Following the selection of Bilal Coulibaly, the Washington Wizards went with another high potential player with their only other pick. Tristan Vukcevic is a center who has potential to be a high impact player for the Wizards.
From Serbia, Vukcevic is a six-foot-ten center who has tremendous skill on the offensive end of the floor. However, he lacks the athleticism to really make an impact as a shot blocker for a team. This will come back up later.
The biggest unknown with the 20-year-old is how will he look when he hits the NBA. He has received inconsistent minutes in the Euroleague and this has reflected in his play. However, when he receives multiple heavy minute games, he looks elite, especially from beyond the arc.
He is currently on contract with KK Partizan, the club he played with last season. However, before the draft his agent informed teams interested in him that he would like his contract to be bought out by the team that drafts him so he can come to the NBA. This would cost roughly $1 million and would likely mean that the Wizards would sign him to a fully guaranteed rookie contract.
What is the floor for Tristan Vukcevic on the Washington Wizards?
While he has shown flashes of creation, including a fairly consistent step-back jumper, the floor for Vukcevic is Davis Bertans. Once considered on of the best shooters in the league, Bertans is capable of setting the net on fire.
Many Wizards fans will be unhappy to see this name again as the Wiz offered him one of the worst contracts in the league before flipping him in a trade for Kristaps Porzingis. However, to say that a younger, more reasonably paid player like this couldn’t help a young team’s development is absurd.
This is probably the floor of what Vukcevic could contribute to the Wizards. If this is what they get, I highly doubt that anybody would be upset.
Realistic comparison
If Omer Yurtzeven had a high-level jump shot, that would be almost exactly where I expect the Wizards’ second round pick to land. A development that most fans of the team would appreciate for Tristan Vukcevic as a mid-second-round pick.
Yurtzeven is capable of creating good looks in the post and is an ok cutting threat at his size. He is also a decent defender off the bench for the Heat. However, rebounding is where his true value lies.
Despite only playing 12 minutes per game this season (and only in nine games) he pulled in 5.3 rebounds, 1.5 of which were offensive. This is very similar to how Vukcevic projects to be.
In the Euroleague, Vukcevic has been a high-level rebounder, something that typically will translate to the NBA, especially for players from Europe. On both ends of the floor, he has shown the ability to find where he needs to be and grab rebounds.
I expect him to be able to bring everything that Yurtseven is capable of and then add an efficient jump shot. 37% on around 3 attempts per game if he gets enough minutes would be amazing for the young Serbian.
If he learns how to use his large frame to clog passing lanes and make drivers think for an extra second like the next player on the list, he easily could become a plus defender despite his lack of athleticism.
Dream comparison
A six-foot-ten unathletic center picked in the early 40s in the draft with tremendous skill and upside on the offensive end of the floor while not particularly effective on defense out of Serbia. Sound familiar? This perfectly describes two-time MVP and reigning Finals MVP Nikola Jokic.
While it seems like a stretch to compare him to the best player in the world right now, this is the dream scenario. Both players have very similar frames and have some of the same strengths and weaknesses.
The biggest difference between Vukcevic now and Jokic then is the passing. Jokic was already an established playmaker for his team in Serbia whereas Vukcevic has only shown flashes of becoming a quality passer.
After the passing, they are extremely similar players based on their play in Europe. Elite shooters, difficult to defend in the post, unathletic, and not really seen as good defensive players. Jokic was more consistent and Vukcevic has seen fluctuating minutes all season, but the upside to grow with a team interesting in his development is interesting.
If Tristan Vukcevic comes over from Europe and develops into any of these three players, the Washington Wizards would be ecstatic. He has high upside, and they should be hoping to tap into it.