re: At 52, Pels select Karlo Matkovic

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52. New Orleans Pelicans (from Utah Jazz)
Karlo Matkovic | 6-foot-10, center | 21 years old | Mega Basket
Vecenie’s ranking: 76.
Matkovic is a live athlete at center, a legitimate leaper who finishes above the rim and averaged nearly 12 points and six rebounds for Mega this season. He’s going to have to expand his range, I think, to be able to play in the NBA. But there are some tools here in terms of explosiveness that are intriguing long-term. He’ll likely stay overseas for a couple of years, and maybe if he keeps improving his skill level, he comes over.

Hollinger’s team fit: The rumored promise to keep Matkovic in the draft finally comes to fruition. I like him and think he had a strong case to go higher than some of the other European stash picks. The Pelicans had a crowded roster, so keeping this pick overseas makes sense.

Hollinger would have picked … Matkovic.

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