Andrej Stojaković Scouting Report
Wing-sized slashers who thrive on playing a complementary role fit what most NBA teams look for in the draft. But Stojaković has much more to offer. Here are 4K+ words on his NBA role and potential:
Introduction
As the son of an NBA champion, Stojaković has been around the game his entire life. He’s been taught the game in the European style while growing up on American soil. That helped him to combine the best of both worlds to find his ultimate role. As a McDonalds All-American, it’s natural to raise expectations. The fit at Stanford wasn’t the best for his development.
Stojaković needs more on-ball reps to show what he’s capable of doing. The best way to grow and play a reduced role in the NBA is to know how to play alongside such players. Therefore, his development via the American system will only benefit the high-feel and fundamentally sound Stojaković. And California offers him a great context to develop and grow into his NBA role as a ball-moving, slasher who defends against NBA guards and wings. That’s the emphasis of this scouting report.
Physical Profile
At 6-foot-7, Stojaković has the wing size most NBA franchises look for. He has broad shoulders but not a well-filled frame. While listed at 205 pounds, he’ll likely continue to add muscle in the next few years. There is no official measurement available, but he’s reported to have a plus-three-inch wingspan.
Stojaković has good footwork and quick feet. That’s the base for his self-creation ability as a slasher. This also helps him to effectively defend in the pick-and-roll. The intrigue for NBA decision-makers is his ability to cover in inverted pick-and-rolls once he gets stronger. He’s a decent vertical athlete, but his decision-making and feel for the game are must-haves to show at the next level, as Stojaković’s body doesn’t allow him to play physically against stronger opponents yet, unless he’s strengthening his frame in the next few years.
With decent hip fluidity Stojaković shows creativity as a scorer. The lack of physicality was one of the reasons of not playing consistent starter minutes which changed after a busy summer of development. That makes it more feasible he’ll continue to improve physically.
Defense
Pick-and-roll
The main selling point to NBA scouts is his ability to guard in the pick-and-roll. Stojaković has great decision-making and decent screen navigation techniques, which will improve through more reps. Stojaković’s great awareness is a testimony to being around the highest level of basketball his entire life. He uses footwork and motion to take away the control from the ball handler, who is becoming more reliant on the ball screen to create separation. That puts less pressure on defenses, who can focus on deciding to drop their coverage, hedge, or even blitz the ball handler, as Stojaković’s activity makes it easier for his teammates around him.
In the first play, he’s starting to guard the ball handler up close, knowing the high ball screen comes his way. That almost forces a pull-up three with very few dropoff options as his team clogged the interior. Despite losing his man on the first dribble, Stojaković recovers well to block the jumper from behind. He’s not strong enough to fight through screens yet, but his fluid hips and footwork help him to get back in balance quickly to recover.
The second possession shows another example of good awareness he’s not bothered by the ghost screen but decides to slip under the second stagger. At times, those are the plays NBA teams will live with, as the tough pull-up jumper from the elbow was expected as his team’s defense focused on the interior in the opposing horns play. The third possession shows the risk of getting assigned to more explosive guards, who he’ll guard in the NBA on a nightly basis. His rotation back to the roller was good, while his lack of physicality led to losing the defensive box-out. It’s not realistic to expect not to give away separation on any pick-and-roll. For NBA scouts, the ability to rotate and not collapse the defense further by allowing open passes is the priority, and Stojaković shows good flashes on that end.
Often, Stojaković looks overwhelmed against more explosive athletes. That makes his feet move more reactive than him taking on the reigns of the assignment. In the fourth and fifth plays below, he’s rushing with quicker movement, struggling to keep his balance in the last play below, while pivoting too far out to get burned on the change of sides by the ball handler, opening up an entire driving lane to the basket. Therefore, Stojaković has to focus on keeping his composure at a good level, regardless of who he’s assigned to guard.
Catch-and-shoot
Stojaković’s activity level and motion help him to defend away from the ball. On top of that, he’s good at recognizing his rotations. With good lateral quickness, he closes out to the perimeter to contest shooters. He elevates well for his burst, and with his decent wingspan, he bothers spot-up shooters. That’s the versatility Stojaković brings, which fits a motion-based NBA-styled game. He recognizes the switch in the first play below and uses his long strides to get above the break. With a decent burst, Stojaković covers large amounts of ground. Despite the lack of physicality, his feel for the game and timely rotations compensate for most of it as he shows he can close out effectively.
