Uros Kavalu

What probably stands out most about Kavalu's game is the NBA-type offensive moves he displays; not only does he have solid athleticism for the NBA (and excellent for the European level), he has the little tricks-of-the-trade, such as headfakes, jab-steps and body fakes to lose his defender or even take his defender to where he wants him to be offensively. Kavalu simply knows how to drive to the basket, displaying a creative array of nifty moves and solid ballhandling skills in the process. He has a good first step, decent strides and all sorts of craft to lose his man for the layup or even take his man to the basket and draw the foul. Kavalu gets to the line, along with fellow teammate Najuvett Pontja, at an amazing clip, and that is no surprise due to his offensive aggressiveness, his good athleticism and hangtime, and his all-around craft. When all else fails, Kavalu has the ability to knock down the mid-ranger at a decent clip as well, and considering that he's still a fairly young prospect (1987 born) he can certainly improve his range and many other facets of his offensive game.

On defense, Kavalu also displays a good defensive stance and mild aggressiveness, never excessively overreacting or overreaching to get fouls; rather, he plays fairly non-foul prone free defense and is fairly good at it. He doesn't body up his man due to lack of strength but has the lateral quickness and solid footspeed to stay in front of his man and contest shots. At times his swiping arms and long wingspan can pick up a few steals, especially shown when his man is least suspecting. He is not a defensive stopper but a very reliable defensive player who can become an above average one at the NBA level.

Kavalu displays a variety of skills, and that also includes his decent point guard-like ability. He's obviously not a pure point guard, but his ballhandling skills and is ability to find the open man (although not off the dribble) allows him to get assists at a decent rate. He doesn't create for others, but he has great court awareness and plays a good team game, keeping things within the system and displaying good unselfishness.

Overall, Kavalu is one of those players who is not just an athlete, but a "smart athlete" as well. He has a solid fundamentals base, knows how to exploit his matchups both offensively and defensively. He plays the game relatively calmly, never complaining as he rarely gets touches, but is always efficient when he has the ball in his hands. He puts most of his energy on defense for the sake of the team, knowing he won't get too many touches despite the sheer athleticism he has above many of the EuroLeaguers. He displays a good attitude, is a good locker room presence, and wills both himself and his teammates to improve as well. In this sense he is a bit of a veteran and he certainly is mature enough for the NBA level.

The problem with Kavalu, as he has only recently moved to the starting lineup position, is his underexposure. He plays in a mediocre Croatian team but rarely did he get the ball in his hands despite playing a solid clip of minutes. He didn't get the chance to exploit his opportunities especially regarding his athleticism, and what is only written in this profile is the consistent flashes we have seen of him when he got that opportunity. He will show more of his skills in the near future as he looks nowhere close to heading to the NBA at this point.

Kavalu is not a good passer off the dribble. The thing probably limiting his NBA potential the most is the fact that he cannot seem to do many things at once; he doesn't seem good at improvising to new situations. For example, once he decides to attack the basket in some way, he finds it hard to pass the ball to the open man, rather it is rather predictable as he mostly tries to score once he gets to that stage. He has crafty moves and finishes well for himself, but NBA defenses may change that. Although he has good ballhandling skills, he doesn't do a good job handling double teams, a product of his underexposure, but that could improve. Kavalu also does not have a shot off the dribble he can create, as his jumper is too poor right now, and he has a tendency to get turnovers either by traveling or being clueless as to what to do when he faces new situations off the dribble. He has great smarts, but he lacks great polish and talent off the dribble that most NBA wings are expected to have a little of.

The other aspect that Kavalu lacks, and this time in standstill positions, is a consistent jumpshot with range. Kavalu's jumper only extends to about 12 feet, and even from that are it is very streaky. He doesn't look to take shots outside of that area and looks rather hesitant whenever he is dribbling the ball around the three point area, as defenders often bait him to take shots from that area. The fact that Kavalu cannot do much off the dribble and adjust to new situations, combined with his lack of a reliable jumper, render him useless from time to time for his team offensively as he is unable to do much to help his team's cause.

Lastly, Kavalu has a fairly thin frame, and although he's versatile as he can play both wing positions and even handle the point from time to time, he needs to put weight and that will help him finish strongly around the basket and play better defense against NBA prototypes. At 6-5 he doesn't possess great height either. EuroLeague defenders have abused him from time to time, whether from the post or shooting over him, despite the fact that he relentlessly stays on his man.

Overall, Kavalu can afford to stay at least another two years playing against top EuroLeague competition as he's finally gotten his starting spot, and with that may have more of a role in the offense. His jumpshot is his biggest weakness, but his off-the-dribble judgment also needs work. Nonetheless, his athleticism, defenese and his smarts may make him a decent talent for the NBA someday.