He had amazing games in euroleague this season : at Montepaschi Siena 26pts 6/9fg 4/7 3Pfg 2/4ft 9reb 1bl 29rkg at GS Medical Park 22pts 4/6fg 3/6 3Pfg 5/10ft 10reb 4bl 30rkg vs Union Olimpija 11pts 18oreb(All time Euroleague record!) 21reb 23rkg <iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/stJLAzWddVs" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
Looking good, and those are some nice stats. Another clip that shows his "poster" dunk over somebody else also stated that he hit the game winner in that game. I want to see this guy in a Rockets uniform to see what he can do.
He has elite length and good moves and a great touch around the basket, but I have serious concerns about whether he is strong enough to ball against NBA power forwards. Can he rebound, can he establish post position, can he defend against some of the strong 4s we have in the game today? He looks awfully skinny and his rebounding rate in Euroleague this year was not amazing for a 7-foot power forward. I am also concerned that he is taking almost 5 three-pointers a game and he's hitting at only a 30% rate. It's really dragging down his scoring efficiency. If he was hitting that shot a little more often I would feel better about his ability to make a big NBA impact despite his slim stature and mediocre rebounding (See also: Nowitzki, Dirk).
I think people were questioning his attitude and motivation to improve. Talent-wise, he's up there with the lotto picks though.
Decent set shot, but he plays very small... I think Scola jumps higher than Donatas..... 7ft and he's finishing with lay-ups time and time again....
He has the skills, solid jumper, good post moves, quick release. Wonder if being a lefty 7 footer will help? I also like how quick his release is on his jumper.
I like how nimble he is for his size, but my concern is his strength, which he'll have to improve if he wants to not get pushed around in the post. He does seem to have some douchebaggery, which I'm not particularly fond of generally, but it might help him if it gives him a bit of a mean streak in the NBA.
he was a projected lotto pick 2 years ago but stayed back to develop - he was skinnier then but has bulked up considerably and added to his talent since, but i guess there is always this thing when a player is projected that high and pulls out of the draft its always something bad so he falls. in addition the "older" a player gets the less potential he has as well - now donatas has plenty of potential in him to be a really really good nba player but a few seasons in europe and scouts got to see more and he didnt develop as quickly and with what happened with Darko his stock fell but he was still a good player and young and big with a lot of skill. Big guys take longer to develop but in an NBA and a society that wants instant results sometimes a franchise isnt willing to wait. some of his knocks which he still had up until the draft he has seriously worked on since. he has gotten stronger - some can still say he is a twig but I am not worried about that he'll bulk up in the NBA i mean look at Yao as a Rookie and the last full season he played its night and day his body. and other things like his post game and rebounding has gotten a lot better recently. to me adding all that up means that the Rockets may have been able to snag a very good player pretty low in the first round - I do think other teams at that price (pick 21?) would have definitely drafted him. He has lottery potential still just needed to develop a lot more. We're lucky to be able to get him - he can still be a bust in the NBA but considering what he can be its well worth the risk at that low of a pick. If he was the #4 pick and was a bust or even a top 10 it would be a lot more damaging to a franchise.
As long as he does not get Boris Diaw STRONG I am not too worried. I mean the last Euro 7 footer that I can remember who was called a bust was as you mentioned Darko.... but he has been serviceable as of late. There is just a chance he develops as good as advertised two or three years ago.
Do we have to wait for 2 years to get him or after the euro league season is done on march he can play for the rockets?