Adidas Next Generation Tournament Belgrade took place between 26-28 of March and was a third and final qualifier this season. Below you can find a breakdown of 13 players which stand stood out in the event:
Djordjije Jovanović (‘03), Partizan Belgrade, 6’7”, F
20.8 pts, 2FG-60.0%, 3FG-46.4%, FT-87.5%, 6.8 rebs, 1.8 ast, 0.5 stl, 1.3 to, 0.5 blks
(Written by Marko Turk)
With Nikola Radovanović being out on most games Jovanović had to step up and he did it very well. Had a great tournament with elite shooting percentages. A player that knows his role in the team and does the little things that help his team win. Reliable shooter from all spots. His shot release is high and smooth with a good shooting arc. Moves very well without the ball and has a great court awareness. Even though he is more an off ball wing he has shown that he can make some plays with the ball in his hands too. With his long strides he can get to the rim and also showed some of his athleticism on open court. Active defender off the ball with great instincts for steals and rebounds.
Nikola Djurisic (’04), Mega Soccerbet Belgrade, 6’8”, G
19.3pts, 2FG-45.8%, 3FG-15.4%, FT-87.1%, 6.8reb, 5.3ast, 2.8stl, 3to, 0blk
(Written by Igor Chytrzynski)
Nikola was a great Robin to Jovic’s Batman throughout the whole tournament. Led Mega in assists and steals per game, but was also second-best in both points as well as rebounds. Standing at 6’8” (203cm) he is a big guard with a nice pop and some room still left on his frame which should get more refined with time.
Great slasher, changes speeds very well and gets rid of his man with nice hesitation moves. Solid finisher around the rim, but needs to become more confident both with the left-hand finishes as well as drives. Does a good job of selling his pump fakes in the lane on more persistent defenders, getting them off balance and taking a step closer to the rim. Times his off-ball cuts very well.
Although he had some wild moments passing the ball recklessly on longer distances in the open court, in the half court he was usually spot on while on the move, finding cutters in time or open teammates on the perimeter.
Not an efficient long-range shooter at the moment, selection is not always the best, his shot is sometimes flat and has a low release point. On the other hand, the mid-range jumper looks better, sets his feet well off the dribble and usually elevates a lot higher which gives his shot a better arc. With how well he presents himself at the line and with a tweak or two to his release he should become a lot better at stretching the floor in the future. Fair defender, picked pockets with ease on this level, but needs to make sure his head is on the swivel. Could be a versatile defender in the future.
Nikola Jovic (’03) Mega Soccerbet Belgrade, 6’10”, F
29.3pts, 2FG-65.6%, 3FG-16.7%, FT-75.7%, 10.3reb, 4.5ast, 0.8stl, 2.8to, 1.8blk
(Written by Igor Chytrzynski)
Nikola had one of the best and most consistent performances at AdidasNGT in the last couple of years. Not only that he also helped his team fairly easily glide through the group stage and then rose to great heights in the Final. Leading Mega to a win after an incredible comeback from a 19-point deficit.
Quick and agile, very good balance and body control, moves lightly on his feet. A versatile offensive machine, a nightmare to defend. His dribble is a bit high and exposed but confident, easily beating bigger and slower opponents in the open court or face up in the half court. Smaller players he overpowers on his inside or dominates on the low block from where he can also distribute the ball very effectively. As a facilitator he often finds teammates cutting through the middle, or baseline even if a double team is on its way. Doesn’t usually panic but has moments of poor accuracy on his passes. Great finisher inside, shrugs off contact, confidently finishes with either hand and managed to squeeze in some very difficult attempts. Foul magnet. Able to space the floor, has nice shot with quick trigger but not so consistent on this occasion. Aggressive on the glass with an impressive second jump, reads the ball very well off the rim and will go after it tenaciously.
On the other end, he also has a very high potential. Despite having some moments where he was a bit caught off guard focusing too much on the ball, he understands rotations, can quickly cover a lot of ground and fly over from the weak side to swat the ball away at the last moment. On perimeter too often on straight legs losing his position easier than he should given his agility and feet. Needs to lower his stance. Over time with more muscle on his frame, improved footwork and stance will be a major obstacle inside and outside.
