FanPost

Let's Settle This, Jan Vesely: PF or SF

I have had some debates with many of you on here about what Jan Vesely is on this team. It seems as though there is a split on opinion of what Jan is, so I wanted to go back and look at some quotes from before the draft just to put this conversation in context.

NBADRAFT.NET

Strengths: Possesses a terrific combination of size and length for the SF position ... Offensively, he improved his low post game and is looking to post up more this year; he can post up smaller defenders and uses his height advantage to score over defenders; has a height/length advantage on almost every player in Europe ... Jan has good motor and excellent ability to run the floor (most of his points are off of dunks, put-backs and points in transition) ... Good hands around the basket ... Facing up to the basket, he is able to get to the rim quickly due to his quickness and good first step. Very explosive off the floor when attacking the bucket and finishes strong ... As a shooter he improved since last year and feels more confident taking shots outside the 3pt line and creating off the dribble; his mechanics and follow-through look fluid; good elevation on his shot ... If he catches the ball and his feet are set and pointed towards the basket he usually will knock down shots ... Defensively he is good, thanks to his length and can guard multiple positions ... His lateral quickness is impressive for his size and he does a solid job at moving his feet (good P&R defender and closes well on the perimeter staying in front of guards) ... Plays with lot of emotion ... A competitive player that hustles for loose balls and brings energy on the court ...

DRAFT EXPRESS

Comparing where Jan Vesely ranked in various situational stat categories with his NCAA peers doesn't make a great deal of sense considering how different European basketball is with the college game, but it still sheds some interesting insight onto his profile.

Vesely's usage rate ranks last amongst this group of players at just 10 possessions per game, which hints at the fairly limited role he played offensively for Partizan Belgrade this year.

He rarely, if ever, was asked to go out and create his own shot on his own, seeing just 2.8% of his offense in isolation situations, which ranks 15th of the 18 players in this study, ahead of Malcolm Thomas and Matthew Bryan-Amaning, but nevertheless ranked as the 5th most turnover prone, coughing the ball up on 15% of his possessions.

By contrast, 25% of his possessions came in spot-up situations, which puts him near the top in this category after Robin Benzing (39%), Chandler Parsons (26.2%) and Justin Harper (25.5%).

He was not terribly effective as a jump-shooter, though, garnering .78 points per shot he attempted, 5th worst in this group—almost all of which in catch and shoot situations.

On the other hand, Vesely's athleticism shines through with the way he was able to convert opportunities around the basket, shooting 74% from the field in these situations, first in this group.

Not surprisingly, Vesely ranks amongst the most effective finishers off cuts (3rd), offensive rebounds (2nd), post-ups (3rd) and in transition (6th).

He was also able to draw free throws at the third highest rate (on 19.4% of his possessions) in this study, trailing just Derrick Williams and Jimmy Butler.

If Vesely can shore up his ball-handling and perimeter shooting ability, he has all the makings of an incredibly versatile player.

NBA.com

NBA projection:
With the right team he could be a nice addition and a difficult match-up. He can defend 4's and play 3/4 offensively. With his upside and athleticism, ability to play over the rim and his transition game, plus a more than decent outside shot, he should be a lottery pick in the NBA draft.

So after watching him for a season, what have we drawn as a conclusion about Jan? Is he a PF or a SF?

This represents the view of the user who wrote the FanPost, and not the entire Bullets Forever community. We're a place of many opinions, not just one.