Turkish Prospects

[slice me nice2]

I am really interested in your opinion about Derin Saran. I couldnt watch any game of him but the highlights are showing a linear development. Like his touch around the rim as well as his shooting touch.

My opinion about Saran is very clear. He is an insufficient player with serious flaws for high-level basketball, and he is being hyped by unnecessary figures in the media just because his last name is Saran. The effort to portray him as a better player than he actually is a bad development for Derin Saran from the beginning. Contrary to what some funny people express, he is not a player who will be entrusted with Turkey's PG position for many years. He is not even in the top 10 on my list of potential candidates.

The conference where his team, UC Irvine, competes is one of the worst and least competitive conferences in the NCAA. So much so that not only Saran's team but also the entire conference has only one player actively playing in the NBA! It's a comedy. I watched a total of 2 full-time games this season, and when I saw the quality of the opposing players, I thought it wouldn't be accurate to evaluate what Saran did or didn't do against these opponents. The quality of basketball played on the court is obviously very low, and I see the chances of these players getting playing time in serious leagues as quite low. Regardless of the quality of basketball on the court, Saran has a serious shooting flaw. He avoids taking shots and has not been able to make 3-pointers a part of his game unless forced. His court vision is narrow, and his passing quality is low. He is far from being defined as a PG. He doesn't play the game thinking; his only action is to drive inside when he finds the opportunity, and sometimes this leads to him aimlessly wandering on the court. Aggressively driving to the basket is not a negative situation, but he has an attitude of playing to find his own statistics rather than orchestrating the team. In top-level basketball, it's very difficult for him to make these shots around the basket against such opponents.

I also watched this player in the U-20 camp, and he did not display a performance that could make a difference. Nevertheless, one should not close the doors for his career. Considering he is still a freshman, the active learning period continues. He may not become a good player, but he could be an option for teams in our league one day.
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[c-myers2]

Who is praising Saran just because of his last name? Peope do not talk about him for that surname reason its just stem from your imperfect perspective. Just because kid's family is famous you cannot talk this sort of bullshit. He has attracted attention since glimpsed in a positive way over the past two years. You devalue the things he does perfectly by finding her so-called flaws for freshmen. Firstly you have to define his game profile delicately. He is a not a pass first pg its very clear and but he does not make turnovers as well as not the clumsy with ball particularly very good ballhandler. Even if the basketball level is not that challenging in his conference still not that easy to dominate against those athletic freaks as freshmen. He made a perfect decision and wanted to play basketball while his freshmen season. Look at Jan Vide he takes 2 minutes per game. Also how about Ege Tan yildizoglu? Since you were saying he will be end up perfect pro player. He is also playing 3.2 pts avarage per game in a conferrance where the quality is "low". Also the American basketball style is pushing you induviduality and Saran is perfectly delivers in order to presence in that ambient. Turkish basketball badly needs ballhandler who can create for himself and dynamically drive the rim for scoring. Also his shooting is promising in the long run. Since he has plent of time to improve his game I am quite optimist his future and he will be worked good coaches and will gain experiences to pro basketball. Kid is freshmen and the tools what he has very rare in Turkish basketball. He will take over from Sipahi and Ugurlu and take into account the flaws of these two "pro's" before too harsh on Saran.

As for the U-20 camp Derin said byhimself that he was injury in that peried and left the national team for that season but you do not miss any chance to make criticism to this kid without know the details.

Derin will be good its for sure. Surely has some rooms to improve but will have plenty of time to overcome.

 

[Toruko2]

Even though I appreciate Slices posts I think in Sarans case he is unnecessarily pessimistic. He might not be a NBA draft candidate and also not a distributor but the kid is working. Talent is there. The only thing that might be deceiving is the conference he is playing rn. On the long term he is one of the candidates for the NT PG spot for me but not the strongest candidate.

The only thing I am sure of is that the 2004 or younger candidates are better than the 95-97 guys.

 

[slice me nice2]

Those who want to feed on the hype on Saran are free to do so. Naturally, Saran takes advantage of the influence of his surname and family in sports media. Examples that come to mind include S Sport broadcasting Saran's matches live and some news websites under the influence of Saran group making ridiculous headlines like "Derin Saran on the radar of NBA teams." It can be considered normal for the sports media patron to provide this level of support for his nephew, but someone with a bit of common sense can easily see that this child is being hyped.

