Evaluating Tadas Sedekerskis

April 25, 2018

I took the time to watch Nevezis’ 6-9 forward, Tadas Sedekerskis from Lithuania play in a LKL game against Pieno Zvaigzdes on March 17th, as he has recently declared to enter the NBA draft as a result of testing the waters. I was able to see this game with thanks to YouTube via LKL TV. Right now, he is rated as a prospect that could potentially go in the second round this year if he stays in the draft. Here are my thoughts on how he fared in this game, as well as how his skills may translate to the NBA.

Sedekerskis generally excelled at scoring on hustle plays in this game. He is a tall, skilled offensive player that possesses adequate athletic abilities, and he would often run the floor to get scores opportunities on fast breaks. On one occasion where he beat his man down the court, he managed to score on a drive in transition while drawing an extra free throw simultaneously. He runs the floor well, and he would tend to score on fast breaks, and he can get buckets as the trailer in transition, but he did get his shot blocked once late in the game.

He also did a good job of knocking down jumpers when he would elect to hoist them up. Sedekerskis patiently made an open spot-up three off the catch, as he moved to the corner to get the ball, and he received a terrific off-ball screen from a teammate that prevented his defender from getting to him. Plus, Sedekerskis also ran off of a screen to get the ball another time, and he pulled up to knock down a mid-range jumper off the dribble.

Plus, he also showed off a decent ability to score on drives to the hoop. After running off of a screen once, Sedekerskis received the ball, and he made a quick, strong move to the hoop to draw free throws upon the opposition. However, sometimes he will try to force the issue too much, and he may not always play under control, which can lead him to miss shots on occasion. He also showed a fairly good ability to draw non-shooting fouls when he would look to post up. Sedekerskis would establish positioning, and then opponents would foul him. But he did attempt a sweeping, left handed jump hook that ended up missing when he hoisted up a shot from the block another time.

However, he displayed just average at best playmaking skills in this game. For the positives, Sedekerskis handles the ball very well for a player his size, and on a couple of instances, he would bring the ball up, and then use a nifty behind the back dribble move before looking to pass the basketball to a shooter afterwards. He didn’t look to pass often, but he would kick the ball out to his teammates off the drive to set up scoring chances for them. Sometimes, he would move off the ball on offense while other occasions he would stand in the corner to wait for his chance to get the basketball.

But he did commit a couple of turnovers against Pieno Zvaigzdes. After using a pump fake and a jab step prior to driving on the baseline, Sedekerskis threw an inaccurate pass that fell short as it ended up getting intercepted by a defender. On a different offensive possession, he used a quick jab step, but he was called for a traveling violation after looking to score on a half-court drive due to steps.

Though he did not collect many rebounds in this contest, Sedekerskis was able to haul in boards on both ends of the floor. He would leap up to get his fair share of rebounds, and he managed to push the ball up the court on one possession. But there was one play where he did not block out his man as he allowed his opponent to come in from behind, as that led his team to allow a put back score. He also displayed fairly average defensive skills. Late in this match, Sedekerskis rotated on a drive to block a shot on the baseline to himself, as he did so due to possessing the length, athleticism, and timing to do so. He also would look to stay in front of his man to force opponents to pass the basketball, and he also fought through a screen once another time.

On the other hand, Sedekerskis would tend to get beat on plays. On one occasion, he didn’t get down the floor in time and was unable to contest the initial shot in transition, and his team allowed tip-ins that led to a put back score. Also, he got beat on a baseline drive, as his teammate rotated, but the opponent passed the ball to set up a dunk. He also tended to cheat off of his man, and there was one play where he sagged too far off his man, which led him to be too late to rotate or to contest a three-point shot, leading him to allow the basket. He also had his hands down when defending an interior pass, as he let an easy pass get through, leading to a dunk for an opponent.

In general, Tadas Sedekerskis is a skilled offensive player that can score the basketball in a variety of ways, and he also is a deft ball handler, especially for a player his size. However, he will need to improve in the other facets of the game. If he decides to stay in the NBA draft, he could end up being a second round, draft and stash pick, but it may not be certain if he gets selected due to the large number of players that have put their name in the pool so far. In examining his overall skill set, he will need to improve his weaknesses, but in a favorable scenario, he could perhaps end up being a scorer off the bench in the association.