KAREV DODEN, 6-7, 190 SG-SF 1986 --Blessed with long arms, great leaping ability and a knack for anticipating where the ball is going to land and having the hands to snatch them at all times, Doden is a very special player who seemingly has that sixth sense in anticipating plays and knowing how to stop them. He's not yet on the level of Andrei Kirilenko, but he always gets many steals per game simply by his "sense". Being so young as well, he also plays defense well without fouling--he knows how to snag dribbles and play nice pressure defense as well with his anticipation and arms. Another aspect about Doden is his remarkable consistency; he's not yet an elite level scorer, but he has rapidly improved the past few years and always will produce roughly 10-16 points per game for his team off of mid-range jumpshots and general shots around the basket. His defensive awareness and court awareness are generally sound, and he plays a cohesive team game. His playmaking and ballhandling abilities are not there yet, as is his weight, offensive game and jumpshot, but that should improve over time. He will be very coachable in the NBA because of that, and his NBA potential skyrockets when that is put alongside his court ability and natural physical attributes.

 

TALAKI SHOREI  6-11 238 PF-C 1985--Shorei is a very burly, although not bulky, big man who possesses a nice outside shot and general perimeter skills. He can hit the open jumpshot and play the pick-and-roll game to free himself up for an open J. He shoots with consistency especially when he is wide open, but most of all, he knows how to get himself wide open and frees himself up for good looks so he can score points regularly. His knack for scoring and his ability to get into a position to do so in the perimeter is a good attribute for the NBA. His post game is pretty refined as well, with low post moves such as a hook shot and miniature drop step, albeit against weaker competition which raises questions whether he can duplicate that success against the athletic NBA bigs. His rebounding leaves a bit to be desired, however, and he is certainly slow-footed. On offense he's simply a spot-up big but against Russian competition his varied offensive game already makes him so dominant. Nonetheless, though, he does possess a solid cut build for the NBA, even if he has below average potential.

 

DMITRI VANDERVALLIS  6-1 163  PG  1984--Vandervallis is an extremely prolific scorer who seems to make every shot he throws up off the dribble. Occasionally he gets a little obsessed with his created shot, but his ballhandling skills in creating his offense are already better than that of most players in the NBA and he does it so effortlessly, even if the results are not there as he can be a little streaky at times. Vandervallis is first and foremost a scorer, but unlike most volume scorers you'd hear from some players, he is also an above average shooter as well. Vandervallis has had the pleasure of burning lackadaisical defenders who have left him open without any reason, hitting three pointers and mid-range J's after a few dribbles or so, and he has the requisite speed to get to the basket or stop and pop for jumpshots. He also tries his hardest on defense although with his build it is hard to see that translate to the NBA. Vandervallis's shot selection and efficiency, however, is a bit of a concern, because even though he can shoot, he really abuses his shot-creating abilities, freezes out his teammates and rarely shows any legitimate point guard skills. To top all of that, his competition is weak and even though he averages 22 points per game which is certainly remarkable in the EuroLeague, his game is more flash above any fundamentals. He would certainly need to refine his game for the NBA, improving his defense, fundamentals, shot selection, etc., to offset his lack of athleticism, height, etc.

 

IRDAN PULARVI  6-8  170  PG-SG-SF  1984-- Pularvi is a talented and extremely versatile guard amongst the crops of Russia's guards. He rarely gets playing time playing behind two talented guards in Dmitri Vandervallis and Ivan Kandesi, but during the opportunities he plays scouts generally salivate on his potential rather than his current game. Even though he is a 1984 prospect, Pularvi has rarely received the necessary minutes to judge him accurately, but when he sees time on the floor, he displays good court vision, generally making passes out of nothing, a good panoramic view of the court, and the ability to get loose in transition. However, Pularvi is currently only a good static passer as his ballhandling skills are EXTREMELY weak which somewhat offsets his great passing ability. He does not do the drive and dish well, he cannot draw defenders towards him, etc. Pularvi's passing talents are generally most evident in transition where there is less pressure on him and everyone else. He still makes some youthful mistakes, but that is more due to his rust from not playing much above anything else. His shooting mechanics are horrible as well, and his offense is a bit predictable for defenders, and his shot is not accurate enough. Most of all, however, Pularvi lacks athleticism. He can run the court well, but against the uber athletes waiting in the NBA's wings, his lack of athleticism will certainly show and hurt him on the defensive end. Also, Pularvi is quite old already and hasn't done much, which includes having his weight stay the same for the past five years, which makes it doubtful whether he can ever put on weight. His versatility and passing is currently what is keeping scouts interested, but he has many holes in his game he needs to fix.

 

IVAN TETOREV 6-2 170 PG 1986--A very headstrong and explosive guard who is hard to stop once he gets into the lane. Simply bullies his way into the lane, and contrary to what his weight suggests, he actually has nice body tone and appropriate strength which is pretty decent for the NBA level, especially maintaining his speed in the process. Tetorev ius especially great at scoring in bunches, but what gets him going is when he attacks the basket. He has an assortment of gear changes in halfcourt sets or in transition which he utilizes to get his man hanging behind him or off balance to slash to the bucket. Once he gets hot, he starts utilizing fairly advanced ballhandling skills and off-the-dribble game, and his intensity around the court increases. However, Tetorev is increasingly streaky as he is right now. He does not show up all the time and his numbers are all over the board, and even when he has good games he normally posts bad shooting percentages or turnovers to go along with it. He needs to tone down his game and get a better coach than what he has in Daviane Koriev currently. His passing ability leaves a lot to be desired, although the drive and dish is there, and his athleticism, although pronounced in his ability to get to the basket, will only be considered average in the NBA level. To his credit though he does show a tenacity on the defensive end which can only improve from here on out, sticking with his man and utilizing decent gears and lateral quickness in the process. Like Dmitri Vandervallis, he possesses a herky-jerky offensive game, little PG skills and smallish size, but he has more athleticism, defensive potential and slashing ability. Nonetheless, he still needs a few more years in Europe.

