Jure Lalic

Jure Lalic continues struggling in Zadar, and his tendency is even to receive less playing time lately. In the quarterfinal series of the Adriatic League against FMP, he averaged 2 points and 0.7 rebounds in less than 6 minutes per game. Lalic hasn’t shown much development in the past seasons. He’s still a defensive liability, not particularly solid in the low post and pretty much lost outside of the paint. His lack of quickness and general athleticism seriously hurts his defensive mobility, suffering against big men who like to step outside or in pick and roll situations, while he doesn’t look like the smartest guy around to make up for it with anticipation and ability to read the floor. Offensively he’s more useful, primarily a low-post guy with decent moves down low, but a bit predictable since he almost always looks for the right-handed hook. He can also shoot the spot-up jumper with range out to the three-point line, and average accuracy. Still we miss some passing game, especially from the low post. Anyway, his poor season and limited potential basically put him out of the draft picture.

Lalic has excellent length, being 6-foot-11 with a long wingspan and a very good frame. Unlike some others, Lalic is already pretty strong and should be able to put on a true Centers weight. Athletically he is average, running well up and down the court and showing decent mobility, but lacking explosiveness both vertically and horizontally. This shows in his rebounding, where he is often too slow to react even if he features big soft hands and puts the effort in boxing out his man. Jure's defense definitely needs work, because of his physical limitations he will never be a clutch performer on this end of the floor, but nonetheless should improve his footwork in the post and absorb physical contact better.

Where Lalic shines is on the offensive end. He is an excellent shooter with range out to the three point line. While it's basically a static jumper, Jure exhibits excellent fluidity and consistency in his shooting form. He has soft touch from anywhere on the floor, and is also skilled in the low post, possessing an effective hook shot and some advanced post moves. He is an intelligent player and an above average passer from the low block. Jure has an outside shot at getting drafted somewhere in the late 2nd round, but his performances have been encouraging this season and he is showing more stability in his production and effort. If he wants to improve his draft stock, Lalic will have to show significant development on the defensive end of the floor, as his offensive game is pretty well rounded already.