Thanks for this info, didn't know that about KK Mega Basket, that's very good info and definitely plays a role in evaluation going forward!
I've only seen limited highlights available and am basing some of my evaluation on his prior numbers, but I see a guy who at age 17 averaged per 40 23.5/5/7 on 66/37/85 2P%/3P%/FT% in Serbian KLS (admittedly a weak league).
Comps are pretty limited here, but best one I can find is probably Bogdan Bogdanovich (similar size, similar position) who's had a pretty decent career in the league as a solid to good starter. 17 year old Topic comfortably outplays a 19 year old Bogdan Bogdanovich (16/6/5 on 62/37/60 on identical 3PA, similar A:TO in Serbian KLS/Adriatic league mix for KK Partizan). Based on just his first 2 games he may be taking another jump this year. If the rest of his season with KK Mega is at all similar to his first 2 games, we may have a potential sleeper good starter to borderline all star here, one whose rim pressure and size complements the jump shooting of Vassell.
Spurs are likely building a team with no true point guard with the offense able to move through multiple ball handlers. Thus far Vassell, Sochan, Keldon Johnson, and Collins all have A:TO above 1 and Wemby may be trending that way as he develops. If that were the case, it would decrease the need for a true point guard who is often smaller in favor of a larger combo guard who may not be as easy to hunt in the playoffs.
My reasoning here is similar to what I've seen from Deanondraft in the past, which while certainly imperfect, provides a reasonable starting point for those of us who haven't watched a ton of tape for lesser-known prospects. Just wanted to get this guy on the radar early as a prospect to watch in case he does continue to pop.
Topic looks smaller than 6'6" to my naked eye. He's definitely got an interesting skillset though. Plays a little stiff and is not particularly explosive, but definitely crafty with the ball and has outstanding court vision. I didn't see many highlights of his shooting, but if he can knock enough shots to keep a defense honest, can stay in front of somebody on defense and is actually 6'6", sign me up.
Good scouting video on Nikola Topic.
I also really like Melvin Ajinca, who I think will shoot up draft boards as the season goes on. Shooting stroke looks really sweet, and he has real positional size. Doesn't look like elite athleticism, but it seems like plus athleticism even at the NBA level. Could be a really nice starter next to Vessell.
A good resource for draft scouting videos is off the market and presumably out of the YouTube game
Adam Spinella, aka Coach Spins, aka the Box and One channel and podcast, regular guest of Sam Vecenie's Game Theory podcast, has been hired to be a scout by the 76ers.
FWIW, He was someone who really loved Sidy Cissoko as an NBA prospect
I am really interested in seeing how Zvonimir Ivisic a 7'2 Center who is going to play for Kentucky this year plays. He has the size is pretty athletic and weighs around 238 so I think he can hold his own down in the post. Has good hands plays defense is a nice shot blocker, and is not a liability on the perimeter
This draft looks like an all-time draft for Bigs. Sarr, Clingan, and Mara could all be special, special players. Then there's like 3 or 4 other guys who could end up in the first round as well. All have pretty high ceilings if they hit.
Victor is to good for full tank mode
This team is one injury away from being in lottery mode.
If the TOR pick ends up being in the mid teen, I’d be happy if they go for some center depth. Looks like some good prospects
yeah, mcdermott's been prone to missing time in the last few seasons
plus theres a really good track record for centers named Nikola _o_ic
He's not a center, he's a PG.
That would put us in the playoffs.
I'd say almost every basketball evaluator that I read and respect opens most posts with some version of "it's very early in the process so take this with a grain of salt" when it comes to analyzing 17 & 18 year olds. It's not like the better scouts think they can flawlessly spot an NBA player that early-- they're basketball fanatics talking about basketball because they love it-- isn't that kinda why we're all here? I don't know any big basketball fan that isn't intrigued by an article about a 17/18 year old kid in Serbia or France that's playing impressively and putting up great numbers, even if the sample size is currently small. Don't quite get why this is even remotely controversial.
Evaluating players isn't controversial. Ranking them against each other and making mock drafts with them is pointless at best.
Who is ranking or making mocks in this forum? Like DeMurre said it's about discussing potential players and most of these players have probably been on the Spurs radar for years. I would be shocked if the Spurs scouting department did not all ready have an in depth report on probably 20 to 30 players who could potentially come out in 2024.
I remember early last season people were laughing at people who were talking about drafting Wemby how did that turn out? One thing I like about Spurstalk is that everyone has a certain thing they like to get into- some get into trades, some love talking about the Cap, and some like talking about the Draft.
Thanks. I agree with most of his points although I think the sga comparison is way too optimistic. However I would take him right now over every single other point guard prospect (collier, castle, proctor) who is potentially on the board. Ultimately I think he slots in as a long term starter in place of keldon who provides true rom pressure and creation without sacrificing size (same height as keldon)
Looking at Tankathon and it's early but just putting out names will be interesting to see how things change over the course of a season;
Top Centers:
Donovan Clingan (10) - HT: 7.2 - 265lbs.
Aday Mara (13) - HT: 7'3 -245lbs
Kyle Flipowski (19) - HT: 6'11 - 220lbs
Aaraon Bradshhaw (19) - HT: 7.0 - 215lbs
Top PF:
Alexander Sarr - (5)PF/C - HT: 7'1 - 217lbs
Izan Almanssa (8) - HT: 6'10 - 216lbs
Kwame Evans (24) - HT: 6'9 - 200lbs
Top SF:
Matas Buzelis (1) - HT: 6'11 - 195lbs
Ron Holland (2) - HT: 6'8 - 200lbs
Justin Edwards (3) HT: 6'7 - 180lbs
Zaccharie Risacher (6) HT: 6'9 - 204lbs
Cody Williams (12) - HT: 6'8 - 185lbs
Top SG:
Ja'Kobe Walter (11) - HT: 6'7 - 180lbs
Thierry Darlan (14) - HT:: 6'6 - 189lbs
Trey Alexander (20) - HT 6'4 - 185lbs
Top PG:
Isaiah Collier (4) - HT: 6'4 - 205lbs
Stephon Castle (7) - HT: 6'6 - 190lbs
DJ Wagner (9) - HT: 6'3 - HT: 6'3 - 175lbs
Tyrese Proctor (15) - HT: 6'5 - 175lbs
Elmarko Jackson (17) j- HT: 6'3 - 185lbs
I like Castle better
NCAA season has started with a good Isaiah Collier. At that very early stage of the draft process, he seems to be the most interesting player to get for Spurs.
Collier looks really inresting, i have him and topic for the moment at the pg position.
About collier my concern could be his lenght, he looks to have a neutral to negative wingspan.
Last edited by duncan2150; 11-13-2023 at 08:48 AM.
I love the idea of drafting a PG. The only problem is that most PG's need a couple seasons to develop and the crop of SF's look to be pretty solid out of the gate. I'm more intrigued by the idea of a vet PG but not intrigued by what's potentially available in the offseason.
It will a monumental offseason for the Spurs.
« As of now, I have not yet seen a player in this class with the look of a typical top-three pick in an NBA Draft. I’m not sure I’ve seen anyone in this class who looks like an average top-five selection. »
As expected, this draft looks like one of the poorest ever, just one year after one of the greatest ever.
what did Brandon Miller, Scoot Henderson, Amen Thompson and Ausar Thompson show to call the 2023 draft class "one of the greatest ever"?
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