re: Luwawu Hype train

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Luwawu making strides

The top international prospect, 20-year-old Timothe' Luwawu, is yet another French export who should continue that country's recent history of sending impact players to the NBA. After playing for Antibes as a teenager, he's spent the last year playing for Mega Leks, in Serbia's Adriatic League.

He averages just under 15 points in 31 minutes of play per game, but Luwawu's calling card is going to be defense and spot-up shooting.

A very good athlete. He can really guard. And he's a greatly improved shooter.

– Anonymous Northwest Division scout, on Timothe Luwawu

"He's going to have to make it as a 3-and-D guy," a Central Division man says. "That league isn't very athletic. So he looks more athletic maybe than he would in the NBA ... he's taken a good step forward this year. He's a bit inconsistent. High turnover player. But he has the potential to do more offensively."

Luwawu was briefly in last year's Draft before pulling out, and the year playing at a higher level helped him improve his status for this year.

"A very good athlete," a Northwest Division man said. "He can really guard. And he's a greatly improved shooter. When he was younger, the hole in his game was, is he going to shoot it well enough? And he has. It's not the greatest competition in the world, but it's not the worst. Good size. Legit 6-7 with length, and guards, and makes enough shots. And he's young. He's going to get selected in that 15-22 range."

One general manager echoed the thoughts of many, who say Luwawu puts them in mind of Thabo Sefolosha, taken 13th overall in the 2006 Draft by Philadelphia before being dealt to the Bulls.

"He's a better shooter than Sefolosha was, but he's kind of gangly, the same way," the GM said. "He has abilities to defend. I think he's better offensively. His shot is better. But Sefolosha is bigger, probably an inch, inch and a half. And Sefolosha just had this way about him. He could do one thing well and he was kind of like, 'let me just defend, and I'll figure out the rest as I go along.'"

Consistency at both ends will be the main question for Luwawu.

Said an Eastern Conference exec: "I'm not a huge fan but I can see where some would be, because he's so athletic. He has no feel for how to play at either end. I could see a team that's not excited about any of those guys taking him late."

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