On of the most interesting young big men in Europe will probably join Euroleague team Partizan Igokea this week.
According to Eurobasket.com, Milan Macvan is close to join Partizan Belgrade within the next days. Macvan, a 1989 born PF with an interesting Basketball IQ and excellent shooting range impressed in all the different youth tournaments he played so far. He is all about fundamentals and positioning on the court.
Actually, he is playing with FMP Zeleznik, one of the best teams considering prospects in Serbia. In his first season on the Senior level, he is already averaging 3.4ppg and 2.0rpg. The fact that Partizan makes a move in his direction is no wonder as their actual Center force Nikola Pekovic is playing the season of his life so far, and he may leave the club at the end of the season to wealthier places (NBA, Spain,…).
When it comes to positioning and body usage, both players look similar. However, Pekovic lives with more centimeters on the court, when Macvan comes up with a bigger shooting range and excellent passing skills. When I saw him play the first time, in the Albert Schweitzer Turnier in 2006, he impressed me already with his great body control and offensive arsenal. Since then, he always topped my expectations.
Actually, he is not considered as a huge NBA talent because of his lack of speed and athleticism. But the fact that the NBA playing style is changing and will include more and more European elements and that Macvan is only draft eligible in 3 years, this can somehow change. Only the future will tell, but from an European perspective, Macvan looks like the real deal for being a force in the paint for the next years.
