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

By Tamberlyn Richardson

BARCELONA, SPAIN - SEPTEMBER 25: Rodions Kurucs, #17 poses during FC Barcelona Lassa 2017/2018 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Media Day at Palau Blaugrana on September 25, 2017 in Barcelona, Spain. (Photo by Rodolfo Molina/EB via Getty Images)
BARCELONA, SPAIN - SEPTEMBER 25: Rodions Kurucs, #17 poses during FC Barcelona Lassa 2017/2018 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Media Day at Palau Blaugrana on September 25, 2017 in Barcelona, Spain. (Photo by Rodolfo Molina/EB via Getty Images) /
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NBA Draft, Rodions Kurucs
BELGRADE, SERBIA – OCTOBER 20: Rodions Kurucs, #17 of FC Barcelona Lassa warms up during the 2017/2018 Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Regular Season Round 2 game between Crvena Zvezda mts Belgrade and FC Barcelona Lassa at Aleksandar Nikolic Hall on October 20, 2017 in Belgrade, Serbia. (Photo by Marko Metlas/EB via Getty Images) /

Skills:

The situation Rodions Kurucs found himself in this season is disappointing. In a catch 22 the youngster needed to decline the Barcelona contract extension, but by doing so he hurt his own stock. Moreover, the qualities which excited analysts last season seemingly regressed. Still, it’s completely understandable the youngster felt pressure in his limited minutes and therefore forced his game.

Prior to this season however, there was good reason to feel excitement over the potential of the young Latvian. Kurucs offers great size (6’10”) as a small forward coupled with an offensive tool box full of treats.

Much of this assessment comes from his previous season since less than 20 games and under seven minutes doesn’t offer much to pull from. To wit, the small forward previously showcased decent shooting from different areas of the court and an explosiveness which afforded him opportunities to drive.

Fundamentally he displayed soft touch and is an excellent ball distributor. Moreover, last season his footwork was above par allowing him to function in the paint, change directions quickly and/or create space for pull up shot opportunities.

Ultimately, Kurucs situation is difficult to gauge since there is no way to tell if he grew this season or regressed. It’s the equivalent of citing a players career best or worst game as their potential. Neither is accurate, but there just isn’t enough of a body of work to make an accurate assessment.

Weaknesses:

The primary knock on Kurucs may well be we just haven’t seen enough of him to know how good he is or what his ceiling is. That’s an unfortunate turn of bad luck for Kurucs, and maybe the end will justify the means, but for now it’s hard to rationalize his worth without evidence.

Of the minutes he did get it was clear his situation affected his on court production. Knowing he could get pulled the minute he stepped on the court he rushed his play on both ends. Whether these bad habits could be dealt with in a refined role is unknown.

Fundamentally the small forward demonstrated offensive skills, but his defense trails in this regard and will need ample time in the gym to improve. For his size his rebounding numbers aren’t impressive and this again could be due to fundamentally poor positioning or perhaps showcasing better aggression and effort.

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