Despite averaging under one steal per game in both of his seasons, the numbers don’t tell the story. Stojaković actively seeks to impact passing lanes. He has great awareness of what happens around him. In the second possession, he takes away an easy inbounds pass on the weak side by using his length to close passing angles. He eventually gets the deflection, whereafter his team initiates the transition offense. This helps him to effectively guard spot-up shooters. Stojaković loves to take away driving lanes, where he can focus on forcing his opponents to either shoot or take the driving lane he gives away. The base is to close out at 180 degrees, but Stojaković has good court vision to be creative in his closeouts.
In the third play below, he’s closing out while giving away the baseline side. That’s the other side of the coin where Stojaković has to improve his decision-making on how he’s closing out. Usually, he keeps control by giving away a direction to drive, but that should never be a clear baseline without help planted near the rim. The average NBA shooter gladly unwraps a gift like the corner shot that was given away here. In the last possession below, Stojaković again follows his instincts when seeing a late rotation at the top of the key from a teammate. He leaves his man at the elbow wide-open. That’s acceptable, as the team defense should figure out the extra pass, as taking away the threat of a wide-open above-the-break three was the priority. Stojaković has a good feel and awareness while his closeout technique is solid. That should give comfort to NBA scouts.
Catch-and-drive
When opponents attack his closeouts, Stojaković’s footwork is the deciding factor in how well he can take away pressure from opposing rim pressure. His size, quick feet, and developing strength make it possible to play more physically in the future. As of now, Stojaković has to show he can stay in front of his opponent by using his good last step. Keeping his balance to use his decent burst and good lateral quickness is vital in this part of his evaluation. However, what immediately stands out is that at times he’s playing too chaotic. The lack of composure doesn’t benefit his focus. The process of his closeouts is solid. However, Stojaković is too busy looking to make extra rotations. The bad team context in California is one of the reasons. But there are some areas for him to clean up as well.
In the first play below, he’s caught ball-watching while covering the weak side. That’s deadly as it makes it easier for backdoor cutters to get separated and collapse the defense. His late reaction led to a rushed closeout, where he got burned after biting on the shot fake. Hereafter, the ball-watching led to the wide-open baseline drive. In the second possession, we see an offensive rebound leading to Stojaković looking for his next rotation. The positive is that he cleans up the mistake of a teammate who had to stay at the top of the key. Regardless, it’s an example of the aforementioned chaotic style of defense. That makes it hard for Stojaković to consistently execute his defensive reads.
In the third possession, we see how well he moves and slides his feet. The pivot is one of his strong areas, as he kept his balance on every move the offense threw at him. However, he’s too modest and reactionary, as he shouldn’t back away from physical contact. Especially considering he’s a few inches taller than the average guard he’s facing. By giving his opponent control of the play, he gave away the clean angle at the rim for the layup. The fourth play shows some flashes of how to improve. He’s tagging his opponent but stays composed and at a distance. That’s not the way for Stojaković. The lack of physicality makes him more vulnerable to dribble penetration. Therefore, he has no other option than to guard his assignment up close and force getting beaten off the dribble rather than dropping and giving the opponent the option to shoot or drive. In the short run, it’s compensating for the lack of physicality and playing modestly. But in the long run, it shows the importance for Stojaković to continue to fill his frame and build muscle.
Cuts
With the lack of physicality in mind, to lessen the pressure on an NBA team's defensive rating, Stojaković has to show he’s a plus-defender playing away from the ball. That makes the consistency of his rotations and avoiding losing cuters essential. The closeouts are positive. That’s a base that gives comfort to his total off-ball defense. However, when considering most NBA teams running motion-based offenses with high ball movement, Stojaković’s decision-making should be the main focus in this part of his evaluation.
One of the areas to clean up is changing the habit of offering help defense too early. In the first play below, Stojaković already goes for help before the ball handler gets two feet inside the paint. That opened up the wide-open lane for the backdoor cutter to use. As Stojaković was on the weak side, there was no room for a teammate to pick up his assignment. This mistake led to the wide-open dunk. In the second possession, Stojaković plays as the help-side defender at the rim. He’s a tad too slow reacting to the pass but isn't shying away from throwing his body at the rim to both try to draw the charge while taking away the easy lay-in.
The area of development for Stojaković is one foot inside the paint. He struggled to rotate the second time after stepping outside the paint. On an NBA floor with more space. That’s a potential struggle with fewer chances to make up for it once he has to rotate for the extra pass to play-finishers. Regardless of allowing the finish in the third play below, Stojaković shows timely awareness. However, the reactionary speed looked a tad too slow to effectively react quickly in a faster-paced NBA game. Regardless, Stojaković shows many flashes of him being a plus-team defender in the NBA. It’s clear he has to clean up minor errors, but this is more than normal for a young sophomore who is still getting accustomed to playing with higher usage compared to his freshman year at Stanford.
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