Aleksander Balcerowski

Balcerowski has some minor experience from Euroleague level but due to some injuries in last seasons and deep rotation from Gran Canaria on his position, he hasn’t got too much opportunity to play for their first team in last season. Hopefully, he will get more in this season but with Khalifa Diop also waiting in the line for the opportunity, it won’t be that easy. Balcerowski’s skill set is really good for a player his size. Has great handles and likes to play face to the basket. Doesn’t make many ball handling mistakes and his moves look fluid. His back to the basket game also shouldn’t be underestimated since he has the IQ and feel on low post to beat opponents and soft touch around the rim with both hands. Can stretch the floor and probably has a brighter future as a stretch option than an inside player, especially if he can hit open three point shots consistently. With his court vision and passing touch he can also make an impact as a passer from the top. On the defensive end he can protect the rim with his size and length and also has mobility and feet to defend on perimeter in Europe but probably couldn’t work out as a switch option in the NBA. 

CONTEXT

Olek Balcerowski is one of the most talented bigs from 2000 generation in Europe and worldwide. He is a hope of basketball community in Poland to replace one day in the NBA Marcin Gortat who may be about to retire, as besides Lukasz Kolenda there is no other legitimate long shot candidates to fill the gap after “Polish hammer” anytime soon. Last year following AdidasNGT in L’Hospitalet I evaluated in depth his potential but now driven by curiosity and patriotism, despite being used to attending games live, I went through tapes from recent season to catch up on the progress and write short scouting sequel.

CURRENT SITUATION

After making ACB debut last season, recently Balcerowski stepped on the court for the first time in Euroleague and even made this experience quite memorable by block & transition dunk sequence vs Fenerbahce. However those are just a small and occasional rewards. Main competition he participates in is still EBA Liga. He is having improved season comparing to previous one scoring wise (nearly 21pts per 36) while shooting 37.5% on 48 3pt attempts. Balcerowski mostly occupies 4 position and adjusts to guarding smaller players while having enough opportunities to expose and trying to translate his perimeter skills.

Olek’s development and playing time can be unfortunately affected moving forward by African bigs from Gran Canaria program who also emerge as potentially NBA prospects: Biram Faye and Khalifa Diop. Especially second one seems to be surefire draft candidate within next two years and he may crack the ACB rotation consistently starting from next season. Also 76ers stash pick: Anzejs Pasecniks may be very close to be ready for next step but Philadelphia simply doesn’t need him at the moment and it may not change very soon which blocks others.

Next season EBA Liga doesn’t seem like aprioprate environment for Olek’s further development anymore and ACB will likely remain still too challenging. Exploring Leb Gold loan options may be beneficial and right solution.

TYPE OF PLAYER

Olek is definitely more about skill than athleticism. He can be described as finesse big man who has natural flair for the game and kind of do it all ability. He can convert layups around the rim in elegant fashion, puts the ball down on the court with advanced handles for his size and constantly threatens the defenses with his outside stroke. Despite his, at times, too stubborn preference to face up opponents he is above average back to the basket operator who has good IQ and is refined, mature decision maker and even shows some playmaking upside notable for frontcourt player.

PHYSICALITY

Often you can hear that big guys mature slower and need more time. Olek is perfect example of this and moreover was born relatively late in 2000 (19th of November). He is still baby faced with no mustache whatsoever. While getting physical is maybe not in his nature, he got stronger recently and draws a lot of fouls when matched up with power forwards on (mid) post area. Typically for Euro big his size he may lack advanced fluidity or reactivity on defensive end. He can look somewhat upright and his endurance considered in the context of fast paced American game is rather not overwhelming either. However time can work for his advantage to push those limitations as he likely reached his ultimate height and doesn’t have to deal with injuries caused in some degree by growth spurts in the past anymore.

POSITION

So is Olek a Center or Power Forward, or maybe hybrid able to spend time 50/50 on both positions? While he is obviously more than just inside contributor and can handle the ball at least like comboforward how translatable actually are those ball skills? He can shot with reach over all PF defenders but his underwhelming agility doesn’t give him enough wiggle to create face up perimeter looks at will, neither he is explosive enough to make regular straight line drives. And it works the other way round as he may have at times troubles defending let’s say 6’9 very athletic slashers who possess three point & mid range stroke as well. To some degree it was causing problems on next level for Dragan Bender. Croatian, once tantalizing prospect whose production has been extremely disappointing for 4th NBA Draft pick and is closer to be labeled as a bust now, was sliding his feet much better as 18-19yo but is kinda too tall for position. At the same time he can’t bring enough physicality to rebound and fight inside with NBA 5 men.

