The Brooklyn Nets Are ‘Sold’ On Rodions Kurucs And It Isn’t Hard To See Why

The biggest concerns in his overall game might be his lack of defensive fundamentals. He may be versatile on offense, but he is a liability on defense. As a small forward, he isn’t quick enough to stay in front of wings, and if he ever moved to power forward, he would be overpowered with ease in the paint. He has a lot of length, which will help his case when defending against entry passes and being disruptive in general. But, he needs to work on his footwork and keep who he is guarding in front of him.

Almost all of his issues can be solved with more playing time against better competition and growing into his body. The only catch is you might not like the answers. If he still can’t finish against size, fails to develop handles, and doesn’t do anything to improve his defense, he will severely limit his impact at the next level. At worst, he is a 6-foot-9 spot up three point shooter that doesn’t defend.

How He Fits Into Brooklyn

How he fits into Brooklyn depends on how he develops with Barcelona’s senior team over the next couple of seasons. If he can start finishing better against size and develop some polished perimeter skills (better handles, passing without committing silly turnovers, more consistent three-point shot), then he could be incredibly valuable for the Nets.