NBA Comparison: Hedo Turkoglu/Bojan Bogdanovic

Strengths: All around combo forward … Has point forward potential … Great size for his position … Has a perimeter’s player skill set in a big’s frame … Has excellent length … Just above average – but smooth – athlete … Just a solid leaper, but he can make some athletic plays thanks to the combination of size and length … Runs the floor well … Has a good feel for the game … High basketball I.Q. … Versatile, can be used at either forward position … He is a good ball handler for his size … Can put the ball on the floor and attack the basket … Can start the break and score an occasional coast to coast … Attacks closeouts … Has 3-level scorer potential … More than solid as a shooter, he has shown potential in Spot Up situations … Can shoot off the dribble with ease thanks to his size and ability to handle the ball … Pull up game is not completely there yet, but has shown potential shooting off the dribble … Despite the lack of elite athleticism, he can go at the rim when he is decisive … Can finish plays at the rim at an above average level … Has the ability to punish miss-matches, has a Post Up game that combines finesse and strength … Moves well without the ball, knows where to go and scores in off ball actions … A very good passer on the move … Has nice court vision … Can play the Pick and Roll at a decent level as the ball handler … Can become a rare player who can play the Pick and Roll both as the ball handler and as the screener … Had some moments as a screener in Pick and Pop actions … A good rebounder for a wing … Good shot blocker for a wing … His high basketball helps him on defense … Not afraid to bang bodies in the post when defending, doesn’t shy away from contact …

Weaknesses: Needs to add some weight … Despite his fighting spirit, it’s still relatively easily pushed around on the senior level because of his thin frame … Not an elite athlete … Lacks an elite first step and burst when starts driving to the basket … High center of gravity hurts him on defense … Has problems against elite athletes … Has to improve his ball handling with his weak (left) hand if he wants to play on the perimeter … Shooting mechanics can be a little inconsistent at times … Has the tendency to change his shooting release when he is contested … Can be something like a ball stopper on offense when he takes the ball … At times he has been too focused searching for his own shot … Has somewhat tunnel vision at times when driving to the basket … Because of a lack of an elite first step, he has the tendency to settle for contested mid-range shots … Inconsistent shooter for now … Below average assist/ratio on the senior level … Should be more patient as a ball handler in Pick and Rolls … Not always a willing passer despite his good instincts … Doesn’t finish plays at the rim as well as someone would expect for a player with his size and length … Has problems finishing with his left hand … He could add a floater to his arsenal to mix it up a little … Had some problems when posting up on the senior level, thin frame and center of gravity made it difficult for him … He can fall in love with one-leg fade-aways in the post … Has average lateral quickness…. Doesn’t always have a good defensive position … A tweener in a bad way on defense … A step (or two) slow to guard perimeter players, but also not strong enough to guard power forwards … He occasionally spaces out on defense … has shown some negative body language towards teammates and coaches in international play. Perhaps a lack of maturity to become easily frustrated …

Outlook: Nikola Jovic is a skilled combo forward, with point-forward potential … He has great size and feel for the game, but lacks elite athleticism … He has a polished offensive game and can do just about everything on offense, although at times has a tendency to force things … On the other end of the floor though he has shown some problems because of his lack of elite athleticism and lateral quickness … In an era where everyone is looking for big forwards who can create their own shot, there could be a place for him in the NBA … But for him to reach his ceiling, he has to prove he can at least hide some of his deficiencies …

Notes: Measured: 6’9.5” barefoot, 6’11.0” in shoes, 9’0.5” standing reach, 222.6 lbs, 7’0.25” wingspan at the 2022 NBA Draft Combine …

Stefanos Makris 6/8/22