Dusan Tanaskovic

Dusan Tanaskovic (01’, 6’10’’, Center) Already big developed body, but because of few extra pounds on his frame his not very fast in the open court. Dominant back to the basket scorer with good footwork, soft touch but limited repertoire of moves usually using baby hook over the left shoulder. Covers ground nicely on defensive end rotating well, helping from the second line and having very good instincts and timing for blocks. He’s also a solid 1vs1 defender able to keep a strong base, bother the opponent and contest the shot, sometimes even too aggressive getting into occasional scraps with opponents in the paint. Needs to work on improving his range of moves in the post because when matched up with better defenders his next move is going to be just too obvious. Can’t stretch the floor, not even looking at the rim from longer distances, only relies on his inside game at the moment. The top scorer on his team, the best rebounder in the event and was also selected to the All-Star Five with averages of 16.8pts, 11.3rebs, 1.8ast, 1stl, 2.8TO’s, 2.5blks.

Dusan continues his development in a positive way in the last couple of years. Two years ago, he looked to have a decent physical profile but not much else. He was in the all-star 5 in Munich AdidasNGT even though his team Partizan was below expectation. He looks to be calm throughout the game without showing off much emotion. As his coordination and body strength coming together, he is getting more confident on both ends.

Offensively, his footwork has improved playing back to basket which helps him to find more scoring options in the low post. He is not very agile nor runs the floor easily right now. Looks a bit more like a traditional big man. His wide frame allows him to occupy space in the paint and he is absorbing contact very well at this level. Help defense agility and acceleration is in process but when he is operating in defense under the rim, he showed really good block timing. We have also seen some good couple of shoulder turns baby hooks around the basket.

So, what can improve in his game? Right now, he is not proficient around midrange and does not even try to shoot from long range but at least a midrange jumper will add a lot to his value. Body looks like it is still growing. Not a good passer overall, averaged 2.8 TOs there. Coordination is a work in progress and looks to be improving but it is still not looking enough. Even though he is calm on the court, he is rushing off shots in the painted area time to time. Overall, he has solid long-term potential, as big mans are a bit scarce, to be late second round pick, if he improves his skillset.