In the weeks leading up to the 2013 NBA Draft, no one expected the Warriors to walk out with a highly-coveted European prospect. Golden State had dealt away all of their picks prior to draft night, but they pulled off a last-minute deal with the Phoenix Suns to land Serbian combo guard Nemanja Nedovic with the 30th overall selection.
For five seasons, Nedovic played for Serbian giants Red Star Belgrade, but after a dispute with Red Star’s coach over playing time, he moved to Lietuvos Rytas, a smaller club in Lithuania. Nedovic was initially expected to spend 2013-14 with Lietuvos, but the Warriors reached an agreement with the club to bring Nedovic over for the upcoming season.
Nedovic is 6’4 and about 200 lbs, which makes him slightly small for an NBA combo guard. He compensates with incredible athleticism – he has explosive speed and a 41-inch vertical leap. That’s a higher vertical than Tracy McGrady, Rudy Gay, or Derrick Rose recorded going into their rookie years, and Nedovic is well-known in Europe as a highlight-reel staple.
Nedovic’s athleticism has led to high expectations and some unfair comparisons - one of the top search results for his name is a YouTube video unfortunately titled “Nemanja Nedovic – European Derrick Rose”. No one in their right mind expects Nedovic to develop into an NBA MVP, but he definitely has the physical tools to be a productive NBA player.
Nedovic is still struggling with his jump shot, and although he’s an excellent finisher at the rim, his two-point field goal percentage in Europe was under 40%. His ballhandling skills are solid, but Nedovic still turns the ball over too often, and he’ll need to play mistake-free basketball to earn playing time ahead of Kent Bazemore and Toney Douglas.
This year, Nedovic will probably be more frustrating than productive, but as a long-term prospect he has excellent upside. In his debut NBA season, look for Nedovic to commit some boneheaded turnovers, spend some time in the D-League, and put at least two unsuspecting players on a poster.
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