Marco Belinelli: NBA Draft Profile
NBA Draft: Marco Belinelli
Team: Climamio Bologna
Birth Year: 1986
Position: SG
Height: 6’4”
Weight: 191lbs
Accolades: Italian Junior National Team, Italian Under-20 National Team, Italian National Team.
Scouting Report: A flashy, explosive scoring Italian.
Strengths: Despite his age, he is a very experienced player – been playing professionally since he was 15. A very capable scorer. Has a very good jump shot – can hit the three. Extremely athletic – can run and jump out of the gym – not uncommon for him to pull off 360° dunks in a game. Can easily blow by his man off the dribble and finish strong at the rim. Decent defender. Good ballhandler. Used to being counted on in pressure situations – was the main scorer for the Italian National Team in last year’s World Championships and is one of Bologna’s key players in the tough Euroleague.
Weaknesses: Shoots way too many threes – should use his slashing ability more. Takes more three-pointers than two-pointers in games. Doesn’t shoot the three-pointer for a high enough %. Doesn’t contribute anything in the rebounding or assist columns – is a little one-dimensional. Needs to get stronger/heavier for the NBA. Game seemed to take a step back this past season – his key stats were down this year from last. Will be a bit undersized for the shooting guard spot. Can be a little too flashy at times – doesn’t always make the smart play.
Projected 2007 Draft Range: Mid first round pick.
Consensus: Belinelli followed up his strong showing in last summer’s World Championships with a so-so season this year. His scoring and athletic ability, coupled with his experience, makes him a good NBA prospect still. He needs to expand his game (stop settling for so many threes) and get stronger to be a real standout NBA pro.
Stats:
Italian: http://195.56.77.208/player/?id=BEL_MAR&year=2006&team=1119
Euroleague: http://www.euroleague.net/competition/players/showplayer?pcode=BCN
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About Jeff Fox
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NBA Draft & International Hoops
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Background
Jeff Fox is a freelance journalist based an hour outside of Toronto, Canada. While attending University of Waterloo (Canada) earning a B.A. in Economics and Management Studies, Jeff managed to walk onto the school’s varsity basketball team, the Warriors, for 2 seasons. His final year riding the pine for the Warriors saw the team make it to the CIS (Canada’s NCAA equivalent) Final 8 tournament. In addition to this site, he is a regular contributor to SLAM magzine (& online) and The Hoops Manifesto. When he isn’t planted in front of his computer he spends the rest of his time with his wife, Lisa, his son, Adam and his dog Jeannie.
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