He is currently playing in the Serbian playoffs. On April 21st his team won 88-83. He was his teams second leading scorer with 18 points. Went 5/13 from the field, 1/4 from three, and 5/6 from the line in 34 minutes. Pretty cool that he is still playing. Just thought I'd share his latest stats.
Jelavic postseason ball
- Thread starter UKWildcats3
- Start date
Leading the league in rebounds.
Stats: https://basketball.realgm.com/international/league/18/Adriatic-League-Liga-ABA/stats
Stats: https://basketball.realgm.com/international/league/18/Adriatic-League-Liga-ABA/stats
I might be most excited for this guy. Euro basketball has grown leaps and bounds. He could come in and really wow people as he's already been playing grown men. Look at the leaders in this league.. half of them are like 30 year old. For some of these euro players, the college game might be easier. Its not what it used to be.
I think he will be. Wey good right from the jump. If he gets used to American rules fairly quick he will be fine. Perfect type player for what Pope wants to run an offensive wise. If he can defend he will play a lot.
The international scout who compared him to Grant Nelson said that the SEC is the hardest league for those European archetypes to succeed in. It usually takes about a full season before they are able to adjust. That said, he thought Jelavic’s athleticism and commitment to defense and physicality will help expedite his learning curve. He projected Jelavic could earn as much as 20 minutes per game for Kentucky. I’m not sure if that scout is aware just how deep we are in the frontcourt. I’m expecting about 15-18mpg from Jelavic but by season’s end, he will have become a force.
We should have learned by now projecting min for new players is a complete waste of time. There are guys who come in, adapt and are way more productive and confident than expected and guys who don’t quite live up to it out of the gate.
Pope will figure it out. These guys will go at each other and grind all summer. Pumped for these reports to come out.
I haven’t been this excited since Wall/Cousins.
Pope will figure it out. These guys will go at each other and grind all summer. Pumped for these reports to come out.
I haven’t been this excited since Wall/Cousins.
If he can rebound he will play.
Especially if JQ is limited on minutes played .
If he can come in and get 8 ppg and 8 rpg he will be awesome. Just will depend on who he is on the floor with and how Pope plays him. If he is out top running through him on offense it will limit his offensive rebounding. If they use him like he is now pick and run type offense, flare out to the 3 he can get that in 18 minutes a game. If he can average for the year somewhere between 6 and 10 ppg and 5 and 9 reb, UK will be extremely good. Will be fun to watch these players come together and get better each game.
I am really excited about this guy and some of the skills that he brings. Sure he will have to adjust to our game and the SEC but playing against grown men should help him acclimate faster. Next season can't come fast enough.
With the minutes he will be allotted, 8/9 rebounds per game may be a bit much to ask. If he gets 15-18 minutes, 8/6 would be stellar. For comparison, Amari Williams played 23 minutes and averaged 8.5 rebounds per game. To expect Jelavic to average that in 5-8 minutes LESS playing time would be a bit much. IF he was to get 23-25 minutes, he could definitely average close to Amari, but no playing 15 mpg. JMO.
Pope is in full Emperor Sith mode with next year's depth:
I don’t believe his agent would’ve let him choose to play in the SEC unless he feels Jelavic is athletic and physical enough to succeed.
Honestly he could be a big contributor without putting up big numbers. Tall athletic coordinated guys are uncommon.
Honestly he could be a big contributor without putting up big numbers. Tall athletic coordinated guys are uncommon.
Pretty clear the SEC is now the actual NBA G-League. If you want to prove you can make it, you make it in the SEC.
Just about how I feel. I want these guys to have a good long summer off working together to know each other better and start to gel as a tight team but can't wait for the season to get here for my own selfish reasons. This guy could really become a key player for us this year especially when the season gets to the real serious part. As so many others have started, it might take him a bit of time to adjust but you said it right, playing against older experienced guys will benefit him a lot.
Me too, I'm ready to watch these guys play. Wish I could get into the practice facility and just watch them scrimmage this summer.
