The San Antonio Spurs should have plenty of options in this draft when it comes to big men and could even find a gem on their summer league team. Florida State’s Balsa Koprivica could be an ideal pickup on a two-way or summer league contract. He’s a solid offensive big man who could be a serviceable rim protector.
Koprivica is 7-foot-1 and 240 pounds, so he wouldn’t need to add too much weight, if any. He’s not terribly mobile so he’s definitely staying at center and exclusively guarding big men. However, he’s got nice touch around the rim and is a pretty good playmaker at his size. In less than 20 minutes a game, here’s what he was able to do for the Seminoles last season.
Stats
- 9.1 PPG, 1.4 BPG, 5.6 RPG, 0.8 APG
- 59.9 FG%, 68.9 FT%
- 24.8 PER, 119.9 ORtg, 97.1 DRtg
The former Seminole had a nice showing at the G-League Elite Camp, but did not get the invite to the NBA Draft Combine after that. He’s a smart player, has good hands, and features a great motor. He’s a solid rebounder and defender who finishes around the rim on offense. He can finish with both hands and has soft touch to boot.
One of the biggest concerns about Koprivica is that he is still raw despite playing two years of college ball. He’s also not an elite rebounder, which people want to see because of his size. However, he could get there if given more minutes as his “per-40 minutes” numbers suggest. He’s also going to have to improve his jumper and low post game if he wants to become a bigger part of an NBA offense. He won’t quite have the benefit of playing with a Scottie Barnes all the time so he will have to develop his own game to complement his new team.
Koprivica is not currently a shooter, but has shown the touch necessary to potentially become one. He improved his free throw shooting during his two years at FSU and just extending his range to 15 feet will help keep defenses honest when guarding him. Koprivica is not a consensus second rounder right now so he could be had as a Summer League addition to the team.
