Toronto Raptor land Jonas Valanciunas; Washington Wizard’s rope in Jan Vesely -NBA Draft 2011 Part 3
No. 5 - Toronto Raptors
Jonas Valanciunas
Good pick by the Toronto Raptors. A very good pick indeed. The Raps were decimated last summer when Chris Bosh left for South Beach in the free agency. The team however is looking to bounce back quickly. They have some good players around and now they have drafted the best player available from Europe.
Jonas Valanciunas is quite a talent. At 7-foot, he has the size required to be a dominant centre in the league. The player has a game that could see him become premier centre in the NBA. He has a nice touch, good inside scoring, reads the game well and is very efficient in pick and rolls.
He is also a good competitor and doesn’t mind some physicality, something most Europeans have an issue with, although he could do well to bulk up a little. He’s a good rebounder, but needs some work on his defensive game.
The player is more than ready for the NBA and at 19 years old he has plenty of time and room to develop further. If he does that he will be a terrific centre for years to come.
The Raptors can be very happy with him although Jonas might not come over straight away. He has a pending contract and buying out of it, with the NBA seemingly heading towards a lockout next season, seems pretty mundane.
No. 6 - Washington Wizards
Jan Vesely
Another European. Another big guy. Jan Vesely hails for the Czech Republic and is supposed to be something of a beast. The man stands 6-foot-11 and has an all round game that could go a long way in the NBA.
The player could have declared for the Draft last year, but decided to stay home for another year. He has used that time to good effect as his game seems to have developed further and the Wizards are taking a very good player indeed.
He is good at shooting, needs a little work from 3-point territory but still very good for a 6 ft11in guy who is also a good defender. What stands out the most is Jan’s amazing athleticism. The player has become famous for his extravagant dunks, his running on breaks and his amazing leap.
It is this athleticism that will prove very handy in a league that is much quicker than anything in Europe. It also allows Jan to play small and power forward positions and could lead to the Washington Wizards exploiting his versatility to gain an advantage over a lot of the NBA sides.
Vesely’s combination of size and speed isn’t found too often. He looks certain to become a key player for the Wizards.
Link for Part-1: http://www.senore.com/No-Surprises-at-the-top-of-NBA-Draft-Kyrie-Irving-goes-to-Cleveland-Cavaliers-NBA-Update-Part-1-a77703
Link for Part-2: http://www.senore.com/Enes-Kanter-goes-to-Utah-Jazz,-Cleveland-Cavaliers-spring-a-surprise-at-No-4-NBA-Draft-2011-Part-2-a77717
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