Draft Report: Omri Casspi Of Maccabi Tel Aviv
AP Photo Omri Casspi will come to be known as the other foreign first rounder from the 2009 NBA Draft beside Ricky Rubio. As Rubio is a preternatural passer, Casspi is preternatural in the department of moving without the ball to create scoring chances for himself. Listed officially at 6’9” and change, Casspi has excellent agility, athleticism and will be an inside/outside threat at the wing position. His movement without the ball is as nuanced as any player I’ve seen out of the past three drafts. There is a lot of John Havlicek in this part of his game and it is at least 75% of why he is such a good scorer. Casspi is athletic and agile enough to take full advantage of his nonstop motor, brilliant cuts and intelligent spacing. Typically the passer makes the receiver look good, but Casspi so frequently sets himself up with easy buckets that he makes the passer look good. When he does receive the ball near the bucket, he is a good finisher, frequently looking to dunk on people in traffic. There is a lot of strength and power in the way he converts dunk, not shying away from contact or skilled shotblockers. Casspi has good touch when finishing off the glass or with a little teardrop runner. He has a really good handle for his size and can bring the ball up on occasion. His balance is good and he does a nice job of remaining upright while keeping his vision up. Though not a significant part of his game, Casspi has a little post game where he will be able to take advantage of his size against smaller wings. He has sound footwork down low, similar to the other parts of his offensive game. As a shooter, Casspi could use some revisions to his form. He gets a lot of lift, but his left elbow sticks out too much and is awkward looking overall. He will make more perimeter shots than he will miss when left alone, but this part of his game is not nearly as good as his cuts. As a mid-range shooter, Casspi is much more reliable and be even considered above average here. Defensively, Casspi uses that same motor, length and pure instincts as he does on offense. He is unquestionably slight of build and therefore is prone to getting muscled by stronger players, especially in the post. He won’t be a shutdown on-ball defender, but he won’t ever be considered a liability, which says a lot given the lackluster defensive histories of certain foreign born players. Comparing Casspi overall to several similar wings in this draft such as Chase Budinger, Gerald Henderson and Wayne Ellington, I believe he is at the top of the list right behind James Harden. Click here to read RealGM's draft reports on other members of the '09 class.
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