Day one of adidas Eurocamp is in the books, and while several of the players showed flashes of ability throughout the opening session, the best player on the floor was Tomas Satoransky. The 6’7″ combo guard from the Czech Republic was consistent in his brilliance throughout the day, and showed off his excellent overall court vision and feel for the game in a variety of ways.
Satoransky ran the point and played off the ball equally well, and whipped the ball around the perimeter with confidence, always looking to create the best shot for his teammates. When it was his turn to score, he showcased a smooth stroke from the outside, and was able to put the ball on the floor and finish in traffic, as well. Satoransky is projected as a mid-second round pick, but that could change quickly if he continues to perform as he did on the camp’s first day.
Evan Fournier, who is the only international player projected to go in the first round of this year’s draft, did not participate in drills or any of the scrimmage games. Instead, he held a private workout in the afternoon, and looked great shooting the ball, finishing his session by draining five straight three-pointers from a good five feet beyond the NBA arc. When he was finished, Rockets director of scouting and camp director Arturas Karnisovas said with a smile, “OK, everyone. Show’s over.”
Fournier is expected to participate with the rest of the players in all activities on Monday.
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Jet lag may have been a factor for some of the team executives that made it into town from the states less than 24 hours before the start of Sundays morning’s camp opening, but there was no lag at all in the early session from any of the players. By all accounts, the energy level to start things off was better than expected, especially on the defensive end of the floor, where guys were hustling, fighting through screens, and denying the ball at every turn as the first drills of the day took place. Minnesota Timberwolves assistant coach Bill Bayno, who is the camp’s coaching director and the one running the show, was pleased with the effort.
“The defense is ahead of the offense, which is good,” Bayno said, addressing the camp’s players at midcourt after the first workout, before offering some teaching advice. “How do we counteract that? We get that ball moving.”
Bayno then reminded the players that the scouts and front office personnel in attendance are looking not just for offensive or defensive skills, but for the whole package — including coachability, how players interact with their teammates, and most importantly, the ability to pay attention to the little things.
“It’s not just about scoring points,” he said. “Find the open man and play the right way.”
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Nihad Djedovic plays aggressively at both ends of the floor, and isn’t afraid to mix it up with the bigs inside. The term “fearless” is a good one to describe his style of play, though he took it to multiple defenders with no real plan on more than one occasion, perhaps trying to draw some contact, but with better options open at the time. His talent is evident, however he’s a little out of control at times, and would benefit by slowing his game down just a bit until things start to click for him more consistently.
Here’s an example of Djedovic’s aggressiveness — On one possession, he tried a veteran hold from behind on a center trying to get up for a rebound, and on another, while defending the ball handler who was trying to drive baseline, he tried a two-handed push when the two were in close to try to keep the point guard from getting to the paint. Neither play went unnoticed by the officials, however, as Djedovic was whistled for fouls on each — perhaps due to the not-so-subtle, extra-fuzzy mohawk that sits atop his head.
Djedovic is currently projected as a possible late-second-round pick.
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The last game of Day One featured a Eurocamp All-Star squad facing off against a U20 team from Russia, and it was by far the most competitive brand of basketball of the day. The speed and aggressiveness on both ends of the court from both teams made for an exciting game, and one that was low-scoring to begin. Eventually, however, the All-Star squad began to execute and pulled away for a 70-45 win, in large part thanks to the stellar play of Satoransky.
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Some final tidbits from Day One:
– Big man Jonas Bergstedt (Denmark) got off to a slow start in early morning drills, needing some extra coaching on defensive rotations and looking a little out of sorts offensively. Apparently he just needed to warm up, because as the day progressed, he began to look like a legitimate NBA big, who could both hold his own on the low block, as well as get out in transition once a rebound is secured.
– Andrew Albicy (France) displayed excellent speed and quickness from the point guard position, along with a good handle and an above-average basketball IQ. He was able to get into the lane multiple times, and then kick it out to the open man while still in traffic, often while surrounded by multiple defenders. He’s strong, but at a listed height of just 5’10”, he’s going to have to improve his skill set even more to compensate for the lack of size if he wants to play at the NBA level.
– Olek Czyz (Poland) went hard to the rack every time he had the ball, and was able to absorb contact while scoring inside. And when the defenders were nowhere in sight, he took it strong down the lane and dunked the ball with two hands. The 6’7″, 200-pound wing looks to have a physical and promising offensive skill set.
– Overall European style observation: Defenses seem to be told to prevent the fast break at all times, if at all possible, and at any cost. Just about every time a team looked to get out in transition and showed any numbers advantage in the backcourt, a defender would reach in and commit a foul to stop the play. This philosophy seemed to be so ingrained to most players that one even committed a clear path foul in this situation during a game, just for the sake of stopping a three-on-one break before it could get started.
– Danilo Gallinari is scheduled to speak to players at the camp on Day Three, but arrived on Sunday and got in a late afternoon private workout with Nuggets assistant coach Melvin Hunt. It went pretty much as you’d imagine, with Gallo draining threes effortlessly from every spot around the arc.
