NETS DRAFT —AND STASH— ALEKSANDAR VEZENKOV AT NO. 57

The Nets drafted Aleksandar Vezenkov of FC Barcelona with the No. 57 pick. The Cypriot power forward will continue to play in Spain. A 6’9” stretch 4, Vezenkov was described by Sean Marks as an “elite shooter.” Marks personally scouted Vezenkov in March.

A dual citizen of Bulgaria and the Mediterranean island nation of Cyprus, the 21-year-ld Vezenkov is not just a shooter. He is a scorer, as Draft Express reported...

At 6-9, 225 pounds, Vezenkov has decent size for the power forward position he mostly plays, even if he lacks athleticism in a serious way. He's not particularly quick, nor explosive, relying on his tremendous scoring instincts, basketball IQ and competitiveness to find productivity, rather than on his physical tools -

In DX’s last mock, Vezenkov was not projected to be drafted, but he had been as high as No. 35 in April. In March, Marks visited Barcelona for a Spanish League game, reportedly to watch Rodions Kurucs, the Latvian SF who later dropped out. In that game, Vezenkov played 20 minutes and scored eight points on 2-of-4 shooting from deep.

In 35 games, he average 8.7 points off the bench, shooting 69.4 percent from two-point range, 35.6 from three and 84.3 from the line.

Draft Express prepared both strengths and weaknesses videos for Vezenkov in 2015 when he considered coming out for that year’s draft. He was playing in Greece at the time.

F.C. Barcelona has Vezenkov under contract for the next two years at a very reasonable rate —less than $500,000. No word on buyouts.