I’m curious as to how Jelavic’s play compares to Folgueiras’ next season. I don’t know if UK could have definitely landed Folgueiras or anything about his fit from a cost, personality, etc. perspective; but if Pope could have had Folgueiras then he and the staff must have thought Jelavic was a better fit for some reason. I’m skeptical at this point that Jelavic is better – I believe that Folgueiras would have been a really good college PF on this UK team, especially beside an explosive or physical Center - but I also fully realize that if UK indeed chose Jelavic over Folgueiras they are 100x more qualified than me to make that decision.
The better fit was Mo Dioubate. Alvaro was out of the picture for UK after Dioubate committed. Dioubate is a proven SEC warrior who will get 25 minutes of run at the PF and Alvaro was never going to be satisfied with the remaining 15. He will likely play near 30 for Iowa. Jelavic, on the other hand, will need this season to become acclimated to the US and the SEC and those 15 minutes (less any that go to Williams, Noah and after Quaintance is up to speed, Garrison) will suit him just fine.
This is kind of how I see it as well. Could be wrong, but I think Jelavic is the 10th guy in the rotation, but has enough positional versatility to log about 15-18mpg. I think he could get spot minutes at the 5. I’ll bet he would be the best 10th man on any roster in the country.
Good point, that explanation would make sense. I'm not sold on Dioubate being the better starting PF option for UK next season either (although I like his addition); but as I indicated already, I'm just discussing basketball thoughts with fellow fans and fully understand that my opinions or slight misgivings about the PF spot may likely be proven off base. I just really like that combination of 3pt. shooting (including volume and no-hesitation release) and rebounding Folgueiras could bring at the PF spot. Dioubate's low volume % was good, but I'm not confident at all he'll put much pressure on the defense to help spread the floor.
I really like Dioubate, too. But, you can’t start him with Quaintance & Lowe. As you said, Dioubate shot very well from 3, but, he averaged only one make every 3 games. There just won’t be proper spacing with only 1-2 consistent shooters on the floor.
That’s true for any offense, but, especially Pope’s that is so reliant on perimeter shooting. If the goal is still to get up 35 threes/game, it won’t be ideal playing several below average shooters, together.
I think a lot of ppl are undervaluing Jelavic. Maybe it’s bc Ivisic underwhelmed, here. But, Jelavic is on draft boards with a 2nd round grade. He’s also 21 years old, or soon to be. So, his timeline isn’t the same as typical college kids & there is more urgency to showcase his game & move on to the pro level. I can’t see him crossing the Atlantic to come here & sit the bench.
He’s 6-11 with a 7-2 wingspan, IIRC. I don’t see a project, really, watching his film. He’s pretty athletic for a taller guy. He’s very skilled, offensively, & can score from anywhere. Teams will respect his shooting & spacing won’t suffer with him on the floor. His footwork & post moves are really nice, too. And, he can provide some secondary rim protection. Maybe I’m wrong, it wouldn’t be the first time. But, I just think ppl are sleeping on him & I see him as much more than the 10th man.
I agree and don't see Pope bringing him here to be the 10th man or a long term project. I am sure Jelavich isn't coming to do that either. He probably wants to be a one and done or 2 years here max . As you said he's older and obviously wants to be in the NBA.
We have the same type of concern here. Personally I like to see three, if not 4, pretty good perimeter shooters on the floor together most of the time, as I think that works best today to ensure getting good looks at the rim as well. In my opinion, the guys don’t have to necessarily be a knock-down Brea-type 3pt. shooter (although that’s nice), but at least a couple of them need to be able to both get the shot off quickly and make a decent percentage of those; and the guys shooting the wide-open spot up 3s really should make a fairly high % (38%+) of those.
