UPDATE: The trade for Pasecniks is now official, according to the Sixers.
According to multiple reports, the Sixers have moved back into the first round by acquiring the rights to 25th-overall pick Anzejs Pasecniks of Latvia from the Magic in exchange for a pair of future picks.
The deal is not official yet, but it's expected to include the 2020 first-round pick the Sixers acquired from the Thunder in the Jerami Grant trade (with heavy protections) and the better of either the Nets or Knicks 2020 second-round pick.
In Pasecniks, the Sixers got an agile 7-foot-2 big man with a nice touch and the ability to finish. And while he's also been called soft in the post, he's still filling out.
Born very late in 1995, Pasecniks' frame has taken time to properly fill out. Once very frail, he's put on quite a bit of weight since moving to Gran Canaria in Spain in the summer of 2015. After somewhat of a quiet first season getting acclimated to living abroad for the first time as a 19-year old, Pasecniks has exploded in his sophomore season in the ACB, ranking in the top-10 in the competition in PER, pumping in a point every two minutes on tremendous efficiency. Taking advantage of frontcourt injuries, he's playing close to 20 minutes per game in his last ten contests (both in the EuroCup and ACB), drawing quite a NBA executives to exotic Las Palmas, the capital of the Canary Islands, off the coast of Morocco.
Now listed at 220 pounds, Pasecniks has a frame that can continue to carry more weight, as he's well-proportioned in the upper and lower body. Despite standing a towering 7'2, Pasecniks has tremendous agility for someone his size, covering ground fluidly and being extremely light on his feet. He runs the floor well, is quick off the ground, and can play above the rim with ease, often catching lobs in impressive fashion. [draftexpress.com]
Here's another scouting report from Jeremy Woo of SI.com:
Strengths: There aren’t many young 7’2” basketball players hanging around anywhere in the world. Pasecniks has displayed outstanding mobility and solid offensive skills in his workouts for teams. He excels catching lobs and finish around the basket and could be a dangerous pick-and-pop player as he continues to improve his jumper. He has the foot speed to defend adequately and can get off the ground to block shots. Impressively, he can put the ball on the floor and attack the rim, too.
Weaknesses: Pasecniks needs to continue bulking up in order to defend the post. He’s a late bloomer and relatively inexperienced. Accordingly, his fundamentals, particularly on defense, need refinement. His defensive rebounding numbers weren’t great. But there aren’t many standout centers in this class, and an NBA team will invest knowing they can let him develop further before bringing him over. There are pieces of a good player here, but they’re still just pieces for now. [si.com]
And now, some highlights:
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