BACKGROUND:  No basketball background in family. Started with playing football/soccer when he was 5 years old and transitioned to basketball when he was 12. Started in local basketball club Krško and joined Koper Primorska when he was 16 years old. He had a minor role in their first team but was team leader in their U17 and U19 team. Now playing his second season in Serbia for Dynamic Belgrade. He made a debut for Slovenian national team in September 2018 and is till this date with 17 years and 4 months the youngest Slovenian player to accomplish that. 

PERSONALITY: Winner mindset, wants to have the ball in his hands and take the responsibility to hit a game winner. More an introverted personality but can open up among his friends. Also a good student in school. Works hard to improve his game. 

PHYSICAL/ATHLETIC TOOLS: Has good positional size and a solid frame that will fill out nicely in next years. Good athlete overall. Pretty explosive vertically and can play above the rim. Moves fluidly and can create separation with his footwork. Excels in transition, likes to run without the ball and push forward after getting a steal or rebound. Not the most explosive first step and can struggle to get past defenders from a standstill position. Also not the best lateral movements on the defensive end. 

OFFENSE: 

Shooting: Confident shooter. Even if he misses a few shots in a row, he will still confidently shoot the next one. Can get open without the ball, could use the screens better but manages to get an open look with his footwork. Doesn’t need much space and time to pull the trigger, even if he doesn’t get a pass right in the shooting pocket, his transition from receiving the ball to release is smooth. Has pretty high release too and is not blocked easily. Reads the defense well and if guarded too closely, he will take one dribble and shoot from mid-range or go straight to the rim. Showing high potential in coming off screens and also in spot up shooting.  

Transition: Really important part of his game. Excels in transition, likes to run with or without the ball. When he is pushing forward he can go aggressively all the way to the rim while also has the ability to pull the handbrake and shoot from distance even when he is not in shooting rhythm. Has great speed on open court. 

Slashing:  Can attack with both hands in both directions. Attacks the rim under sharp angles and can get around defenders with his long strides and good footwork. Not the most explosive first step from standstill and could struggle with getting past defenders from standstill position on higher level. Ambidextrous finisher around the rim and can finish under some lighter contact. Hard to stop when he has advantage or when he is attacking with full speed. 

Playmaking/passing: Limited court vision and sees only passes on first level – to the closest teammate or roller when he is running pick & rolls. Showing some flashes of passing touch, can make some precise and good passes with his offhand too, but lacks creativity and court vision. Surely this isn’t his main offensive strength but he is more a shooter than a playmaker after all. 

Ball handling:  Not the most reliable ball handler. Has good ball control with high speed in transition but struggles against pressure and in half court situations. Not a player that will break ankles or put defenders on skates but knows how to put the ball aggressively on the floor when attacking the rim. An area where he could improve if he wants to become a complete offensive threat. 

DEFENSE:

Perimeter defense: His reactions and reads could be better. Can sometimes be thrown out of balance with a simple jab step and get beaten too easily. Occasionally gives up too quickly and is not trying to recover after the offensive player gets past him. Can move solidly laterally when fully engaged but could have a hard time against top level athletes on higher level. Could anticipate the screens better but his good footwork helps him a lot by getting around screens. On the other hand, there were some possessions where he showed promising footwork and played good on-ball defense and I think he can become a decent defender when his body develops. 

Defensive versatility: Due to his size he can defend some wings too. So far he lacks strength to hold stance in low post situations while also not laterally the most explosive and has a hard time defending quicker players. 

Off ball defense: His court awareness is pretty good. Makes good rotations, especially from the weak side as a 3rd man in pick & roll defense. Good anticipation and instincts for steals, makes a lot of interceptions and steals that lead to easy fast break points. Occasionally over helps when he shouldn’t and loses eyesight of the man he should be defending. Should play with more contact when he is chasing the shooter, he leaves him too much space and lets him get open too easily.

SUMMARY:

Good shooter that could excel in a system where there would be sets run from him and he could come off screens. Needs freedom in offense to play his game even if he takes some unnecessary and wild shots. Still has some work to do in his slashing game and ball handling to be a complete scorer. There are areas to improve in his defensive game and I believe he is capable of bringing his defense to a decent level. Definitely a player that has some nice future ahead of him on the highest level in Europe.