A former U18 Adidas tournament MVP in 2019, Mario Nakic rose into NBA prospect status as a teenager. In 2020-21 with Filou Oostende in Belgium, Nakic averaged 8.4 PPG, 1.6 APG, 2.6 RPG, 0.6 SPG, 0.2 BPG, and 1.9 TOPG on shooting splits of 49/51/65. Below is his full scouting report:
Height/Weight: 6’7/ 185
Wingspan/ standing reach: N/A
Hand size: N/A
Position: Wing
Pre-draft team/ country: Filou Oostende/ Croatia
Tools: Slashing, shooting
Pros:
- Crafty finisher with a variety of driving moves
- High shooting upside
- Ability to self-create in bursts
- Comfortable with drive & kick
- High defensive IQ with good rotations
- Good shot blocking instincts
Cons:
- Needs to add strength
- Often out of stance defensively
- Changes his shot to closeouts
- Often gets too much arc on his shot
- Needs to play under more control and improve as a decision maker at times; often goes for home run plays at the wrong times
Overall:
Mario Nakic has branded himself as one of the best shooters in the class with upside as a complete offensive wing with good size. On top of his 51% shooting from 3, Nakic showed flashes of driving and both scoring off of crafty finishing moves, as well as passing on the move to find open shooters and big men in dump-off situations. While he did shoot well from 3, he could have done better had he learned to not over-adjust his arc to closeouts, despite getting lucky with some makes on the rainbow shots. As he gets stronger, plays under control more often, and consistently gets in stance on defense, look for his game to become well-rounded.
NBA Comparison: Carlos Delfino
Projected draft range: 2nd round
Expected role: Backup wing that specializes in shooting, but can provide at least mediocre value in all other fields.
Unplayable if: Jump shooting doesn’t translate and his lack of strength limits his ability to get to the rim in the way he has thrived in Europe.
Exceeds expectations if: his jump shot translates, and his ability to create for himself (in turn making him a 3 level scorer) opens up his entire offense to be a threat off the catch & shoot in a variety of ways.
