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2017 Orlando Magic Draft Preview: Who is Anzejs Pasecniks?

By Ricky Scricca

Jun 23, 2016; New York, NY, USA; NBA commissioner Adam Silver speaks before the start of the first round of the 2016 NBA Draft at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerry Lai-USA TODAY Sports
Jun 23, 2016; New York, NY, USA; NBA commissioner Adam Silver speaks before the start of the first round of the 2016 NBA Draft at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerry Lai-USA TODAY Sports /
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Final Word

Anzejs Pasecniks will need time to develop before he can have a real impact on a NBA team. Having picked up the sport later than most, he needs reps and experience to improve his fundamentals and overall feel for the game. The Orlando Magic might not be the best place for him to do that.

But he offers intriguing potential. He has real skills – mostly at scoring in the pick and roll — that can be used on the NBA level within two years or so.

It will take a long time for him to fill out his lanky frame, and even then doing so could end up taking away from his mobility. Because of that, he may never be a serviceable rebounder or post defender.

His height, length and quickness can be put to appropriate use, though, if he improves his defensive IQ and anticipation.

As The Ringer’s Kevin O’Connor states for his 2017 NBA Draft Guide, Pasecniks’s defensive upside “hinges on his mobility rather than his verticality protecting the rim.”

Moving laterally and learning how to get in the right positions at the right times may take a while, but this will be his ticket to solid NBA defense.

It is a better proposition to bet on his offense than his defense. Even then, he still needs to improve his feel for the game and his passing vision. Some may be inclined to give him the benefit of the doubt considering his relatively limited experience, but being a plus offensive player requires more than just scoring – facilitation is just as valuable.

The bottom line is drafting Pasecniks is drafting a project. That project could end up paying dividends a few years down the line. But the Magic (or whoever else drafts him) would need to know what they are signing up for.

Developing a player like him will require patience and understanding that he will make plenty of mistakes before turning into the player everyone hopes he can be.

Next: 2017 Orlando Magic Draft Preview: Who is Malik Monk?

Pasecniks may have more weaknesses than strengths at this point. But his tools are very intriguing and might provide the ingredients for a successful and highly useful NBA player.