The most accurate term may be too call Olek “shooting big”. His best case scenario could possibly be becoming Luke Kornet like type of player. +215cm of pure jumpshot which keeps the paint freer, able to challenge at the rim with a lot of size and survive thanks to high IQ & knack for the ball instead of big jump or quick legs. He is not elite in neither of those two crucial aspects yet but can eventually reach good enough level. And then in right circumstances add something extra to the table like grab & go or playmaking thanks to overall polish.

OUTLOOK

While he fits modern ball from his buddying skillset, his physical tools may not be the most desirable you can find. Time will show if his well roundedness can compensate enough for his average quickness or athleticism or if he has some room for improvement left in that matter. Anyway worst case scenario seems great anyway as he is likely to have at least very good career on highest European level and still remains must follow for NBA executives as potential draft & stash option.

From short term perspective people from his campus may be thinking about declaring him for 2019 NBA Draft (likely with intention to withdrew) to create some more buzz after season that he spent kinda out of spotlight. Also great opportunity would be attending Nike Hoop Summit which Olek still hopes to be invited for in order to remind American based executives how unique prospect he is by competing with his American peers and showing that he belongs.

Three players from Poland played in NBA so far: Marcin Gortat, Maciej Lampe and Cezary Trybanski. Beside The Polish Hammer others presence was very episodic. Balcerowski seems to have a real shot to become 4th countryman but is not very similar to his predecessors. Maybe to Maciej Lampe but only as far as talent scale instead of playing style is concerned.

So who does he resemble? There is not that much +215cm basketball players running on the courts all over the world. Also very small percentage of them is fairly mobile, can shoot and put the ball on the floor. Given those similarities, coming from Baltic region and the same team they currently play in (Herbalife Gran Canaria) later in this article I decided to investigate if magic stash Anzejs Pasecniks and Polish rising star on Canary Island – Aleksander Balcerowski can be considered similar players.

First of all Olek is not clear cut “Polish Markkanen” or “Polish Porzingis” as some NBA fans would love to announce him in his homeland. He neither has amazingly toned muscles, and toughness-cockiness-swagger combo like Finnish forward nor unbelievably quick trigger for 7’3 guy who also possess enough wiggle with the ball to make pull ups comparably to 6’0 guards like unofficial mayor of NYC – Kristaps Porzingis. He could possibly be considered one and done college player but just not Top 7 pick caliber. At the same time he doesn’t seem to be such a late bloomer physically who can ultimately make a jump to franchise player.

Comparison to Porzingis is not very appropriate from one more reason. I understand that currently absolutely gold standard for (at least) 7’2 white players who can shoot and have some handles is Latvian Knicks star. However how often can talent like him emerge? How many times teams and fans expectation went down after forcing themselves to find the next X or Y player? I believe every unathletic shooter from Europe with at least little Draft consideration who stood around 7 foot was compared to Dirk Nowitzki. How many of them ever came close to Mavericks living legend? I understand the matter of dreaming big and idolizing. Moreover studying the game is crucial and desire to learn from the best can only help you. But from scout or expert perspective you have to look at things from more reasonable perspective.

Apart from that, Olek shows a lot of promise to offer in future NBA executives exactly what they need. NBA offenses are not fully run by only pure point guards anymore and playmaking responsibilities are shared also among big players. With taller & more athletic wings it’s harder to execute advantage on every mismatch as it used to be and extending the range was the key to survive in today’s league even for established bigs like Brook Lopez, Nikola Vucevic or Marc Gasol. If your shot is a threat your defender needs to come closer which means more space for others to operate. Also considering growing number of players with great stroke nowadays, the demand for those who can supply them in accurate dishes is on the rise as well. This all sounds promising and Polish prospect definitely seems likely to fit in. However recently I heard some opinions that Olek could possibly play 4 position in NBA. It is a little bit difficult to agree. While scrolling down the rosters it is hard to imagine him being able to defend and cope with athleticism that majority of current PFs possess. Olek legs are not great. He is fairly mobile but not even the most desired rim runner type considering how slow he is for NBA standards. Personally I don’t think he will ever be able to produce for himself on face up situations further away than on perimeter. The only way to make it happen is propitious situation on the court which can possibly take place for short stretches. By this I mean opposite line up with frontcourt player of similar characteristic to Olek so you could blend and fully use his assets on 4 offensively and give responsibility to defend the 5.   

