With the NBA Draft scant hours away, HoopsHabit.com continues its previews with a look at some of the top prospects, including:
SG/SF Sergey Karasev, Russia, 6’7”, 197 lbs
2012-13 stats: 15.4 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 1.9 apg, 0.9 spg, 48% FG, 30.4% 3-pt, 87.9% FT
The Skinny
Sergey Karasev is a 19-year-old Russian prospect who played for BC Triumph of the VTB United League, a premier Eastern European circuit, last season. He averaged more than 15 points a game for Triumph, which lost in the first round of the league playoffs, during which he scored only 15 points total in a two-game sweep.
Strengths
Karasev is a smooth-shooting left-hander who knows how to put the ball in the basket. He has a quick release and needs very little room to get off his shot and can stretch the floor well. He combines that shooting ability with great court vision and awareness and he’s a willing passer. Can create his own shot and shows good versatility and despite his size, he’s willing to bang on the glass.
Weaknesses
He needs to put on some more bulk to survive the rigors of the NBA and he can be bothered by defenders who have greater length and athleticism. He’s only an average athletic talent and lacks great lateral speed, which could make him a defensive liability, particularly in isolation sets. He may particularly have trouble guarding 2s at the NBA level. He hangs on the perimeter too much at times and can fall in love with the 3-point shot, even when it’s not falling for him.
Here’s some video of Karasev at the Nike Hoop Summit, where he emerged as a legitimate prospect:
Potential Landing Spots
The draft experts are seriously divided on Karasev. ESPN.com’s Chad Ford has Karasev going No. 13 overall, while other mock drafts don’t have Karasev coming off the board until early in the second round. Karasev is likely to land anywhere from the middle of the first round, at the fringe of the lottery, to the early part of the second round. Karasev did earn an invitation to the green room, so someone thinks he’s at least a top-20 prospect.
Teams That Make Sense
Dallas Mavericks: Karasev would give them a young chip to build around, but it’s likely they would not have to rush Karasev into the rotation right away—a good thing, since he’s going to need time to develop both physically and culturally in the NBA.
Cleveland Cavaliers: The Cavs are said to be very high on Karasev—high enough they might ponder moving up from their 19th overall pick to get him if necessary. He’d be a nice role player with an emerging group of young talent.
