Brooklyn Nets: 5 options for pick No. 27 in 2017 NBA Draft
1. Rodions Kurucs, SF, Latvia || 19 y.o. || 6-8, 190 lbs.
Splitting time between FC Barcelona II and FC Barcelona Lassa, Rodions Kurucs combined for 25 games this past season on averages of 9.1 points, 2.6 rebounds, 1.3 assists, 0.7 steals and 0.7 blocks in 20.5 minutes per game. He shot 43.5 percent from the field, 31.6 percent from behind the arc and 79.6 percent from the charity stripe.
Danny Chau of The Ringer has the Brooklyn Nets drafting and stashing Kurucs, saying that Kurucs could possibly “exceed expectations as a high-IQ playmaking wing/forward” later down the road.
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Furthermore, Moke Hamilton of Basketball Insiders stated that the Nets are apparently “sold” on Kurucs. Christian Milcos of Nothin’ But Nets also wrote a comprehensive article explaining why Kurucs is “an ideal Brooklyn Net.”
While I’m not particularly high on Kurucs, there’s really no wonder why he’s held in such high regard by a wide range of basketball analysts: He’s an athletic, prototypical wingman with a high basketball I.Q. that could prove to be a high-risk, high-reward player in the near future.
The Nets should be wary, though. Kurucs has already suffered a couple of notable injuries, earning him a reputation as being injury-prone. In a way, Kurucs reminds me of former Golden State Warriors guard Nemanja Nedovic out of Serbia, dubbed “The European Derrick Rose” because of his amazing athletic ability. Unfortunately, Nedovic also displayed the negative aspects of Rose’s career, failing to remain healthy enough to compete in the NBA.
In addition, not really all that much is known about the international product, who hasn’t really showed flashes of stardom throughout his young career playing in Europe. The Nets could be putting themselves in a “Darko Milicic is the next Dirk Nowitzki” situation with Kurucs.
Next: 2017 NBA Mock Draft: Post-Lottery edition
Nevertheless, I can’t deny that Kurucs would be a perfect fit in Brooklyn’s culture.