For a player in a team whose best graduate in the last 15 years is Luke Nelson from the London Lions, it's laughable that there are discussions about NBA possibilities. It is seriously difficult for players in such low-level NCAA teams to attract attention. If you consider that players who had better statistics than Saran in the past years as freshmen played in the leagues of Finland and Denmark, I am not unjustified. Fifty percent of Saran's opponents will not even have a professional basketball career. What he does against these opponents has no significance to me. I'm not saying these things to criticize Saran. It's unquestionable that the player has skills in areas that make the game enjoyable to watch, such as aggressive cuts, circus shots, and high level ball-handling skill that makes him past opponents. But making a serious career in professional basketball requires much more than these. Right now, he only offers us acrobatic baskets, pursuing rebounds which is not common for his position and high-level ball handling. These are valuable skills, but they are not enough, and they will not be enough. When I talk about being enough or not, I am referring to high-level basketball (FIBA Tournaments - NBA - Euroleague). If he continues to work hard, he could become a player who can find opportunities in teams at the Eurocup level.

Also, I never said anything about Yildizoglu having a perfect pro career. He will play professional basketball, but he is not the player we are looking for at those levels, of course.

I watched him in the U-20 camp. I wonder how an injured player can play in training games. He performed much worse than the Sivas - Cengiz - Tunca trio. Anyway, I hope he proves me wrong and becomes the first NBA player who played at UC Irvine after 40 years.​

 

[slice me nice2]

There is a promising young Turkish player currently playing in Canada, Burak Djamgouz, belongs to '05 generation. As far as I learned, he has not been observed by the Turkish and Canadian national teams yet. I know he is currently 1.93 meters tall, and there is a possibility of growing at least 3-4 more cm's, which would be sufficient for a SG. He is currently playing in high school in Canada. It's too early to position him somewhere right now, but my initial impressions are very positive.

The player is a highly skilled shooter, with a very good shooting percentage. He has performed well in various high school tournaments closely monitored by American college coaches. In the last tournament, he showed an impressive perimeter performance, making 24 out of 33 shots in 5 games. I liked his ball handling skills, and he can produce remarkable shots. The shots he take have a clear equivalent at the pro level.

I appreciate his ball control, and he is not just an ordinary spot-up shooter in youth basketball who can't replicate his shooting in higher levels that we usually see in Turkish youth setups. He likes to use off-the-dribble and seems to be good at it. There's no need to create unnecessary hype, and discussing the pro-basketball upside by thinking the level he currently plays at, but I have seen serious potential in Djamgouz. I hope he makes the right moves for his career.
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[Toruko2]

Was never a big believer in Omercan Ilyasoglu but his shooting stroke is really promising and he is a very good passer in addition. We should keep an eye on him

 

[Toruko2]

Tibet Gorener's player profile has experienced a significant decline in recent years. Originally expected to be a key player in a serious college team like Arizona, he transitioned to a lower-profile college team. Even playing professional basketball last year seemed questionable for him. While stagnation among Turkish players is not newsworthy, it was almost impossible to imagine that a player with such promising potential as Gorener could regress that much. Fortunately, this season, he is experiencing his best season in terms of his own career, signaling that he could at least be a player with a defined role in average teams. We can say that he has returned to basketball.

I like his shooting performance this season; aside from a few bad shooting games, he consistently shoots well and has elevated his role as a shooter, now attempting more off-the-dribble shots. This is a serious positive development. He could be a player who stands out for his shooting ability in mid-tier teams in Turkey. I don't think he will ever reach the Euroleague level, but he is likely to find himself in Eurocup/BCL-level teams with his title as a reliable local shooter. Considering his age of 22 and having the physique of a 17 year old player, along with his limited ball-handling and ball sharing responsibilities which limits him in high-level basketball, starting his European career with a team in the Turkish league in the coming years could be beneficial for him. If he can at least become a Yigit Arslan for us, that would be good.
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He will be much more than Yigit Arslan. He has a much higher motor than Arslan. Yes, his ball handling abilities are restricted at least for a SF but he is a great off-the-dribble shooter who has a good push shot near the rim. He will need to get stronger but getting stronger shouldnt be that tough. He seems to understand that working ones butt off is needed to become a serious player.

I think hell reach the EL eventually premised he keeps working. We need shooters who can catch fire and defend to a certain level if we want to use two big men who cant shoot. He can accelerate in open court and can create his shot and thats all we need. Doesnt give much in terms of passing or rebounding though.

32 points in his last game.

https://twitter.com/EHoopsScouting/status/1747649881680851314

 

[Toruko2]

Was never a big believer in Omercan Ilyasoglu but his shooting stroke is really promising and he is a very good passer in addition. We should keep an eye on him

I watched his last game and he still is that defense less, softy with sloppy ball handling. He is a better ball handler than a Tuncer but still not what we need. He has not fire in him. Such a contact fearing soft ass must a Teodosic offensive output in order to play and he is by far not at his level.

