<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post"> NBA Draft.net Playmaker close to two meters, Sasha is one of those players who leaves your mouth open with his fantastic plays. Handles the ball very adeptly. He's ambidexterous with the dribble and pass, and excells driving to the basket with both hands. Has instincts for the basket, drive and dish, He is a master in making clutch shots and has range. Above all he is a player who plays fearlessly. He still must learn the art of playmaking but he has innate leadership skills. He loves to get teammates involved. He has a great attitude and does not have a tendency to hold onto the ball too much. He must improve his outside accuracy, which will require hours of practice, but the makings are there. Not an explosive player. On defense he knows how to defend one-on-one and put pressure on the ball but suffers from lack of physical strength especially on the blocks. He's a special player. Strengths: Ball handling, creativity, penetration. Drawbacks: Physical strength, shooting from outside, experience. Overall: A top prospect in Italy and one of the more interesting of Europe. </div> <div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post"> hoopshype Strengths: Good playmaking and ballhandling skills... Excellent feel for the game... Very good size for his position. Weaknesses: Not a good shooter... Too skinny. </div> <div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post"> DraftCity Strengths: Vujacic is combo guard, capable of filling both guard positions, with very good size, nice athleticism and solid fundamentals. He's a very good shooter, with definite three point range, great mechanics that will allow him to make significant improvements, and a very quick release. He can receive the ball and shoot it in the blink of an eye. Watching him you can see that he has what it takes to be deadly shooter in the NBA. Vujacic has good handles with both hands, especially with his right. He is very interesting in the sense that he likes to constantly change his dribbling hand in transition. Sasha can beat his opponent and penetrate easily thanks to his dribbling, a nice first step, and his big long strides. He knows how to drive in traffic and finish the play or feed a teammate. Vujacic has some serious passing skills. He sees the court really well and usually moves the ball very effectively. A good one on one defender, Vujacic is rather quick in his lateral defensive moves for a player his size. He can be aggressive sometimes in his defensive positioning: moving, faking, using his hands to "attack" his opponent and make him feel uncomfortable. To add to that, he's got decent hands which will get him lots of steals in the league. He plays with passion and aggressiveness. Every time he gets has ball, he looks to do something positive. Weaknesses: The first problem you face considering Vujacic's game is that he's not a pure point guard. He's not used to running the team's offense, setting the rhythm of the game and directing his teammates. He has the skills to become a good distributor, but right now he's not. Anyway, he might end up playing as a shooting guard. His court vision is quite nice, but he isn't a heavy game creator, at least not from the perimeter area. To be more precise, I think he could be quite a good ball distributor, but when he gets the ball, the rim is the first thing he looks at. The main way he creates right now is by going for the penetration and once he has his man beat, to finish himself or look for the open man. Right now he's more of a scorer than a ball distributor, partially because he's playing as a shooting guard in Italy, but also because of the nature of his game. Also, Vujacic isn't getting the experience at the point that he needs in Italy so it will be up to his NBA to help him learn on the job, mainly from an experience stand point. Sometimes you'll see him abuse his dribbling, looking for the penetration, but that's not a usual pattern. He's still very young and having a pretty big share of the ball while playing, so he sometimes makes mistakes like that. His defense is not a major concern, but Vujacic might have some problems against smaller and quicker point guards, although I don't think it will be a serious liability for him in the League. He's also a bit passive regarding help defensive for his teammates. Sometimes he'll look first for the steal from his teammate's match-up rather than focusing on rotating and stopping him. As good as his shooting mechanics are, right now his jumper is still not consistent. He needs to work more on it. Besides, his shot selection could be better, as he tends to sometimes force his shot under pressure. At a little under 200 pounds last year he's still a bit skinny, Sasha needs to add some pounds in the NBA, especially if he ends up playing as a shooting guard. Problem is he lacks explosiveness to be a starting two-guard. Rebounding could stand to improve, has a 6-6 wingspan which is pretty average for an NBA point guard. Competition: Vujacic signed with Udine in 2000, when he was just 16 years old. He made his debut in the Serie A, the first division of the Italian League, in 2001, and since then he has become an important player. This season he's competing for being his team's scoring leader despite coming off the bench. During the summer of 2002, Vujacic reached the final of the European Junior Championships with Slovenia, playing a key role in that team. Vujacic was invited to the adult Slovenian national team last summer for the Eurobasket competition in Sweden, but he turned down the offer and instead opted to come to the US and play at the Chicago pre-draft camp at Moody Bible. He was the only European prospect to participate along with Alexander Djuric from Austria and from all accounts he more then held his own, although not enough to receive a first round guarantee, which is why he decided to pull out his name and wait another year. He had an impressive showing though, and scouts will certainly remember his name this year. Comments: Sasha is an intriguing prospect with his height and abilities. Not being a pure point can be a problem, but not having pure playmaking skills hasn't stopped a lot of players from getting the job done in the NBA, and I've got the feeling Vujacic will find his place, as he has the talent and plays with a lot of heart. Best Case Scenario: Marko Jaric, Brent Barry Worst Case Scenario: Jeryl Sasser, Antonio Daniels </div> <div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post"> NBA Draft Report Strengths: A true pass-first point guard, great timing on his pass good mid-range jumper, has a great stroke great vision great size helps him move the ball easier Weaknesses: Doesnt have a long range shot, wont hit outside 17-18 feet size is sometimes a problem because he is often beat by smaller and quicker guards doesnt have great speed or the quickness most guards have, and