And the lessened load of offensive responsibility will also allow him to exert more energy on this end.

Fredette is a gifted offensive weapon who will be a very good NBA player, I have no doubts. His jump shot is great, he was really efficient despite the shots he took oftentimes, and he’s smart. He’s been a PG, with success, and he’s clearly an unselfish player so I have no doubts he’ll play the position well in the NBA. His defense won’t be very good, sure, but he won’t be a liability either. I think Fredette is similar to a Dallas Mavs version of Steve Nash, and I think he’ll go on to have a great career.