VITALS: 6-4, 195 Honka (Finland) OVERVIEW: Koponen played with Honka in Finland for the past three seasons, leading it to the Finnish League championship in 2006-07. He also has some experience with the Finnish National Team, averaging 12.6 points, 3.4 rebounds and 3.4 assists at the 2006 U20 European Championships in Portugal. LIKELY DRAFT POSITION: Very late first-round or very early second-round pick. COMPARATIVE UPSIDE: Steve Blake COMPARATIVE DOWNSIDE: Bryce Drew ROLE PROJECTION: Backup point guard. POSITIVES: Koponen impressed NBA scouts when he seamlessly led the group of young international stars at the Nike Hoop Summit. He got the team into its offense, made sure players were in the right spots and made simple passes without turning the ball over. Despite his youth, he played with poise beyond his years against very quick American point guards. As Koponen made the workout circuit, he strengthened his case with good perimeter shooting. SHORTCOMINGS: Koponen is young and he hasn't yet played against the top-level competition in Europe. He has shown poise handling the ball against his peers (college-age players), but he has yet to play against NBA point guards who will test him at every turn. He has no more than adequate lateral speed, and this too will be tested immediately. It's a big adjustment from playing against lower-level European competition to being thrown into the fire in the NBA.