because of that, wont beat anyone off the dribble doesnt handle the ball like a point guard is really more of a point guard because of his passing abilities more than anything else </div> <div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post"> NBA.com Strengths: Combo guard whos drawn comparisons to Brent Barry. According to scouting reports, hes an unselfish player with good shooting and passing skills. Still learning the point guard position but is said to have lead guard instincts. Weaknesses: (not listed) </div> <div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post"> Baller Hype Positives: Great height and size to play the point. Excellent ball handling ability and passing ability for a guy his size. Is developing a very consistent jump shot. Great free throw shooter that knows how to penetrate and get to the line. Excellent on the fast break and in the open court. Unselfish player that is always looking for open teammates. Possesses decent speed and quickness for a player his size. Mediocre defensive player. Good feel for the game and has a good enough basketball IQ to play the point in the NBA. Negatives: Even though he can play the point, he still needs to refine his point guard skills in to even be considered a good point guard. He needs to improve his ball handling, court vision, and passing ability. He definitely has he potential to play the point, but shooting guard looks like the position he is most comfortable playing. Desperately needs more seasoning at playing the point guard. If he has to play the shooting guard position he will be overmatched physically and athletically. Still needs to gain weight and some more muscle to fill out his frame. Gaining strength isn't his biggest priority, but would definitely be a good addition to his game. NBA Comparions Optimistic: Marko Jaric Pessimistic: Zoran Planinic </div> http://forums.lakersground.net/viewtopic.p...5110&forum=1&22
<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post"> Sports Network Vujacic grew up in Slovenia and was a member of the Polzela youth teams, making his debut with the squad in 1999-00...Made the move to Italy for the 2000-01 season and signed with Amatori Udine, but made little impact with the team when he appeared in 24 games and averaged just over a point per contest...Picked up the pace and his play the following season, averaging 11.1 ppg and shooting a remarkable 58.9 percent from the floor for a player at his position...Vujacic handles the ball extremely well and moves to the rim without fear, always looking to pass the ball off to teammates for better shots...Vujacic was a member of the Slovenian Junior National Team...Awarded the silver medal at the 2002 European Junior Championship. </div> <div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post"> CBS Sportsline Versatile guard impressed scouts with performance at pre-draft camp in Chicago last year, but ultimately decided to return to Europe and improve his skills. Averaged 15.4 points, 2.5 steals and 2.4 assists per game in 2003-04. Has point guard skills, including excellent court vision, but played most of his minutes at shooting guard last season. Fearless player with leadership ability who looks to get teammates involved. A strong ball-handler, he thrives on driving to the basket. Has improved his outside shooting. Needs to get stronger, and lack of quickness could be a problem in the NBA. Aggressive man-to-man defender. Many scouts feel he's a lock to be taken in the first round. - AP </div> <div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post"> Cavaliers Draft Central The Slovenian combo guard has drawn rave reviews as an unselfish player with great passing skills and a deadly outside shot like his idol, the late Drazen Petrovic. </div> <div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post"> WOAI San Antonio Sports Vujacic is a big point guard with a nice shooting stroke. He has been compared favorably to Brent Barry and could step right in fill multiple roles for the Spurs. With his size, he could also moonlight at the shooting guard position, however most scouts believe he?ll make his living as a point guard. He is expected to be chosen towards the end of the first round. If he?s available, Vujacic is a player the Spurs will surely consider. </div> <div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post"> Northwest Herald Slovenian point guard Sasha Vujacic made the biggest impression Wednesday at Hoops the Gym, although he is not much of a consideration for the Bulls. The 6-foot-7 Vujacic showed "an impressive ability to handle the ball and run the floor," Paxson said. "He's an intriguing player." </div> <div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post"> HOOPSANALYST He's 6'7" and just turned 20. He has that Euro mystique, but there?s little in his numbers to suggest he?s anything special. That said, he's 6'7", young and athletic. A mix that's hard for GMs to pass on. </div> <div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post"> Summer Pro League Combo guard that reminds scouts of Seattle's Brent Barry. Great ball handler and passer. Will most likely play point guard in the NBA. Will create mismatches because of size and speed. </div>http://forums.lakersground.net/viewtopic.p...5110&forum=1&22
Will this guy be the Future of the Lakers??? From what i've heard,he's got the tools to be a dominating player if given the chance...can't wait to see how the Kings do against him Good Pickup :thumbsup:
Can't wait to see him play. Can't believe he's not a good shooter though, but he sounds pretty promising.
Finally a Serbia-Montenegro player comes to play for the Lakers since Vlade Divac. For whatever reason, I feel like every player from that country should always and only play for the Kings, but he seems to be a good player so it's always a welcome in Holywood.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting Bez Koske:</div><div class="quote_post">^No, he's from Slovenia.</div> yeah but his parents are serb, but he was born and raised in slovenia
All I care about for this guy is hopefully he can be a solid contributor to our bench and not only play decent defense, but consistently make an outside jumpshot. This is what the Lakers have lacked for years. No strength in the bench whatsoever. I can't pronounce the man's last name, but if he sets the table early and does everything Rudy T tells him to do, then he'll definitely be my fan favorite. Welcome to LakerLand Sasha!!
Hopefully he'll be playing in the Long Beach Summer Pro League. If he does, I'll give you guys an inside scoop. I had a hard time saying his name at first but the more I said it, the more I like it. I could just see it on SportsCenter..."Kobe shakes up LeBron, drives hard, kicks it out to his teammate for the three...VOOYAH!!!!"
Sounds like he could be a good player for the Laker organization. I'll be looking forward to seeing him play next year.