Vice Zanki (‘04), Cedevita Olimpija, 6’6”, F
16.0 pts, 2FG-54.5 %, 3FG-44.4%, FT-80.0%, 3.3 rebs, 4.0 ast, 2.8 stl, 4.5 to, 1.0 blks
(Written by Marko Turk)
Has good length and uses is very good on the defensive end when going for steals or contesting shots on closeouts. In offense he is a great three point shooter, has a high and smooth release and doesn’t need much space for shot. Excels in transition and is hard to stop when he goes down the lane. Can get to the rim with his long strides and a solid finisher around the rim. Handles the ball well but his dribbles are too high and can make some sloppy turnovers under pressure. Dished some nice passes on the tournament too.
Andrija Jelavić (‘04), Cedevita Olimpija, 6’8”, F
19.5 pts, 2FG-57.1%, 3FG-23.5%, FT-66.7%, 7.5 rebs, 3.0 ast, 2.5 stl, 2.5 to, 0 blks
(Written by Marko Turk)
A stretch forward that operates mostly outside the paint. Likes to take shots from the top, his shooting motion is a little inconsistent but has the potential to become a good stretch option in the future. Has very good ball handling skills for a player his size and can bring the ball to the offensive end or attack with drives in half court sets. Mobile, moves fluidly and runs the floor well. In defense he can make some good reads and make some interceptions but his on ball defense, reactions and lateral movements need some fixes because better slashers can get by him too easily.
Ido Menchel (’04) Maccabi Tel Aviv, 6’0”, G
20.8pts, 2FG-34.6%, 3FG-35%, FT-82.1%, 4.8reb, 7.3ast, 0.8stl, 3.8to, 0blk
(Written by Igor Chytrzynski)
Ido carried his team’s offensive load throughout the whole tournament. His area of expertise is 3- point shots. You can’t give him much space as he will pull without hesitation and sometimes can get hot fairly quickly. Majority of his attempts are off the dribble, has solid mechanics and a nice trigger. He can also create his own shots in the mid-range area on his sneaky drives and stop and pop for a 2. Not so efficient around the basket though, doesn’t have a great burst to get rid of the defender. Separates mainly thanks to his good handles and creative hesitations, but when that doesn’t work, he’s forced to go for a tough contested shot or to kick out outside. Made some nice reads and done a very good job of slicing the D with his dishes on the drives but can also creatively deliver to baseline cutters. On the other end, he is pretty average laterally and doesn’t have a body to obstruct the lane sometimes even against not a lot bigger guards.
Nikola Šaranović (‘03), Crvena Zvezda, 6’7”, G/F
15.3 pts, 2FG-53.8%, 3FG-66.7%, FT-83.3%, 6.8 rebs, 3.3 ast, 2.3 stl, 2.0 to, 0 blks
(Written by Marko Turk)
Nikola had much bigger in his team in comparison to last season and he proved that he showed that he can lead the team. A versatile guard/forward that plays with intensity on both sides of the floor. His ball handling skills are average but with his aggressive first step he can get by defenders and to the rim where he can finish with both hands. Showed some reliable shooting from distance too, be it off the dribble or in spot up situations. His release could be faster though. Versatile on the defensive end too where he can defend multiple positions.
Iaroslav Niagu (’03), Lokomotiv Kuban Krasnodar, 6’11.5”, C
11.3pts, 2FG-42.9%, 3FG-25%, FT-88.2%, 8.8reb, 1.8ast, 0.5stl, 1.5to, 2.5blk
(Written by Igor Chytrzynski)
Iaroslav has good size and mobility, is fluid in the lower half but the upper body is a bit stiff. Good screener with the ability to pop behind the 3-point line and space the floor for his team. Has smooth mechanics on the shot but on the longer attempts he dips the ball really low prolonging his gather. At the free throw line presented himself very well and showed up regularly. Still needs to add more muscle to his frame. He sometimes lacked a bit of interior aggressiveness and could have shown more of his abilities like his footwork and soft touch inside. Majority of his points came from spot up jumpers and good positioning in the paint. When he did put up a fight, he wasn’t afraid to get his hands dirty on the floor going after 50/50 balls. On defense, he is always keeping the hand on the pulse and is eager to help on drives. For his size, he can quickly slide over to protect the basket and elevate high but needs to make sure he is not flying towards shooting opponent and goes up vertically. Done nice job on a couple of occasions staying in front of the guards after a PnR. Looks for bodies to box out.
