NBA Comparison: Malick Badiane

Strenghts: Milutinov is a legit seven footer with remarkable wingspan (7-3), to which he combines excellent footwork and great mobility … He runs the court faster than most centers in the ABA league … He has big, soft hands showing ambidextrious ability to use both for hook shots in the middle of the painted area … He’s able to use his size to shoot over opponents, furthermore he has shown solid range as a spot shooter … Despite the limitations with his post game, his skillset has been improving over the last couple years, and with his great court vision and passing skills from inside the paint, he opens the court up for his teammates, becoming a legitimate offensive facilitator … When given openings around the basket, he shows a good variety of finishes in the painted area, including dunks … He’s a solid defensive presence due to his combination of height, wingspan and mobility … He possesses a contribution of intimidation, showing good instincts for the block … He’s considered a solid worker in the gym – training under Dule Vujosevic shall be considered a good business card – and is considered a quality teammate …

Weaknesses: He’s still lanky and skinny and he needs to work in the weight room to adapt his body to NBA standards from a physical standpoint … He lacks explosiveness and aggressiveness, from an attitude standpoint, in that sense he’s not a typical Balkan player … He lacks a solid post game back to the basket and struggles when he has to post up, with his game mainly based facing the basket … He has to improve in pick and roll situations, where he lacks timing and positioning for the cut and his screens are not as effective as needed from a man of his size … Not as good as he could be as a rebounder considering his size and wingspan … He has a good shot mechanics even if with a slow release, this has an impact on his effectiveness as a free throw shooter (less than 60% this season) …

Notes: He has been member of the Serbian U-16, U-18 and U-19 National Tea, he won the silver medal at the 2013 World U-19 Championship (10.7 pts, 5.9 rbs).  He played at the 2011 European U-16 Championship … He had 7 pts and 6 rbs in Eurocup and 9.8 pts 7.6 rbs in ABA league this season, when he exploited more spaces and minutes on the court in a rebuilding Partizan team.

Davide Bortoluzzi 5/31/15