Strengths
Peric possesses good athletic abilities, although his movement might seem lackadaisical when he doesn't have the ball in his hands. Despite that initial first impression, though, he is quite an explosive player for his size, especially considering that he is European. He has a very decent vertical leap and loves to finish strong around the basket. He also he has a good wingspan, which allows him to occasionally block a few shots. His first step is above average and good enough to beat his defender off the dribble. Overall, Hrvoje is not an athletic freak at the NBA level, but is clear that his athleticism is one of his best attributes at the moment, and the main reason he is considered a draft prospect along with his size, age and budding skills. Just like most European 19-year old players, though, he is skinny and gets pushed around, but has a good frame and could put some weight on to it without too much trouble.
His ball-handling skills are above average for SF position, just like his court vision and passing abilities. When he penetrates he usually makes smart decisions with the ball in his hands and when he can't find a good chance to score he will often find the open man instead. Peric can create shots for himself and loves to shoot off the dribble, although he isn't particularly polished at this skill right now. He shines in the rebounding department and gets a lot of rebounds defensively and offensively, because of his size, athleticism and the aggressiveness that he shows crashing the boards. He also posses good range on his jumper and can hit the International 3 pointer with good accuracy when he gets open looks, although he is more reliable from mid-range.
Because of his athletic abilities he is a good defensive presence at this level and gets some steals thanks to his wingspan. He reads the passing lines well and is a good shotblocker from the weak side.
Hrvoje has a high basketball IQ and is a very fluid player athletically. At this early stage of his development overall, Peric is a pretty balanced all-around player that can do a little bit of everything.
Weaknesses
He is very good all-round player, but doesn't shine in any particular department expect rebounding. His defensive intensity is far from being good enough and he suffers against quicker players, as he is often forced to guard players who are 4-5 inches smaller than him. He possesses good athletic abilities, but his defensive footwork is average at best.
Unlike on the defensive end, he is pretty aggressive offensively for the most part, but still is prone to disappear for certain stretches of the game at times. He possesses a variety of offensive moves, but has not established an effective go-to-move as of right now. His shooting mechanics aren't particularly good and his release could be faster, as he is far from being a reliable enough shooter at this point, especially from 3 point land. On offense he is a little too turnover prone, which is mainly due to his lack of strength. He is often in foul-trouble, which is a bit odd considering that he is a perimeter oriented player.
Like some guys from this area he seems to have problems with his attitude and lack of confidence, just one bad play is sometimes enough for him to lose all of his self-confidence. Becoming stronger mentally and working hard will be a key part to his development as a player.
Competition
He plays alongside Roko-Leni Ukic at Split, in a very solid Adriatic league team. This season he is averaging 10ppg and 4rpg in around 20mpg, while shooting 45% from the field and around 30% from downtown. He started playing basketball in his hometown Dubrovnik, but moved to Split soon after and was playing for some lower league teams before joining Split's senior team last season. He was also member of the Croatian junior team in the World Championships two years ago, but did not play a big role here.
Outlook
He looks like he could develop into first round material eventually, but it's impossible to guess at this point exactly what type of player he will end up as and whether he will fulfill his potential. He will need a lot of work before making the jump to the NBA, which should be his goal considering his upside. Players with the athleticism, size and knowledge of the game like Peric are highly rated in the European mold, but in his case there are some flaws about his attitude and work ethic. Recently, he was suspended and forced to play with the junior team for a while, because he was not working hard enough during training. Eventually, he came back and played better than before, so maybe he learned his lesson. Anyhow, next season will be crucial for Peric's development, because some of Split's main players like Roko Leni-Ukic should be gone and Peric could become the go-to-guy for his team. Peric is not expected to even test the waters this year. At only 19 years of age, he has plenty of time to worry about that.
Comments
In my opinion, in terms of pure talent, Peric is a more talented player then another highly-rated Croatian guard, Marko Tomas. The problem is that he doesn't look like he is fully concentrated on basketball and I am a little pessimistic about his future because of that, even if he has shown some progress lately. Peric is one of those players who are a pleasure to watch, because you never know what he is going to do next. Sometimes he will perform like a star, while in others he will look like a 12th man. That's my biggest concern about him right now, he is badly lacking in consistency, even throughout the same game you often can't believe that is the same player you are watching. He needs a couple more years in Europe before thinking about the NBA, where his style of play will fit perfectly in my opinion.
Facts
He won the Croatian Championship and Croatian Cup with Split in the two previous seasons and was invited to the All-star game last year, which mainly serves to promote young Croatian talents.
