Zoran Erceg had a very good season, being roughly FMP Zelezniks most consistent performer. He received an increased role within their offensive sets and proved to be capable of taking a larger scoring burden on his shoulders. Zoran is a typical European Power Forward, possessing a refined face-up game, but lacking strength and willingness to make his way in the low post.
There are few players in this draft that share the same combination of shooting and ball-handling ability that Erceg possesses at 6-foot-11. He has a really developed game facing the basket. For starters he is a consistent shooter with fluid mechanics and range. He can hit shots from the international three-point line with acceptable results of around 35% on the season. Being deceptively quick and having solid ball-handling skills, Erceg can create his own offense from standstill positions as well as on the move. He likes to take a couple of short dribbles to create separation from his man before he finishes with a pull-up jumper from mid-range.
His athletic ability is pretty solid in general, he has quick feet, runs the court well and has a nice first step. Zorans vertical leap is not outstanding, and he will not wow you with any emphatic dunks, but he has some bounce in his step and gets good elevation while shooting.
There are some concerns about Ercegs ability to translate his performance over to the NBA level, mainly on the defensive end of the floor where he lacks some toughness, rebounding skills and defensive prowess to survive in the American game. Zoran is a really poor rebounder for a player of his size, despite being 6-foot-11 with very good hands. Erceg has trouble cleaning the glass, since he doesnt show the necessary fundamentals, grit and tenacity. He gets outmuscled and struggles to defend players who like to play with their back to the basket. Erceg plays better defensively on the perimeter, where his solid lateral mobility helps him.
Even if he is not a prototypical NBA prospect and didnt show much progress in the areas of concern, Erceg certainly helped himself by putting together a good season in European competition, particularly in the strong ULEB Cup, where FMP knocked off Hapoel Jerusalem and reached the Final game. Someone might take a shot at him in the 2nd round, because of his size, ability to run the floor and shooting. Europeans usually get serious looks in the bottom half of 2nd round because of the advantage of being able to stash them in Europe and develop at others expense, so Zoran might be one of those players who gets drafted and is asked to keep playing on the Old Continent until he is ready to contribute.
Comments