Modibo Diaby (‘03), Cluj Napoca, 6’7”, C
12.5 pts, 2FG-45.0%, 3FG-0 %, FT-66.7%, 10.0 rebs, 2.5 ast, 3.5 stl, 2.5 to, 2.3 blks
(Written by Marko Turk)
Undersized big with wide shoulders, good frame and strong body. Very good rim protector with great anticipation for blocks, has a quick vertical pop and good second jump so he can make two consecutive blocks too. With his solid feet he can also switch in defense and defend on perimeter. On offense he rolls well on pick & rolls, has good touch around the rim and made some good passes from post up to cutters or weak side shooters. Good motor for rebounds.
Dragos Lungu (‘04), Cluj Napoca, 6’5”, G
16.0 pts, 2FG-42.9%, 3FG-60.0%, FT-70.6%, 7.0 rebs, 4.0 ast, 2.0 stl, 2.3 to, 0.0 blks
(Written by Marko Turk)
Athletic two-way guard. Looks like a late bloomer with a thin frame but will probably add some muscle mass in next years. Very good perimeter defender. With his long and quick arms he can make life hard for the ball handler while also not afraid of contact and maneuvers around screens smoothly. He is very good and fluid in transition and likes to get to the rim. He had very good shooting percentages on the tournament but his shooting motion is not the best and raises some questions if this was just a hot streak or can he repeat that on a consistent level. Has a good motor on both sides of the floor.
Fedor Zugic (’03), Buducnost Voli Podgorica, 6’6”, G
25pts, 2FG-44.4%, 3FG-25%, FT-88.9%, 4reb, 5ast, 1stl, 1to, 0blk
(Written by Igor Chytrzynski)
Fedor had to finish the tournament prematurely after he twisted his ankle in the last minutes of the first game of the event for his team. Nonetheless, it quickly became apparent why he is one of the best players in Europe in his generation and a major part of coach Mijolevic’s rotation. Fedor wreaks havoc in the lane thanks to his lightning quick first step which put a lot of defenders in the position where the only way of stopping him was with their hands. In open court, they also struggled with how rapidly he can get going. Fluid mechanics, solid clip both from deep as well as mid-range. Unselfish, willingly shares the ball with teammates who are better positioned. Capable defender, but focuses too much on the ball.
Tomislav Ivisic (’03), Buducnost Voli Podgorica, 7’1”, C
21pts, 2FG-51.3%, 3FG-40%, FT-80%, 12.8reb, 2.3ast, 1stl, 3.5to, 3blk
(Written by Igor Chytrzynski)
Tomislav has a body of an old school center, but he is not only a back to the basket dominator like his size would indicate. He can stretch the floor for his team very well, has a quick shooting form for a big and with his strength, he doesn’t even need to dip the ball down when gathering, not wasting any time goes straight up after a catch. He is a decent passer, can create some advantages out of the low block and even sometimes on the roll, but needs to be more careful and react a bit quicker when defense try to trap him. Left-handed with polished footwork and soft touch, could expand his arsenal of post moves to get more touches over his left shoulder. On the other end, he won’t be providing much of switch-ability and sometimes has a hard time recovering quick enough after screens or help. But he does a good job of using his body inside not letting opponents get to a good position or pushing them off the line of a screen, strong base, active, aware, good positioning for help. Needs to put more effort into boxing opponents out.
Eray Buyukcangaz (’04), Buducnost Voli Podgorica, 6’7”, G
15.5pts, 2FG-40%, 3FG-40%, FT-81.8%, 3.8reb, 2.3ast, 1.3stl, 3to, 0.3blk
(Written by Igor Chytrzynski)
Eray is a very capable shooter from behind the arc with a beautiful looking form and nice range, but not nearly as efficient off the dribble as he is from the spot. Good at shifting gears, navigates pretty well in traffic, but forces his way inside sometimes. As a facilitator, he had moments where he missed wide open teammates but usually done an okay job sharing the rock on the move. Average frame and a bit lanky, needs to add more muscle which would definitely help him absorb more contact on his sneaky penetrations inside where he struggles with physicality. Similarly, on defense he doesn’t seem to handle contact very well. Average at best on that end of the floor, has an okay slide, but not the best at getting over screens and usually keeps his hands down. Had some good moments jumping in front of telegraphed passes, but too often sacrifices his position for steals and finds himself completely lost.