 

[Camoka2]

I just watched Derin's game against Real Madrid. Firstly, he is so weak, specially his lower body. Both Real and Bayern players are so big for their age but he also seemed weak last summer with national team. He did not show anything special. His ballhandling is a problem like Tunca. His defence is below average. But again like with national team, he does not have any big player in the team. I think we should see him with some big players which can play PnR and good defence. This summer with Salih may be good test for him. He has a lot of similarities with Tunca and it is not clear which one has more upside. After Buyuktuncel, we do not have real NBA prospects with the fall of Demir Dogan. I really like Mehmet Efe Demirel, he is real 7 footer. He has range, athleticism and he is a good shot blocker. But Erdem Can did not give him chance. I hope at least one of Tunca or Ustun will reach EL level.

 

[Toruko2]

What a flawless talent Derin Can Ustun is. I am amazed!

I have never seen such a talent since Baris Ermis. Off ball and on ball defense is good (nothing worrisome)
He can create his shot in a very high level being one year younger and he has enough ball handling skills to go to the rim anytime he wants. Touch is great.

He lacks explosiveness to call him an NBA prospect but NBA is possible!

https://twitter.com/canpekerpekcan/status/1751234471553024229

https://twitter.com/canpekerpekcan/status/1751182862907215900

 

[Toruko2]

I just watched Derin's game against Real Madrid. Firstly, he is so weak, specially his lower body. Both Real and Bayern players are so big for their age but he also seemed weak last summer with national team. He did not show anything special. His ballhandling is a problem like Tunca. His defence is below average. But again like with national team, he does not have any big player in the team. I think we should see him with some big players which can play PnR and good defence. This summer with Salih may be good test for him. He has a lot of similarities with Tunca and it is not clear which one has more upside. After Buyuktuncel, we do not have real NBA prospects with the fall of Demir Dogan. I really like Mehmet Efe Demirel, he is real 7 footer. He has range, athleticism and he is a good shot blocker. But Erdem Can did not give him chance. I hope at least one of Tunca or Ustun will reach EL level.

He is one year younger and still 16 years old. He is not weak but young. He didnt have any help in the U16 with the NT. His ball handling skills are not great but also not a problem like Tuncas. You cant expect a 16 year old guy to dominate Real Madrid talents especially not with such a team.

Demir Dogan didnt fall anywhere. He had some health issues and will be back soon. He just isnt that clear NBA prospect but a long term project.

 

[Straight forward2]

From what I see in Derin Can Ustun is that he feels the space very well and tends to shift the directions and tempos instinctively, a good slasher, good finisher inside and he can pass. On the negative rather rigid handles, shot (a bit flat too) and I would like a bit more smoothness in his body generally, doesn't feel like he's elite athlete for Euro standards exactly (but also young so time will ell). Talented, but it's hard to say yet how smooth and athletic he will be once bulked for PRO. Seems like a proper guard with fundamentals as a prospect.

 

[TurkfromGermany2]

I just watched Derin's game against Real Madrid. Firstly, he is so weak, specially his lower body. Both Real and Bayern players are so big for their age but he also seemed weak last summer with national team. He did not show anything special. His ballhandling is a problem like Tunca. His defence is below average. But again like with national team, he does not have any big player in the team. I think we should see him with some big players which can play PnR and good defence. This summer with Salih may be good test for him. He has a lot of similarities with Tunca and it is not clear which one has more upside. After Buyuktuncel, we do not have real NBA prospects with the fall of Demir Dogan. I really like Mehmet Efe Demirel, he is real 7 footer. He has range, athleticism and he is a good shot blocker. But Erdem Can did not give him chance. I hope at least one of Tunca or Ustun will reach EL level.

I usually like your posts a lot but not this time. These games are his first games with his team(he had 1 game in the U19 Aba league), he still doesnt have a license to play in the slovenian U-league. Derin Can Ustun is a special talent for turkish bb. Many people hadnt thought that Alperen was a special player for turkish bb. Same will/could happen with Derin Can. I only saw 3 of this 8 quarters in these 2 games. And i dont think he will have problems with his handle, normally his handle is very good. Derin Can Ustun is the player who will have the ball in his hands in the crucial moments for turkish NT, he will find his teammates, he will drive to the rim and find the best solutions for turkish NT and exactly those skills you cant find in turkish players, exactly those makes Derin Can special for turkish bb and with Omer Kutluay the most important prospect in turkish bb.

