Aleksandar Vezenkov is a name that was set to be a late first round/early second rounder on draft boards in 2015 but the 20 year old Bulgarian forward pulled out in June before agreeing to sign with FCB Barcelona in July on a four year deal. Despite this deal we’ll likely see more talk surrounding him in the run up to the 2016 draft.
Standing at 6’9” Alexsandar Vezenkov attracted some attention last season after putting up consistent numbers for Aris Thessaloniki in the Greek league, including a 29 point, 15 rebound performance against PAOK as well as receiving hype in international under age competitions for Bulgaria as he progressed through the age groups.
His situation could be likened to that of Mario Hezonja whose footsteps he could end up following in if and when he makes the jump to the NBA despite their different positions. Both have had to battle for minutes at Barcelona, and in Vezenkov’s case it was definitely an interesting move as although he’s seeing less minutes he’s getting the opportunity to play at a higher level of basketball in Spain and the Euroleague than he he did in Greece.
Offensive Threat
His attacking game can be great being a threat in the paint, from mid range or from beyond the arc. The highlights from last season’s 29 point game showcase that it wasn’t against fantastic competition but nonetheless display his offensive versatility.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_jYDtCk2KHU
The highlight of his season this year so far was a 15 point game against Polish side Zielona Gora in the Euroleague two weeks ago. Vezenkov shot a remarkable 100 percent in the game, making one two pointer, three 3-pointers, and four free throws. That together with a couple of rebounds, two assists and a steal in about 21 minutes of play was very impressive even if against struggling opposition.
On the flip side, defensively he’s quite raw and needs to improve quite a lot. Given Xavi Pascual’s (Barcelona’s head coach) defensive mindset, without significant improvement on this front Vezenkov is unlikely to receive more consistent minutes. Thus far in the season unless he begins to have impact offensively in his first few minutes on the floor he doesn’t last long.
There are also concerns over his size as an NBA power forward as his lateral speed or lack-there-of would likely rule him out as a small forward. But with an improved defensive mindset and work on both technique and the mental aspect of defence there’s no reason why Vezenkov couldn’t be serviceable enough in defence to justify his place on the court to allow his offence to flourish.
Potential
For Vezenkov himself it’s about developing his potential versus what the perception of his potential ceiling is over the next couple of seasons before declaring for the draft. Declare too early or too late and he goes in the second round as opposed to the first and not receiving a coveted guaranteed contract. And as his impressive stats from his years in Greece have disappeared for the moment in Spain it’s tough and probably too early to say if that’s harmed his draft stock, as even without the numbers the pay off from the experience of playing in Barcelona should be more valuable than what could have been qualified as good numbers on a bad team.
Speaking with Vezenkov earlier in the season he seems very aware of his situation on a team like Barcelona where minutes can be tough to come by for younger players and kept things simple by saying “I’m waiting for my moment to show what I can do.”
Aside from opting out of the 2015 draft Vezenkov had also committed to play in Xavier University in 2013 but decided to remain in Europe instead so isn’t afraid of hedging his bets and waiting until the last moment with these decisions. Whilst he almost certainly won’t be a top European draft prospect this summer, at least not without a consistent break out streak, teams would be foolish to pass on him in the late first or second round as a draft and stash type, letting him play out some more of his time in Barcelona before bringing him over – should he declare for the draft this year.
Elsewhere in Europe:
A highlight from this weekend past is a beautiful behind the back no look assist from Ousmane Drame of Joventut Badalona, Ricky Rubio’s old club. Fans of college hoops in the US might recognise Drame as he played the previous four years in the NCAA for Quuinipiac University in Conneticut.
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