Ugrinoski seemed to be an interesting prospect from the very first practice, mainly due to his physical characteristics. He measured out at at 62.75 with a solid 66 wingspan. The Croatian point guard also displayed good quickness off the dribble in practices, with the ability to accelerate in the lane while drawing extra defenders. More maturity will be needed in order for Ugrinoski to effectively run an offense, but he can occasionally find the open player on the drive.
As a scorer, Ugrinoski can make some crafty finishes near the basket, but has the tendency to drive recklessly into traffic. To best utilize his abilities into the paint, developing some type of mid-range move, like a floater or pull-up jumper would go a long way. It appears that the proper mechanics are in place for Ugrinoski to become a threat from behind the three point line, but consistency was his main problem in this area throughout the week.
In the Saturday game, Ugrinoski only logged 10 minutes of playing time, and didnt receive the chance to contribute as a scorer. He made a nice read off the pick and roll for one of his assists, but this was really the only play he created throughout the game. On a transition play, Ugrinoski made a poor pass, resulting in one of his two turnovers in 10 minutes of playing time.
Aleksandar Ugrinoski has some nice tools to work with physically in addition to raw slashing abilities. Further experience running a team in Europe will help him develop more into a floor general. It is much too early at this point to start talking NBA for Ugrinoski, but the proper developmental path could certainly place him on the radar of NBA decision makers a few years down the road.
Comments