2018 NBA Draft: Rodions Kurucs seeks to prove his assets are more than projections

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BARCELONA, SPAIN – MARCH 09: Rodions Kurucs, #17 of FC Barcelona Lassa in action during the 2017/2018 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Regular Season Round 25 game between FC Barcelona Lassa and Crvena Zvezda mts Belgrade at Palau Blaugrana on March 9, 2018 in Barcelona, Spain. (Photo by Rodolfo Molina/EB via Getty Images)

NBA Draft prospect Rodions Kurucs potential is evident, unfortunately there simply isn’t much evidence of it this past season as the European was nailed to the bench.

Rodions Kurucs is a European who projects positively, yet witnessed a dip in his stock this past past year. This is mostly due to a decision he made this past season. Last season the small forward ended up withdrawing from the 2017 NBA Draft because he no doubt recognized getting out of his contract with Barcelona would preclude his play Stateside.

In response, Kurucs elected not to re-up his contract with his Spanish team so he could be eligible for the 2018 NBA Draft. This resulted in him being nailed to the bench. It was a typical power play by his club. Still, the overall assets appear to be there, it’s just a matter of getting to see more of him.

Kurucs could end up being the typical grab and stash prospect. Or a team with depth could bring him over to the U.S. and develop him in their G-League system.

Player specifics:

Height: 6’10”
Weight: 190 lbs
Position: Small Forward
Age: 20.4
International: FC Barcelona Lassa of the Liga ACB and FC Barcelona Bàsquet
Home town: Cēsis, Latvia

Statline:

Per Game Table
Season	League(s)	G	MP	FG	FGA	FG%	3P	3PA	3P%	FT%	ORB	DRB	TRB	AST	STL	BLK
2014-15	EuroCup	1	7.0	3.0	3.0	1.000	0.0	0.0	1.000	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	7.0
2016-17	EuroLeague	1	3.0	1.0	2.0	.500	0.0	1.0	.000	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	2.0
2017-18	Liga ACB, EuroLeague	10	5.9	0.6	1.5	.400	0.2	0.7	.286	0.0	0.6	0.6	0.2	0.7	0.2	1.4
12	5.8	0.8	1.7	.500	0.2	0.7	.250	1.000	0.0	0.5	0.5	0.2	0.6	0.2	1.9