Observing Boris Tisma and Dino Radoncic

June 3^rd, 2021

By Alan Lu

Recently, Real Betis’ 6-9 Croatian forward, Boris Tisma decided to enter the 2021 NBA Draft.  He has been listed as an early second round pick in the 2022 draft by ESPN, and he received sparse playing time in Spain’s top league, the Spanish ACB League this past season.

I decided to take the time to watch him play in an April 10^th game against Acunsa GBC, with thanks to YouTube via brdbasket, and it was split into two parts.  This also presented an opportunity to watch Acunsa GBC’s 6-8 forward Dino Radoncic once again, as well as Real Betis’ 6-7 forward, Ibrahim Magassa.  Radoncic has been playing fairly well in the Spanish ACB League this season, and he could warrant a selection in the second round.  Here are my thoughts on how Tisma and Radoncic fared, as well as how their games may translate to the NBA.

Boris Tisma is an agile combo forward that can make solid hustle plays to help his team on both ends of the floor.  He will still need to improve his jump shot and be more assertive on offense, but his size, athleticism, and ball handling skills could make him an intriguing option for NBA teams to consider late in this draft. Tisma excelled at scoring on hustle plays.  Tisma was able to make a quick cut to the hoop, and he managed to score on an aggressive layup off the glass.  He also ran in to get an offensive rebound, and he then scored on a left-handed, standstill floater on a put back off the glass.

He also showed a decent ability to score off the dribble.  Tisma would drive hard to his right to draw fouls upon his defenders, and he showed a fairly solid first step.  On one drive, he flailed and appeared to lose his balance when driving to the rim, but he was able to get the foul call in order to get to the free throw line. On the downside, he was unable to make any of his three-point shots that he hoisted up in this game.  He missed on a spot-up three off of a pick and pop play, and he also overshot the ball to miss on a corner three completely another time.

Also, Tisma showcased good playmaking skills in this game.  He is an unselfish player that tends to make good reads on the floor, and he would throw crisp, accurate interior passes to set up scores for his teammates.  He was able to throw a quick bounce pass to find an open shooter.  He also excelled at throwing bounce passes, as he lead the break to find a teammate in transition, and he also posted up to find a teammate around the basket another time.  He also would set plenty of screens, and he would set solid screens to help his teammates get open jump shots. On the downside, there was one play where he had a ball poked away from the blindside when driving to the hoop to lose it to an opponent. He also did a decent job of rebounding the basketball.  Tisma was active at crashing the glass to get boards on both sides of the ball, and he also was able to push the ball quickly up the floor, as he was then able to show off his ball handling skills in the open court.

Defensively, he looked to be fairly average.  Tisma is an active position defender that can defend well when he stays focused on that side of the ball.  He would rotate to contest shots off of drives and in the post to force misses, and he also would use his length to successfully challenge three-point shots.  On the downside, he had trouble defending quicker opponents off the dribble, and he would tend to commit aggressive fouls.  He also would sometimes gamble too much defensively, as he would bite on pump fakes and commit reach-in fouls.  He also tried to front his man when defending in the post but whiffed on a steal attempt, as he ended up allowing an easy catch and score that time.

In general, Boris Tisma is an athletic combo forward that has some playmaking skills, and he may have a considerable amount of upside, which may make him potentially worth a flier for an NBA team late in this draft.  On the other hand, he is still looks to be far from ready from being able to contribute at the NBA level right now. He still needs to significantly improve his jump shot, and he can tend to be undisciplined defensively.  He will need time to hone his game and develop his skills.  If he does make it to the NBA, he could end up being a similar player to Minnesota Timberwolves’ forward, Jake Layman, as he could provide some energy and some occasional scoring skills off the bench in the NBA.

Acunsa GBC’s 6-8 forward, Dino Radoncic had a solid showing in his team’s loss to Real Betis.  He excelled at making plays on both ends of the floor, and he also showed some passing skills and a mid-range shot in this game. Radoncic did a very good job of scoring on aggressive, right-handed drives to the hoop.  He was able to use a quick ball fake to score on an acrobatic, finger roll layup.  He also drove the baseline to score and get an extra free throw afterwards. He also did a decent job of scoring in the post.  Radoncic ran quickly off the ball to get it in the high post, and he used a quick spin move to his left to score and get an extra free throw.  Another time though, he missed on a rushed, off-balanced up and under move.

He also generally excelled at scoring on hustle plays.  Radoncic ran the floor and caught a lob pass to score on a layup off the glass.  He also ran in to score on an athletic, tip-in due to making a good hustle play.  He also made a quick cut to the hoop and used a pump fake to score.  On the downside, there was one play where he missed on a wild, uncontrolled tip-in attempt after grabbing an offensive rebound early in this game. Radoncic also was able to dribble right off of a screen to make a nifty, step-back mid-range jumper from outside the right elbow.  On the other hand, he struggled to make pull-up jumpers consistently, and he also missed on a corner three off the dribble on his lone three-point from beyond the arc.

He also displayed fairly average at best playmaking skills.  Radoncic showed that he can make solid passes off the dribble.  He can lead the break and make drive and kick passes, and he also can pass out of the post.  On the downside, he would sometimes telegraph his passes, which would get intercepted.  He also held onto the ball for too long once, as it got poked and stolen away.  He would sometimes struggle to protect the ball, and he had some trouble handling the ball when facing significant ball pressure. Also, he did a solid job of rebounding the basketball.  Radoncic would chase down balls to get multiple boards on both ends of the floor. 

He also played fairly average defense in this game.  Radoncic was able to contest a shot off of a roll to force a miss.  When defending on a drive, he managed to get a second jump to successfully challenge the shot that time.  He also managed to contest a deep three to get another stop for his team.  On the downside, there would be times where he would be late to rotate or to contest shots.  On one play, he didn’t rotate or contest a corner three, which led his team to allow a score.  Another time, he didn’t quite hustle back on defense, as his team ended up allowing a score in transition.

Overall, Dino Radoncic played fairly well in his team’s loss to Real Betis.  He excelled as a scorer in this game, and he also rebounded the ball well.  He also showed some underrated passing skills, despite also being turnover prone.  He will need to improve his jump shot and be a more focused defender on a consistent basis, but his athleticism and scoring potential could allow him to be a rotation player in the NBA someday.

Real Betis’ 6-7 French forward, Ibrahim Magassa showed some interesting skills in his team’s win over Acunsa GBC.  He showed off some shooting and defensive skills, and he is an athletic, high-motor player that may have considerable upside for the future. Magassa shot the ball fairly well in this game.  He ran off of a ball screen and dribbled to his right to make a smooth, pull-up jumper from just inside the arc.  He also tried to score on a cut to the hoop, but he ended up missing awkwardly as he wasn’t able to score in traffic. He also passed the ball well.  Magassa is an unselfish player that will look to find the open man, and he also threw a long interior pass to notch an assist late in this game. He also played adequate defense.  Magassa can aggressively pressure opposing ball-handlers, and he will actively contest jump shots.  On the downside, when rotating to cover for a blown teammate on a drive, he committed an aggressive foul, which led his team to allow a score and the extra free throw that time.

Overall, Magassa is an athletic, high-motor player that can shoot and defend.  He will need to extend his shooting range a little further to prove that he can consistently knock down threes.  He seems to have plenty of upside, as he moved well off the ball to make a long two, and he also showed some defensive versatility.  If he can continue to hone his game and progress as an overall player, he could swiftly move up draft boards, as he could project into a 3 and D role in the NBA sometime down the road.