Nuggets select French forward Joffrey Lauvergne in Draft

With the 55th pick in the draft the Denver Nuggets selected French forward Joffrey Lauvergne. Joffrey Lauvergne is a 6’10” forward who plays for KK Partizan of the Serbian League. The 21-year-old averaged 10.6 points and 6.1 rebounds in eight games with Partizan in Serbia. He also was a member of the French junior national team in 2011 and will represent the national team this summer. He’s a mid to long-term project who the Nuggets will stash overseas for a few years.

Draft info from NBA.COM

Strengths: * Good size for position * Fluid, mobile and coordinated * Can step out to perimeter and score from long range * Versatile offensive game with solid fundamentals * Decent rebounder

Weaknesses: * Lacks strength to hold off powerful posts * May lack agility to guard athletic power forwards * Not spectacular athletically but is efficient fundamentally

What Insiders say: Lorenzo Neri, Draftology “Not a highly-touted prospect in Europe, has improved his stock in the last couple of seasons. You won’t find any impressive statistics, not even spectacular highlights, but he’s a versatile and efficient young player with solid skills who gets the job done.”

Alejandro Gonzalez, International Scout, NetScouts Basketball “He’s long, athletic and can step out for 15-18 footers. He has skills but needs strength, experience and consistency. Definitely needs more time developing his game in Europe.”

Danny Mills, Assistant Coach, UPEA Orlandia Basket “At 6’10” he has a good frame to play at the SF/PF position in the league. Had a decent showing at the Eurocamp last year and will need another one this season to show scouts how he has improved his game. Can shoot the ball from range but is not consistent enough to play the SF and be a threat. Has difficulty guarding out on the perimeter and would struggle to contain smaller quicker players. Needs to show a few more years of improvement to be a chance of being a late second round Draft choice.”

Crédits:  Panoramic | Publié le 19/02/2012