NBA Comparison: Marko Jaric

Strengths: Crafty point guard, who plays the game at his own pace… Very good size for a point guard… A true floor general… Great feel for the game… High basketball I.Q… Rarely makes mistakes, has a great assist/turnover ratio… Very good decision making… Has a fast (not explosive) first step that he takes advantage of… Has some stop and go and change of pace dribbles in his arsenal… Very good in the open floor… Knows how to run a team… Solid shooter from mid-range… Has improved considerably as a shooter in Spot Up situations… Takes advantage of his size when driving to the basket… Very good in Pick and Roll situations as the ball handler, can either find the rolling big or a 3rd player on the perimeter… Knows how to put the defender on his hip after taking a screen and then decides what to do… Has a semi dependable floater that he uses from time to time… Has very good court vision… Smart defender… Has active hands on defense that help him make steals… Acceptable lateral quickness… Good help defender… Versatile defender, he could guard all perimeter positions in the future if he adds some weight

Weaknesses: Has some ups and downs… Average athlete… Narrow shoulders suggest that it might be difficult to add muscle… A bit slow shooting mechanics… Has problems blowing by his opponent, because he is not athletic enough…Can’t really create his own shot with consistency, will always need a screen to get free… Pull up game not there yet… Has problems when he faces physical defenders… He can be a little hesitant at times on offense, he might not take a shot trying to find a better option… Unselfish to a fault at times… Doesn’t really generate a lot of fouls, doesn’t go to the line a lot… Has problems finishing at the rim through contact and length… His good Spot Up shooting came in a relatively small sample (under 2 3-pointers per game)… It’s a question mark whether his high 3-point percentage is legit, since he shot poorly for years before exploding last season… He might over help on defense, which can lead to an easy basket from the player he is actually guarding… Has problems staying in front of explosive guards… Not strong enough to contain bigger players in the Post in miss-matches

Outlook: Ziga Samar is the definition of a pass-first point guard… A true floor general, who can run the plays of a team, keep everyone happy and take some shots when he sees fit, while he is a solid defender… However at the same time his lack of athleticism and at times passive approach on offense can get him in trouble, while he also has to convince everyone that his good 3-point percentage wasn’t a fluke… If he manages to do that, then he could have a role some day in the NBA

Stefanos Makris 6/22/22