 

[Toruko2]

I usually like your posts a lot but not this time. These games are his first games with his team(he had 1 game in the U19 Aba league), he still doesnt have a license to play in the slovenian U-league. Derin Can Ustun is a special talent for turkish bb. Many people hadnt thought that Alperen was a special player for turkish bb. Same will/could happen with Derin Can. I only saw 3 of this 8 quarters in these 2 games. And i dont think he will have problems with his handle, normally his handle is very good. Derin Can Ustun is the player who will have the ball in his hands in the crucial moments for turkish NT, he will find his teammates, he will drive to the rim and find the best solutions for turkish NT and exactly those skills you cant find in turkish players, exactly those makes Derin Can special for turkish bb and with Omer Kutluay the most important prospect in turkish bb.

I dont see a big problem with his ball control either. He has a very solid all around game, offensively as well as defensively.

 

[Toruko2]

And its not just Derin Saran but Kerem Kuthan Konan. Can defend 2-3-4 positions, is a good rebounder, can make open shots, is able to create from low post and is not a bad passer on top of that. You can use him even as your rolling big with his superb athleticism. Just his finishing is still a problem.

He can even use the open court like this. As an almost 2005 born he is really good.

https://twitter.com/canpekerpekcan/status/1751267980397228047

 

[James Laurence2]

I'm not quite sure, Rikh. Those who witnessed Tunceri at EC1999 (aged 20) and E. Arslan at WBC2002 and EC2003 (aged 19) believed these players were exceptional and on the verge of dominance in the near future. I even entertained the idea that Ender Arslan could become an NBA star. However, their trajectory has been disappointing, with each passing year showing a decline rather than improvement. Hakan Demirel and Engin Atsur, touted as promising prospects, appear to be on a similar downward trend, and they have already faded away without reaching their peak. Thus, when discussing a guard prospect, I approach it with caution.
Regards: Capcut Template new trends




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[Camoka2]

I know how important Derin Can is for us and I make my comments for this standards. For our main PG candidate for the next 15 years, unfortunately, I did not see enough flashes. I know he is one year younger but there are a lot of 07 born players in this tournament and he could not seperate himself from others. I did not expect from him to beat Bayern or Real but I expected more spectacular statlines or flashes. His team lost all three games and also, Turkey could not win a game on his shoulder last summer. And that tournament, all guys are 07 born or younger. For example, Alperen played a remarkable game against Nymburk which is fulled of senior Czech National team players when he was 17. Maybe it is not a good example but I am searching for a game showing us that yes, he is better and different than others. I hope I am wrong and he will show us how special he is in the u17 world cup and u18 european championship.

 

[Toruko2]

I have seen enough and I am not disappointed at all. He played a lot and did a fine job making plays.

 

[Toruko2]

https://twitter.com/canpekerpekcan/status/1751570784672182560

My final opinion is that he made a very good job creating for his teammates. Low TOs and secure with the ball. His team doesnt have a proper big so his assist numbers would be even higher than this. In addition to that he was able to get to the rim at any point. He also never forced to the rim, played very smartly.

In terms of shooting he has a really promising mid range jump shot. From the three point line 4/11 shots which is not bad but he has more upside here too. He just needs to get stronger.

We shouldnt take this overestimated ANGT tournament too serious but I like the level he plays right now. Was much more intensiv than the Turkish U19 league.

 

[TurkfromGermany2]

Again, again, again and again.......what we can see in the case of Kerem Konan? Without a real chance the young good potential cant give you production, you must give those players a real opportunity. And its again a foreign coach that giving the turkish player this chance.

Turks have to be smarter to analyze things better. Kerem Konan was the rising star of the 2021-22 season of turkish youth leagues(like Melih Tunca was it in 2022-23) and + he was an absolutely late bloomer(another big advantage). In that season everyone saw that he has bigger potential as Berke Buyuktuncel. In that season you could say Buyuktuncel will at least reach a decent level at pro and Kerem Konan maybe not but in terms of upside their was only 1 answer and this was of course Kerem Konan. But U18 NT coachs target player was Buyuktuncel and Kerem Konan was even not one of the first players of the rotation and 1 year later(2023) he had again no real place in the team and Buyuktuncel was again the star of the team. In reality this is the right way for a U-NT. You must have target player or players and this opportunity made Buyuktuncel a draft candidate. Without coach Fikret Dogan, Buyuktuncel wouldnt be a draft candidate, not even close, not because Buyuktuncel had no potential, the problem was his offensive development over the last 2-3 years.

hahahahaha what a surprise, again a foreign coach creating a player for turkish NT. Yes you must work hard in training and must beat 10 foreign players with 18 years hahahahaha. If you are not good enough with 18 then you cant play and must sit on the bench for 5 years hahahahahah. Only turks believe in this bullshit, reality is completely different, reality is you must protect your prospect, you must show him the way, a rolemodel. This is the difference between Turkiye and Serbia, Greece, Spain, France, Lithuania etc......​