 

ROLMAR DASIEV  6-10  257  PF  1988--Extremely well-built for his age, although little else, Dasiev possesses solid but not great athleticism, decent touch, and a somewhat refined post game which can make him intriguing for the NBA level. He's still a little too young to be thinking about the NBA, and he hasn't got much exposure, but he possesses the necessary NBA attributes that will get noticed once he makes more playing time. He's not an intimidator, however, rarely getting blocks or playing with any defensive purpose, but with good coaching that should change.

 

DMITRI KARVAK 6-9 220 PF 1986--Karvak is a fairly mobile, agile and athletic big man especially in the Russian level of competition, standing out mostly because of his combination of reflexes and intelligence which he utilizes on the defensive end. Karvak only has a 6'11" mediocre wingspan, but he has a tendency to alter shots in man-to-man defense just by his mere presence, and he swats away ill-advised shots from the weakside as well. His numbers aren't overly impressive, but it is this certain defensive aura around him (his team is much better defensively with him in the court) that makes him potentially attractive as an NBA prospect in the long run. Karvak's fundamentals are very good, he has been groomed well by his coaches especially in boxing out, sticking his arms up in the air and getting rebounds, which makes him a good rebounder especially defensively. His offensive game is limited to 10-feet but he can stick in that 10-foot jumper if left open. He is also a very humble player who can pass the ball from the high post and can even make plays helping cutters score getting to the basket. However, what is most disappointing about his game is his extreme foul trouble which generally limits his playing time to around 18-20 minutes per contest. He often shows improper defensive technique by playing too overaggressively even though he has the tools to not do so. However, with his talent, we'll hear more about Karvak in years to come.

 

MUFARV JENKEV  6-9  245 PF 1986--Another decently built big found in Russia, Jenkev possesses a better skill set than Dasiev currently, with very nice touch around the basket and the ability to get his shot off against bigger defenders. Playing in the post seems to be natural for him as he seems to know how to perceive where he is relative to the basket to get his shot off accurately even with defenders on him. His rebounding and box-outing ability is fundamental as well. The worst you can say about him is that he's simply a blue-collar big man who won't have much success in the NBA, but he's still young and with a lot to improve, and will do whatever his Coach asks of him.

 

DREI KUROKAS   6-3  177   SG  1987--The best attribute about Kurokas currently, which skyrockets his potential immediately, is his freakishly long arms and wingspan, which is listed at 6-11. He's extremely skinny but his wingspan makes up for it, and if he can make the transition to point guard, his height will as well. He often looks for the steal rather than to play defense, but he is very good at it especially against the overwhelmed junior competition. Kurokas is able to reach out one of his long arms to swipe or knock away passes before the recipient even receives it. He can change the course of the game just by the way he gets his deflections and steals, affecting the opposition's offensive scheme and generally creating havoc on the court. Unfortunately, that's all Kurokas seems to be good at right now. He's undoubtedly the first offensive option for his weak team, but he displays poor shot selection, little range or offensive refinement, and a mentality of gunning. His team is one of the worst offensive teams of all the junior leagues because of that, and his offensive game and mentality needs to be refined. He has little trust in his teammates and thus little passing skills, even though the court vision may be there. He is certainly one of the more intriguing PGs of Europe, reminiscent of Romain Sato, but he needs to improve his weaknesses before any NBA talk is brought before him.

 

IVAN KANDESI  6-0  172  PG  1984-- Not much of his gunner as Dmitri Vandervallis is, but he still possesses a preference to shoot the ball, it's just that he likes to relinquish the ball up to his more talented teammate and sacrifice his shots. Kandesi actually runs the offense well based on the playbook, getting his teammates the necessary touches, although lately that has been reverting to just passing the ball to Vandervallis, who is mostly the "hot" player on the team. Kandesi can pass off the dribble and get to the basket and draw double teams as well, making the extra pass for the easy shot. He has range on his shot, decent shooting mechanics, and the ability to slash and keep defenders honest by making his shots. He has a very nice passing and shooting game--but none of which are NBA-caliber enough to receive consideration. He plays against lax defenses of Europe and plays under the shadow of Vandervallis so his stats are bloated. His size doesn't help much either, and he is not a true PG.

 

BORIS HORSBURG  6-7   226  SF-PF  1985--Not overly athletic but a player who does a little bit of everything by being the glue of his team, Horsburg plays a cohesive team game by making his open 10-footers, making good passes out of the post, spotting up appropriately, playing solid post and perimeter defense, and rebounding and boxing out his man. He's a little bit of a tweener and doesn't display enough skills for the NBA, but he has shown some athleticism and the ability to surprisingly take his man off the dribble at times when he is called to do things single-handedly. He still has time to become the man, and only then will he be considered a legitimate NBA prospect.