I watched a replay of Pitt v. UL yesterday, and part of the Pitt v. Duke game. As in the other video of Lowe I’ve watched, I could see nothing to complain about in regard to his passing, ball-handling and ability to get past defenders and to the rim. Very high level in this regard. His defense was also fine, but I think he has the speed to improve that quite a bit with more focus and effort than I saw. But I am a little more concerned with his perimeter shooting than I was. I’ve said since the commitment that his form looked fine to me, and it still does. If I remember correctly, a good basketball knowledgeable poster here (ImTheVilliageIdiot who posted above) has said Lowe’s issue is that he sometimes short-arms his shot and that was an easy fix. I’ll take his word for that – again, in my opinion he’s pretty sharp about basketball takes - although to be honest I couldn’t really pick up on whether or how much that short-arming issue was occurring. What I did notice on Lowe’s 3pt. shots was some nice looking shots mixed in with more than a few bad off-line misses. When good shooters miss they don’t tend to miss off-line (e.g., miss the rim or way too far to one-side of the rim) that much. This made me think Lowe needs to not only be taking fewer 3s (which he will next season) but more spot up 3s like Butler did, rather than off the dribble. If he does that I think his % will jump up to be fine and something opponents will definitely not want to give him.
Now thinking about the PF spot when Lowe is running the Point. That makes me really not want to see Quaintance or Garrison together or actually even playing PF at all, unless playing alongside Jelavic in a situation where Pope plays Jelavic at Center for some advantageous reason. Although, I think both could defend the PF spot well (assuming Quaintance hasn’t lost much in regard to movement early in his return), they can’t offer much more than a hope-and-a-prayer type of 3pt. shot – and yes, I watched every 3pt. shot Garrison took and I’m not impressed or hopeful about that particular aspect.
A long-winded way of me agreeing with you and hoping that Jelavic is able to provide a lot of minutes at the PF spot.
Best case scenario for Jelavic is an even split with Dioubate at the 4, IMHO. Dioubate is a proven commodity in the SEC. I’d be shocked if Dioubate doesn’t play at least 20 minutes a game. And I don’t think he will play much at the 3, since we have Oweh. Johnson, Aberdeen, Chandler, Williams, and Noah all fighting for minutes at the 2 and 3 spots.
Yeah that would be a good split. You don't have to play 30 plus minutes a game to get drafted. 15-20 with a great skillset will get you there.
I like Jelavic's game. Near 7 feet, good hands and handle. Might be one of our best rebounders. Good court instincts and good speed. He has the 3 shot at about 30%, and soft touch around the rim. He won't miss bunnies. I'm trying to find out if he made the trip to Lexington this weekend and I don't think he did but I don't know that for sure
DK, with him in the playoffs over there I doubt he made the trip. I think I saw something, KSR or somewhere else, JQ and Jelavic were both not going to be here this weekend. JQ due to physical Therapy and AJ due to the playoffs.
I would have no problem with a starting a lineup of Lowe/DA/OO/MD/JQ. Should set the tone defensively and on the boards, with adequate shooting.
Then bring in some mix of Chandler/Kam/Jelavic/JJ to provide a spark.
Not saying that’s the only way to do it, but I would be comfortable with that lineup.
Suspect we will see some lineups with Jelavic/JQ or MD/BG at the 4-5. Feels like a decent balance of defense and shooting at those 2 spots. But the reality could be much different when the team hits the floor.
I think Big J has a chance of making a huge impact. maybe like Carr. But I'm hoping better. I hope he can get his 3 point % up a bit. I have a feeling if he can hit the 3 in the high 30's he'll see a lot of PT. Because we have a backcourt better at driving to the hoop this year. And the best outlet pass on a drive is a wide open big at the 3 line.
I think we are going to see BG and MD together a lot and AJ and JQ together. That keeps a really good frontcourt defender (MD or JQ) on the floor at all times. This is once JQ is recovered and ready to go, of course.
If you platoon you can make sure you always have them paired
24 min blue platoon
16 min white platoon
Early bennie lineup
Lowe
Oweh
Williams
Jelavic
JQ
Shooting and driving on offense, as well as solid on defense. Next year will be fun
I’m thinking:If you platoon you can make sure you always have them paired
24 min blue platoon
16 min white platoon
PF MD(22)/AJ(14)/BG(4)
C JQ(22)/BG(18)
Something like that. After JQ gets back to 100%, I think we will see BG/JQ together for a few minutes a game, just to get BG a few more minutes. Unless Jelavic proves to be better than expected.
14 is probably closer to reality than anything.
I keep saying 15-18mpg for Jelavic but I project an almost platoon system.
We may not be running the literal platoons like 2015 but it might be closer to than than a typical rotation. Pope seems to have intentionally built a team with two starting lineups