Peric possesses good athletic abilities, although his movement might seem lackadaisical when he doesn't have the ball in his hands. Despite that initial first impression, though, he is quite an explosive player for his size, especially considering that he is European. He has a very decent vertical leap and loves to finish strong around the basket. He also he has a good wingspan, which allows him to occasionally block a few shots. His first step is above average and good enough to beat his defender off the dribble. Overall, Hrvoje is not an athletic freak at the NBA level, but is clear that his athleticism is one of his best attributes at the moment, and the main reason he is considered a draft prospect along with his size, age and budding skills. Just like most European 19-year old players, though, he is skinny and gets pushed around, but has a good frame and could put some weight on to it without too much trouble.
His ball-handling skills are above average for SF position, just like his court vision and passing abilities. When he penetrates he usually makes smart decisions with the ball in his hands and when he can't find a good chance to score he will often find the open man instead. Peric can create shots for himself and loves to shoot off the dribble, although he isn't particularly polished at this skill right now. He shines in the rebounding department and gets a lot of rebounds defensively and offensively, because of his size, athleticism and the aggressiveness that he shows crashing the boards. He also posses good range on his jumper and can hit the International 3 pointer with good accuracy when he gets open looks, although he is more reliable from mid-range.
Because of his athletic abilities he is a good defensive presence at this level and gets some steals thanks to his wingspan. He reads the passing lines well and is a good shotblocker from the weak side.
Hrvoje has a high basketball IQ and is a very fluid player athletically. At this early stage of his development overall, Peric is a pretty balanced all-around player that can do a little bit of everything.
Weaknesses
He is very good all-round player, but doesn't shine in any particular department expect rebounding. His defensive intensity is far from being good enough and he suffers against quicker players, as he is often forced to guard players who are 4-5 inches smaller than him. He possesses good athletic abilities, but his defensive footwork is average at best.
Unlike on the defensive end, he is pretty aggressive offensively for the most part, but still is prone to disappear for certain stretches of the game at times. He possesses a variety of offensive moves, but has not established an effective go-to-move as of right now. His shooting mechanics aren't particularly good and his release could be faster, as he is far from being a reliable enough shooter at this point, especially from 3 point land. On offense he is a little too turnover prone, which is mainly due to his lack of strength. He is often in foul-trouble, which is a bit odd considering that he is a perimeter oriented player.
Like some guys from this area he seems to have problems with his attitude and lack of confidence, just one bad play is sometimes enough for him to lose all of his self-confidence. Becoming stronger mentally and working hard will be a key part to his development as a player.
Competition
He plays alongside Roko-Leni Ukic at Split, in a very solid Adriatic league team. This season he is averaging 10ppg and 4rpg in around 20mpg, while shooting 45% from the field and around 30% from downtown. He started playing basketball in his hometown Dubrovnik, but moved to Split soon after and was playing for some lower league teams before joining Split's senior team last season. He was also member of the Croatian junior team in the World Championships two years ago, but did not play a big role here.
Outlook
He looks like he could develop into first round material eventually, but it's impossible to guess at this point exactly what type of player he will end up as and whether he will fulfill his potential. He will need a lot of work before making the jump to the NBA, which should be his goal considering his upside. Players with the athleticism, size and knowledge of the game like Peric are highly rated in the European mold, but in his case there are some flaws about his attitude and work ethic. Recently, he was suspended and forced to play with the junior team for a while, because he was not working hard enough during training. Eventually, he came back and played better than before, so maybe he learned his lesson. Anyhow, next season will be crucial for Peric's development, because some of Split's main players like Roko Leni-Ukic should be gone and Peric could become the go-to-guy for his team. Peric is not expected to even test the waters this year. At only 19 years of age, he has plenty of time to worry about that.
Comments
In my opinion, in terms of pure talent, Peric is a more talented player then another highly-rated Croatian guard, Marko Tomas. The problem is that he doesn't look like he is fully concentrated on basketball and I am a little pessimistic about his future because of that, even if he has shown some progress lately. Peric is one of those players who are a pleasure to watch, because you never know what he is going to do next. Sometimes he will perform like a star, while in others he will look like a 12th man. That's my biggest concern about him right now, he is badly lacking in consistency, even throughout the same game you often can't believe that is the same player you are watching. He needs a couple more years in Europe before thinking about the NBA, where his style of play will fit perfectly in my opinion.
Facts
He won the Croatian Championship and Croatian Cup with Split in the two previous seasons and was invited to the All-star game last year, which mainly serves to promote young Croatian talents.
Comments