TREVISO, Italy — Day two of adidas Eurocamp was light in terms of the actual games, with the morning session being reserved for drills and scrimmages, along with guest speaking spots from Ricky Rubio and Vlade Divac.
The showcase game of the day came in the late afternoon, when an All-Star team of international players took on the USA Select team of under-18 players, which features guys still two-to-three years away from being NBA draft eligible.
As you might imagine, the contest developed into a blowout fairly early on, and when you consider you had established professionals playing against high school kids, the 119-85 victory posted by the All-Stars shouldn’t come as much of a surprise.
But these games are more about the talents of the individual players and their abilities to perform and make decisions in a competitive setting, as well as whether or not those skills are at a high enough level to be considered NBA relevant.
Some notes from the second day of action:
– Vasilije Micic was more impressive on Sunday, and showed some of what scouts had seen of him that would make them believe he’d be a viable second round pick in this year’s draft. He lacks any kind of discernible speed, either in the open court or in half-court sets. But his decisions are usually the right ones, and he showed a consistent ability to find teammates for easy buckets in transition or on the secondary break.
Micic piled up 10 assists in just 25 minutes, and scored 14 points while hitting four of his six attempts from three-point distance. The highlight of the game for him was a drive to the basket where he used a Rondo-esque ball fake to lose a defender, before flipping a pass along the baseline to a cutting teammate for an easy two points.
– Thon Maker was the most impressive player from the USA team on day one, and his teammate Jaylen Brown took that crown in the second day’s action. A 6’7″ wing who can create his own shot, Brown had several impressive moments that showcased an above-average athleticism and ability to consistently make shots.
Brown pushes off at times to gain separation off the dribble, which is something he’ll need to eliminate from his game as time goes on. He has the speed to do so, and showed some incredible leaping ability on two occasions — once coming from behind to get a block in transition that the referees mistakenly ruled a foul, and then trying for an adventurous annihilation of an opponent on a baseline dunk attempt that had no chance of going down.
It was a very solid outing for Brown, who finished with a team-high 21 points and six rebounds in 27 minutes.
– While Maker was impressive during the first day of action, he showed more flaws than strengths on day two. He was out of position for rebounds more often than not, and was unable to finish through contact on multiple occasions. He did show good footwork and an ability to defend on the perimeter when he got the switch on the ball-handler, and showed a small flash of that Kevin Durant comparison he’s gotten on a dribble-spin move against a defender that resulted in two points inside.
Maker finished with 17 points, but most came on jumpers — a strength to be sure, but for someone his size (7’0″) he really needs to work on being more comfortable around the basket.
– Nemanja Dangubic was the leading scorer for the international All-Stars, and looked really strong in getting all of his 23 points. He showcased a vertical leap that was obviously the best on the floor, and showed an agility and quickness that seemed to be better than his 6’9″ frame would allow. The 21-year old from Serbia helped his chances, even against the weak competition, and could easily become a late second round pick in this year’s draft.
adidas Eurocamp 2014 – Box Score – All Star – Team USA Day 2
