[JNixonParticipant]

38: Sergey Karasev, 6’7 197, SF/SG, Triumph Moscow, 19 years old

Karasev is one of the international prospects I admittedly haven’t seen play a lot at all, but his name is growing in draft conversations and I had to research why and add him to my list. I will take what I saw from him in the Hoop Summit and some limited game tape on him and break him down as best as I can. A southpaw. Physically, Karasev seems to be of good height on the wing. Measured with a 6’9 wingspan at the Hoop Summit, and seems like a lanky guy. Needs to add more pounds to his frame and get stronger. Not a great athlete. Seems to lack and 2nd gear and isn’t especially fast or explosive to begin with. A bit stiff hipped.

On offense, Karasev is a good perimeter talent with some well defined skills already….His best skill is definitely his jump shot right now…Is pretty accurate on the move and off the dribble, but really is best when spotting up…Has a compact and high left hand release, and has adequate size and release speed to get it off with little problem…Pretty confident shooter and isn’t afraid to let it fly, sometimes with questionable judgment, but nothing too bad…Sometimes goes into moments when he misses shots in a row and will try to shoot himself out of those slumps…Mostly a pretty quality shooting option though…Off the bounce, Karasev isn’t shy but he doesn’t have the athleticism to really be a real problem…Doesn’t seem to ever rush with the ball though, and plays a steady floor game…Seems to do a good job of picking when it would be smart to slash, which is necessary for shooters who lacks athleticism…Is an unselfish passer and a really can make impressive feeds to cutters…Doesn’t seem to be a huge threat to get to the rim or finish that well when there…Shows a good basketball mind, and reads the floor very well offensively…Not the most contact loving player and not very strong right now…Seems like a developmental prospect

Defensively, Karasev is a straight-up stance guy who probably will struggle to contain the more athletic SF’s in the NBA…Can be drug to the basket on his hip by strong wings and will give up steps to more athletic guys….Not going to get by on instincts and doesn’t really generate steals or blocks at all…Seems to be a so so effort guy…No standout on the glass

Karasev is a Euro prospect that rose a bunh in this draft, and some mocks have him going in round 1. I think his shooting skills, passing ability and overall offensive IQ are good and seem to be skills he can hang his hat on, but his lack of athleticism, strength and his pretty pedestrian defensive potential are red flags to me. He seems to be a guy isn’t really ready to contribute much immediately but could develop into an offensive weapon down the line. His draft range is mid 1st to mid 2nd round.

37: James Ennis, 6’7 206, SF, Long Beach State, Sr.

Ennis is one of those late blooming prospects you hear about in every draft class. Is a record breaking high jumper turned basketball player, and attended LBSU as a guy who was lightly recruited out of HS and JUCO but became an important and immediate contributor to some pretty intriguing LBSU squads. Was the Big West Conference Player of the Year as a Sr. Physically, Ennis is an impressive specimen. He stands a long 6’7 with underrated strength and a frame that should continue to be able to add on muscle. Athletically, Ennis is spectacular as you would expect considering his background. Extremely explosive, and really shows impressive burst and speed on the perimeter as well. One of the best leapers in the entire 2013 draft.

On offense, Ennis is still developing his game but has some strengths that are impressive considering his learning curve….Right now he is most effective when he is able to do things near the rim…Really explosive athlete and has the ability to make powerful dunks even when contested…Comfortable and nearly equally as explosive jumping off 1 or 2 legs…Has the quickness and suddenness to get to the rim a good amount even with below average handle…Shows limited skills with his left hand, and doesn’t look as comfortable when he has to take a lot of dribbles…Is a TERROR in transition….Great dunker and will be an exciting player to watch at the next level when in the open…Finishes strong and with anger…Will be a definite backdoor and alley oop threat…As a shooter, Ennis is surprisingly decent….Shows an above average ability to stick spot up jumpers and is effective when given time and space to shoot…Has an unnatural shot motion (a slight hitch at the top of his release) and his release speed is slightly slow, but he shows a very consistent shot and has enough elevation and a high enough shot to get it off easily…No sharpshooter, but he isn’t a slouch either, don’t be fouled by his relative basketball inexperience…Is an energetic player…LBSU played at a pretty fast pace, and that style of play suits his game perfectly…Would be a good fit for a fast team with unselfish passers….Got to the foul line at a good rate in the Big West Conference, and was a quality FT shooter when there…Ennis seems like he could make a nice low option complimentary scorer in the NBA given his athleticism and still developing skill level…A guy who doesn’t need the ball a lot to do his job…A little TO prone…Doesn’t really look to pass that much…Played pretty good against the quality teams he faced as a Sr. and that is important considering the level of competition he faced….

Defensively, Ennis also has promise…Competes on this end…Physical tools and athleticism give him all the chances to be a productive wing defender as he gets smarter and develops more basketball savvy…Was a turnover creator in college and shows the quick hands needed to get steals and blocks….Has good reflexes and likes to gamble to create fast breaks…Still has some raw fundamentals though, and will need to learn and adjust to the next level of players….Willing rebounder

Overall, Ennis is a guy who has intrigue due to his exceptional athleticism and ability to contribute without needed plays run for him often…He is farther along in his development of some key areas (shooting and aggressiveness) than most late bloomers are, and he really plays hard…I’d like to think his overall feel for the game and instincts will continue to develop as well…I think Ennis is a 2nd round pick and he could be a fan favorite for whatever team selects him.

[scliddiardParticipant]

Not sure why you have Karasev so low, most mocks I’ve seen have him as a defininte 1st rounder and some as high as 13.

[scliddiardParticipant]

Not sure why you have Karasev so low, most mocks I’ve seen have him as a defininte 1st rounder and some as high as 13.

[JNixonParticipant]

I havent seen him play alot really, and I dont really do my list according to mock drafts. If he ends up being the 13th best player in the draft I would gladly admit to having him ranked too low though. Just hard for me to do without seeing him play much at all, and not being so impressed when I did see him to rank him as a top 15 pick

[JNixonParticipant]

I havent seen him play alot really, and I dont really do my list according to mock drafts. If he ends up being the 13th best player in the draft I would gladly admit to having him ranked too low though. Just hard for me to do without seeing him play much at all, and not being so impressed when I did see him to rank him as a top 15 pick

[kobyzParticipant]

he remind me Mike Miller.

[kobyzParticipant]

he remind me Mike Miller.

[Author]

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