At the time of writing this article Olek is coming from more than less positive Adidas Next Generation Tournament. Considering circumstances – delayed flight, just 4h of sleep, playing on glucose without proper meal and having two games at the first day, it was hard to expect from him miracles or even consistent performance as there was simply not enough time to recover. Also I wasn’t predicting Olek’s domination at all as he just turned 17 and partners with Biram Faye to create GranCan bigs duo. Senegalese player is a ball hog and more ready than any of his peers for playing with adults which is a must use in such tournaments. Here it may be more about results than experience regarding the prestige of junior Euroleague competition.

Before I start with Pasecniks I have to hand it to Olek. After already being known from his shooting skills and handles he is trying to put those two things together and makes strides towards legitimate shot creation with the ball. Mostly simple pull ups for now as right to left or between the legs crossovers were not helping him to gain much space even though they were kept low to the ground and looked quite fluid for gigantic player. There is still plenty of time to refine it down the road and we can expect visible progress in his coordination and explosiveness as he stopped growing and is fully recovered. I also have to keep in mind that Porzingis at the age of Balcerowski was not even ready for ACB episodes.

Main difference comparing to Pasecniks may be the earlier stardom. Even though Olek is down to earth kid, you can google plenty of articles about him in various languages. Older teammate emerged pretty much after FIBA U18s in his homeland back in 2013 where he composed twin tower tandem with Porzingis. Before this summer Olek will have in his resume Jordan Brand Classic, Basketball without Borders either European and global editions, Moreover he was recently called up to the camp with senior national team. Pasecniks may have had more “peace of mind” working on his craft and strength over the years being somewhat a little in Porzingis shadow. On the other side Poland struggles to produce high level talents frequently and basically all eyes gonna be on Olek next seasons. Also Pasecniks left his country few years later to continue in Spain. From time perspective he could have done it earlier since his progress in VEF after mentioned successful championships with Latvia was a bit disappointing.

Relatively to age, Olek seems to have more skillful offensive repertoire. He tries to face up even too much at times but you got to like jab steps or dribble moves of 7’1-7’2 teenager. He makes effort to offer more than just straight line drives and also shows flashes of being more consistent playmaker. He definitely benefits from modern era as a lot of mentioned skills are correlated with evolution of the game and adjustment of training process to that. Plus 5 years ago terms like positionless line up or stretch big were clearly a bit less common. Balcerowski stroke may also seems a little cleaner and he undeniably has more pounds on his frame. The downside is his graceful manner on the court. Pasecniks also didn’t welcome physicality with his skinny built but he was clearly more energetic and electrifying player. He was faster in defensive rotation and operated better as PnR man by rolling to the rim quickly. Also while Olek can seem more crafty finisher around the rim, Anzejs already had signature post move to his left hand.

As of now Balcerowski seems to have advantage in fundamentals and be ahead of 17-18yo Pasecniks. However his predecessor was more of physical late bloomer who made amazing progress once he adjusted to Spanish environment. That development pace may be hard to achieve anymore for Polish prospect. Currently Anzejs is having likewise season to previous one. He plays more in Eurocup but didn’t step up his promising 3 pointer or rim protection and even though he is a 1st round pick may still not be fully equipped to play in NBA. This is not something that should worry 76ers front office at the moment considering their other stashes, current frontcourt situation and more players (even undrafted) coming to league when they are ready.

But what future holds for Olek? I believe he is 1st round potential as well. Balcerowski is definitely not your typical above 7 foot player skillwise. If he was not him also regarding natural fitness then he would have clear cut translatable NBA potential if given favorable situation for further development and stating that his work ethic is as good as I keep hearing from reliable sources. Since he probably finally stopped growing we will know more next years if his athletic limitations are that serious to stop him from utilizing his tremendous versitality in National Basketball Association. Also he definitely needs more toughness and poise consistency to survive on the highest level especially on defensive end.

Olek Balcerowski (215 cm) from Poland takes the Center role and averaged during the tournament 12.3 points, 6 rebounds.

Olek has made a fair tournament even though I clearly expected something more from him. Obviously he has been dominating the zone due to his impressive height but he was looking somewhat soft in his approach for some stretches.

Despite that, his potential is amazing especially if he’s able to play with more toughness. He has lots of interesting moves and good IQ. Big time talent.