Tomislav Zubcic to Raptors: Video Highlights, Analysis and Scouting Report
With the 2012 NBA draft winding down on Thursday, the Toronto Raptors selected Croatian forward Tomislav Zubcic with the 56th overall pick in hopes he would blossom down the road.
Zubcic, 22, has displayed impressive shooting ability in the past, but has seen his stock drop lately as he has struggled to receive a lot of playing time overseas and hasn't impressed when he's been on the floor.
Here's a look at the Raptors' last pick of the 2012 NBA draft.
What Tomislav Zubcic Brings to the Team
Zubcic is a long, athletic big man who stands 6'11" and has the ability to play small forward in the NBA. The Croatian has a nice shooting stroke, is aggressive driving to the hoop and has the potential to develop into a point forward-type player given his passing skills.
On the other hand, Zubcic's recent struggles from the perimeter may have overshadowed his showing in the Nike Hoops Summit in April. He also didn't impress this past season in Euroleague play for Cibona and, despite being 22 years old, is a work in progress because he didn't see the floor much for Cibona, either. He also weighs just 229 pounds, so he needs to add strength.
What Experts Are Saying
Matt Kamalsky of DraftExpress.com talked about Zubcic's declining stock in May:
"Starting some games, but also coming off the bench for stretches as well, the Croatian forward has seen his playing time and usage decline. His strengths and weaknesses remain largely unchanged, as he is yet to achieve the mismatch potential that caught our eye for the first time some six years ago.
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Chad Ford of ESPN wrote on June 13:
"Zubcic continued to show a very polished skill set. He's a 6-11 point guard who can really handle the ball and see the floor. However, his lack of elite athleticism combined with some poor shooting in the tournament (2-for-12 from 3) didn't help him much. I think he'd be a second-round pick if he stayed in the draft, but it's likely he withdraws.
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Rookie Impact
This is the definition of a draft-and-stash pick.
Zubcic obviously isn't ready for the NBA yet, but he showed enough in the past for the Raptors to take a chance on him in the second round and hope he pays off down the line. He's going to need to gain more experience, bulk up and prove his impressive shooting a few years back wasn't a mirage to make the cut in the big and bad NBA.
Pick Analysis
Only time will tell if this was a brilliant pick or a dud, but I'm leaning toward it being a dud.
Yes, Zubcic showed skills in the past, but he hasn't done anything lately and, what's worse, he hasn't even been getting much experience overseas. He appears to be a huge project who the Raptors just took hoping he would all of a sudden realize his potential. Then again, he was the 56th overall pick, so it's not all bad.
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