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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Offense
Catch-and-shoot
After fifteen games, Stojaković shoots 36.5% on 4.5 threes per game. The numbers aren’t relevant, but the volume is. In his role as a wing-sized rotational piece with fewer ball touches, he has to make threes off the catch consistently to keep a team’s offensive rating at par. This gains more importance when considering the lack of physicality and the need to get stronger in the next few years. He’s taken the reigns as one of his team’s main shooters. The process is promising but has some areas to clean up in the next few years.
In the first play, Stojaković moves decently toward the ball. Hereafter he sets his feet at a normal rate. However, the lowering of the ball to the level of his waist will cause issues. He should either set his feet quicker or keep the ball at the level of his chest before elevating for his jumper. His low-arcing release compensates for the time it takes to power up, but he’s more vulnerable to having his jumpers contested or blocked. In this particular play, he’s lucky to draw the foul. We see a similar sequence in the second possession from the same spot, with his low-arcing release again getting him in trouble. Despite a decent outcome so far, in a faster-paced NBA game. That’s a recipe to cause teams issues. This effect trickles down as opponents find better opportunities to start transition offenses after defensive rebounds.
In the third and fourth plays below, Stojaković does well to keep the ball a tad higher before he sets his feet quickly. That compensated for taking more time to power up for his jumper. It’s getting clear by seeing how much he hits the deck that a lack of strength doesn’t help his case to be a volume-shooter on an NBA floor. Therefore, the numbers inflate the actual shooting skill he has at the moment. The process is consistent, but the shooting form needs work, which should be one of an NBA decision-maker’s main areas to add to his developmental plan.
Catch-and-drive
With decent offensive creativity, Stojaković will play more freely as a closeout attacker. That’s his main task as a slashing advantage-creator on an NBA floor. We don’t see active playmaking for others, but mostly Stojaković using his opportunities of more ball touches to create baskets for himself. His handles are too loose to be a volume scorer on an NBA floor. However, his footwork, body control, and much better elevation on his jumpers off the dribble are recipes for success in growing into a volume scorer in the next few years.
In the first play, he’s using the jab to unbalance his defender before attacking the weak side. With a rim protector inside the painted area, Stojaković uses his rim pressure to keep the drop coverage alive, giving him all space to pull up from the midrange. Compared to his shooting off the catch, he has a much higher-arcing release. This continues in the second play, where Stojaković actively looks to attack the weak side. That’s the best way to compensate for a looser handle. His footwork and jab steps are lethal weapons to draw help or catch a defender’s bad foot positioning. That’s a sign of his high feel for the game. Knowing he’s not an explosive athlete, Stojaković looks to use his craft while banking on his great understanding of the game and how to unbalance defenders. The finish looked too forced on the second play, but that’s partially due to him not pivoting well before the spin move and a lack of strength.
The area of development for Stojaković is to attack the paint more often. He should use his advantages to get both feet inside the paint and try to draw fouls. The bright spot is that he’s getting more comfortable in doing so while attempting over seven free throws per game, converting them at a high 83.0% clip. For NBA decision-makers, it’s vital if the habit of settling for midrange shots changes. The third play had a clear path to the basket after attacking the baseline, whereas the fourth play shows how well-positioned Stojaković finds himself. Adding strength to his frame will give him much more comfort in finding his balance after bumping into defenders.
Passing and playmaking
As mentioned earlier, Stojaković looks to add points to the scoring column. That’s the heaviness of his leading role. Therefore, the 1.7 assists to 2.0 turnovers have much less value. It’s all about the context behind the numbers. He’s drawing fouls at a high rate while timing his closeout attacks well. That’s the most vital part for today’s NBA slasher. Stojaković shows promise to play as a secondary creator on the next level. His court vision as a wing-sized ball handler helps him to scan the floor at all times.
