adidas Eurocamp: Day 1 RecapBy: Aran_Smith

Day One is complete in Treviso, Italy at the adidas Eurocamp and while there isn’t as much talent on hand as in past years, the event provides a gathering of the minds of European scouts, media and agents alike. There are a number of GMs on hand including some of the hardest working, most well connected ones such as Donnie Nelson and Masai Ujiri. Even if the talent isn’t great, the ability to meet up with numerous scouts and agents to gather a better feel for where players, especially the International ones, will go in the draft is extremely valuable.

Here is a look at the top prospects after a day of action:

Ante Zizic 6-11 PF/C  Croatia 1997 — Zizic played in the All Star game against the U20 Ukrainian team and very early on suffered a shoulder injury as he fell to the floor on it and could be seen wincing and rubbing it. He stayed in the game, but at the half it apparently tightened up and he opted to sit out, and that was probably the conclusion of his camp. He was solid if unspectacular in the game (first half) amassing 9 points and 8 rebounds. He runs the floor a little unorthodox, as you wouldn’t call it smooth. He has a demeanor that he means business and carries himself with a little swagger. His 7-foot-3 wingpan really comes in handy around the rim as he gets rebounds and scores without having to get off the ground much. He isn’t all that explosive, or athletic but plays with good intensity and toughness. The general feeling among scouts is that he will have a chance to get into the first round based on his ability to impact games with his length and hustle, despite not having a great deal of upside. His shooting touch is decnet but not great, but it can improve some in time.

Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk 6-8 SF Kansas / Ukraine 6/10/97

Once regarded as the best player of a generation 1997 that includes the likes of Dragan Bender and Korkmaz, "Svi" was one of the main attractions of this day 1 in Treviso. Many scouts who fell in love with him 2 years ago, were anxious to see him back playing in Europe after two disappointing years at Kansas. Unfortunately the Svi we saw today still doesn’t resemble the guy who dominted the U16 in Kiev, and surprised everybody at the Hoops Summit in 2014.

In his game vs the All-Star team he shot a mediocre 8/21 from the field , 3/9 on 3s and 5 TOs. He seems to have lost his craftiness and some explosiveness, both probably due to his new stronger and bigger body. The biggest difference now between the old and new Svi is probably in his confidence, he used to play with a crazy swag, making plays, always in the attack mode, today he got picked at half court bringing the ball up. He was forcing the issue too much, maybe because he is eager to prove to scouts of the talent he has, but too many bad decisions lead to 5 TO and many bad shots including a 3 pointer airball. Still very young and a promising prospect, he can certainly be very good, but today he didn’t look like the young phenom we saw in Kiev and Portland over two years ago. He still has a chance to fulfill his potential but he needs to turn the momentum back in his favor between this summer and next April.

Vanja Marinkovic 6-6 PG/SG Partizan Belgrade / Serbia 1997

Not really under the radar anymore Marinkovic was quietly one of the best players of day 1. Though his shot lost a little of smoothness, he still has a great footwork and a good mechanics and showed he is at least one of the three best shooter in the camp. With his nice 6’6 frame he was very solid today scoring 11 points and showing poise and a much improved game on prolls and with his decision making that lead to 3 assists. What was more of a surprise was the toughness on the defending end, on the ball and on the glass getting 5 rebounds, trying to deny passes and putting pressure on the ball, all aspects that really helps his cause in the big picture.

There is certainly a part of his game about finishes around the rim, reads still untapped but the mental progress made in the last two years are there to be seen. Still a little too slow for the NBA standards, but the size and skillset are definitely of interest.

David Michineau 6-3 PG Chalon / France 1994

The French point guard has been one of the more impressive prospects in camp. He has excellent size for a PG and solid athleticism as well. He played in two games and while his numbers were ordinary, he stood out as one of the few kids in camp with a shot, due to near NBA level athleticism. Michineau is a bit erratic with his handle and also an inconsistent shooter. He does show some natural passing ability and is also a very explosive leaper. Michineau probably isn’t a draft pick, but he’s risen up to the top handful of guys in a very weak 1994 class, by default.

By Davide Bortoluzzi

Kenan Karahodzic (’96, 6-10, PF, Serbia, Unicaja Malaga)

The Serbian PF was without any doubt one of the top performers of Day 1, showing impressive mobility, energy and versatility considering his size and age. He was the top scorer of the first game (the only one with double digits) having 13 points, combined with some solid some rebounding. In the second game he struggled a little bit with his shot – showing lack of consistency especially outside the painted area – but he was definitely an active contributor in the victory for the All-Star team over the Ukraine U20 national team. He’s definitely not a top notch talent, but he’s  polished and able to put a good contribution in a lot of aspects of the game, showing range, rebounding instincts and solid handle for his size.

Vlatko Cancar (’97, 6-9, SF, Slovenia, Union Olimpija)

Cancar came to Eurocamp after a solid ABA league season with Olimpija, playing consistent minutes and responsibilities. His evolution into a SF is almost complete, since he’s already confident with his shot and handle. He’s not the kind of player you’ll see slashing at the rim, but he’s really smooth, with solid shooting skills, combined with a good size for the position. During the afternoon games he showed the ability to create his own shot from the dribble, with fade away jumpers or the use of fakes to create the space. He struggled a little with efficency in the second game against Ukraine, but he definitely confirmed to be a name to track in the following season.