Balsa Koprivica

Florida St.

Position: Big

Nationality: Serbia

#15

Of 2000 Generation

Born: 01.05.2000

Height: 216cm - 7’1’’

PREDRAFT MEASUREMENTS

Recap: Balkan Scouting Trip
Marko Turk
November 21, 2021
Balša Koprivica (’00) played 10 minutes and scored 2 points and grabbed 3 rebounds. He competed well against physical players from Crvena Zvezda and played good in defense. Good rim protector and interior defender but didn’t have any role in offense. Improving really well this season and looking better and better every game.
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2021 NBA Draft – European Selections
Rens Hammerstein
August 3, 2021

Balsa Koprivica, Detroit Pistons – 57th overall

Some were surprised to see Koprivica get drafted, but he is coming off a good year at Florida State and played well in the NCAA tournament. He rates well analytically, protects the rim, and is a strong finisher. Due to the number of young players the Pistons currently have on the roster, it is yet to be seen if Koprivica makes the team or ends up playing in Europe for a year.

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Evaluation 1999-2001
Modernet Studio
February 11, 2017

STRENGHTS WEAKNESSESS
  • offensive skills beyond his years and position
  • fluid movement, especially for a guy his age and size
  • good basketball IQ and feel for the game
  • not a selfish player. Even though he dominates at his level, he shows a lot of promise in passing department
  • soft touch around the rim and in general
  • great footwork, especially around the rim on post ups. Nimble on his feet, already has better moves than a lot of guys in pros
  • good jumpshot. Can score on those short rolls and corners if defense cloggs the paint. Not a liability for stretching the floor
  • finesse player. Does everything with a touch of style
  • good nose for the ball on boards
  • lacks explosiveness and quickness, which could be an issue in more fast paced games
  • his game is not vertical
  • defense is still a major work in progress. At his current level of competition, he hardly has any need to play it except to just raise his hands and count blocks
  • at times shies away from contact and settles for jumpers
  • not a weakness per se or his fault, but he is not battle tested. Plays against much smaller guys and low level of competition
OUTLOOK
Balša looks almost unreal when you watch him play, especially against his usual high school competition. Its not just the fact he is so much taller than 90% of players on court, it’s the way he does it that makes you think he would be dominant if he was 6-5 as well. But he isn’t and he is definitely on the road to become a high profile center at least in college basketball with NBA as a possible goal. I would easily give him 5 stars if he played and dominated as much against better players who could provide more of a challenge. Too bad he didn’t play for Serbia at Euros U16 last two years as that way we would know for sure. This way, for now he remains one of the best Euro prospects in his age group but just with that small question mark.

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League / TeamGMINPTS2%FG3%FG%FTRDRORTASSTTOBFvFCmEff
FIBA U18 2017
Serbia		65.01.5
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