NBA Comparison: Bostjan Nachbar

Strengths: Silins top attribute for NBA scouts is without doubt his shooting … Standing at 6’8, the Latvian forward has a really quick release and ability to set his feet very quickly … He is not as effective coming off screens, but as a spot up shooter he has displayed how reliable he can be … What really separates him from other shooters is his ability to read the close out make the right decision … He can go left or right for a pull-up, swing for the open man or in Europe attack the basket … Offensively he really knows how to "play within himself". Because of this he doesn’t try to force the issue and very rarely commits turnovers … Defensively he is a very good off the ball defender, he understands the game and has a high Basketball IQ, something he will have to use to overcome his athletic deficiencies …

Weaknesses: The most obvious one is his athletic profile, as a SF in a league like the NBA you have to be able to move your feet quickly in order to contain ball handlers on the perimeter. Silins can become a better on ball defender but his NBA career depends a lot on this … If he was a better athlete he would be a no brainer, but being an under the rim finisher hurts his NBA outlook … Also I would expect a former PF to have a better impact on the glass grabbing rebounds … Offensively he doesn’t move very well without the ball and needs somebody to create for him … His ball handling is good enough to survive but not take people one on one … He needs to improve his P&R as well to become a more complete player … Overall his NBA career will depend mostly on his ability to make shots and ability to not suffer too much in defense … If able to accomplish both he could find space as a role player for a team, if not he could become a really good player in Europe for many years …

Overall: Silins arrived at Reggio Emilia two years ago but didn’t see a lot of playing time … But it was during that year that he started his transformation from a stretch PF to a SF … After a brilliant U20 European championships campaign where he lead his country Latvia to a historic silver medal, he came back to Reggio Emilia with boosted confidence … He moved into the lineup as a SF, shot almost 40% from the 3pt line, and though he didn’t impact the game on the boards like he should he showed a really solid brand of basketball making few mistakes and less than a TO per game.

Rick Fois 6/22/14