Due to the lack of physicality in his game, he doesn’t have to keep his head down when attacking the rim. The gravity of his efficient finishing at the rim and finding attempts from the charity stripe in bunches automatically draws help defenders. A part of that is because of his weaker handle, giving defenders more hope they can strip him from the ball. In the first play, we see an example where Stojaković easily finds the corner shooter after collapsing the defense and completely clearing the weak side. That’s the type of floor-spacing NBA teams look for.
Executing passing reads is essential. Stojaković doesn’t show consistency on that end. However, he has to make passes quicker at times. In the second possession, he should pass the ball ahead in transition, as he kept it in his hands for too long, giving the defense a chance to regroup. In the third play, the touch pass was the only option. Instead, it took too long, leading it to be a contested three after the ball reversal. Partially, it is due to him not having many playmaking reps yet. There are flashes of him making the right decisions under pressure, which is one of the main things NBA scouts test when evaluating ball handlers. In the fourth play, he’s getting hard-hedged, and Stojaković does well to move toward the weak side to draw his opponents in before using his length and size to pass over his defenders. He didn’t panic and stayed composed.
In today’s era of teams playing four or even five-out schemes, the value of drop coverage decreases. That’s why teams look for more ball handlers who can keep the possession alive and bank on teams hard-hedging or even blitzing their ball handlers. For a reduced role, that’s a bonus adding value to Stojaković’s draft stock.
Pick-and-roll
Teams look for long-term potential in putting more creation and scoring duties in a prospect’s hands. Therefore, creativity and execution out of the pick-and-roll will not matter much early in Stojaković’s career, but it will determine how much value his draft profile has in the long run. With his loose handles, it’s a must to improve on that end while getting stronger. His great understanding of the game and awareness are two important flashes that make it feasible that future improvement is imminent.
The biggest reason is Stojaković's understanding of where he needs to be on the floor and if he’ll get there without too many dribbles or taking too many seconds away from the clock. The hesitation move before the burst in the first play showed he’s keen on finding himself toward the baseline. This puts the defenders in the tough spot as they either feed a dropoff possibility if they attack him, or when they drop their coverage, he’ll either find his spot or get two feet inside the paint. Therefore, to compensate for a looser handle, he should continue to utilize screens and duck into the empty side to create a play as he did in the first possession below.
In the second play, Stojaković sells the utilization of the screen with his jab step but rejects it to attack the driving lane in the middle. This forced the defense to clear the weak side, opening up room to kick it out or draw the contact inside the paint. That’s the craftiness NBA scouts value. He’s not a high-tier athlete, but more importantly, shows he mastered his body enough to use his deficiencies to his favor. That’s the maturity NBA decision-makers are willing to invest in. It continues in the third and fourth plays below, as Stojaković knows defenders will attack his looser handle. That’s where his toughness is shown as he finds ways to get two feet inside the paint and fully attack a defender’s chest to draw contact. Due to his slimmer frame, it’s easier for him to draw the foul calls in his favor. I expect him to continue doing that on an NBA floor where he’ll face better athletes.
NBA Draft Projection
Based on the strengths and areas of development mentioned in this scouting report, I project Andrej Stojaković to be a lock for the first round of the 2025 NBA Draft.
His great feel for the game, combined with how high-end slashing skill gains more value when he’s getting stronger and improving his handle in the next few years. The maturity level of his game, where his physical deficiencies are made the best of and even work to his advantage, is a big value riser.
Defensively, Stojaković takes pride in working hard on his rotations and correcting a teammate’s mistake. At a young age, that shows how well he understands the game. He’s often caught ball-watching or offering help defense too early, but those are imminent areas to improve as he’s still a sophomore.
His clear role, physical potential, and positional versatility give teams more comfort in adding valuable depth while it’s feasible that development will follow in the next few years. This gives more value in handing out a rookie-scaled contract to bank on four full years, whereafter the importance of his role can influence how much of the cap they’ll assign to their drafted and developed piece.