Prospect Spotlight: Tomas Satoransky shows ups and downs in Barcelona’s huge win
24-year-old point guard Tomas Satoransky is still a work in progress. His performance in Barcelona’s big away win against Real Madrid in the Euroleague earlier this week encapsulated his strengths and weaknesses as a 6-7 guard who is a living mismatch on the offensive end but struggles against skilled ball-handlers on defense.
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Satoransky was selected 32nd overall by the Washington Wizards in the 2012 NBA Draft and it looks like he’s ready to join the NBA as soon as this season ends, according to reports from The Washington Post.
Offense
Real Madrid coach Pablo Laso decided to defend Satoransky by pairing him up with shooting guard Jaycee Carroll. The former Utah State star is an undersized SG to begin with, so Satoransky was given every opportunity to use his body and score at will in the post. Surprisingly, though, he didn’t even try that as Satoransky likes to get his teammates involved through some classic pick and roll plays. Carroll went under the screen in each one of those situations, showing no respect for Satoransky’s outside shooting. The Czech guard will need to improve his shooting and add some range to it to become efficient from NBA-distance.
As you can see in the clip above, Satoransky’s form is decent, though he could probably use his legs a bit more to improve his efficiency. He is shooting 35.3 percent from distance this Euroleague season, but he is not a serious threat from beyond the arc. His game will enter a new level once defenders are forced to battle through screens if his shot becomes legit, so this is the first thing Satoransky must work in the offseason.
His feel for the game is very good. Satoransky delivered eight assists in 33 minutes, impressive since the criteria for assists is more strict in Euroleague basketball than in the NBA. On this play, Satoransky collapses the defense by penetrating the paint and hits the open man for an easy 3-pointer. It’s not a good defensive sequence from Real Madrid, but the defense had to choose between a fairly easy layup or a corner 3-pointer.
In the next clip, the help is not as aggressive — Satoransky has a taller and stronger defender on him — but he punishes the defense with a classic left-handed layup. His finishing touch with his left hand is decent and that will be useful in the NBA once he is able to get through his man.
As mentioned above, Satoransky is an unselfish player with a great feel for the game. Not only does he move well without the ball and make the correct cut to the basket on the play below, he turns down a layup to set his teammate up with an open dunk. While simple, it shows that Satoransky is a true point guard.
Satoransky finished the game with seven points on 3-8 shooting and eight assists. If he could develop a go-to move in the post and improve from distance, he would have so many different options that would ultimately make him a very dangerous weapon on offense.
Defense
Satoransky’s length could be a nightmare for opposing guards in the NBA. He can force turnovers, deflect lazy passes and change shots at will if he stays with his man. Unfortunately, that’s a big if. The Czech guard had a hard time against former NBA player Sergio Rodríguez, who went on to score 18 points on 7-9 shooting from the field. Rodríguez’s quickness and brilliant handles are difficult to guard for any given player, but Satoransky’s relative lack of mobility was exposed in this game.
Rodríguez has been playing the best basketball of his career for the last couple of years, so you shouldn’t misjudge Satoransky’s defensive struggles in this game. Either way, he could struggle immensely against the elite point-guards in the NBA. Luckily enough for him, his size will be useful if the coach decides to make him defend the opposing SG, like Barcelona’s Xavi Pascual did late in the game.
As pointed above, it could be wise to make him guard other players until he improves his lateral quickness. Satoransky’s versatility will even allow him to defend some SFs if he works on his strength and adds some weight.
His rebounding must improve as well. Satoransky is averaging 2.3 rebounds per game this season and that’s clearly not enough for a player of his size who could help his team on the boards much more.
Overall
Satoransky could already make an impact in the NBA as a role player. He takes care of the ball efficiently and has a good feel for the game, two qualities that would be helpful for most NBA teams with below-average backup point-guards. However, if he wants to fulfill his potential as a player and become a relevant guard in the NBA he has some hard work to do. A go-to move in the post, à la Shaun Livingston, would be incredibly valuable for him given his size.
It’s clear that Satoransky has the skills to improve still improve as a player. He has taken a big step forward over the last two seasons and it will be interesting to keep an eye on his development to see if he can become the player the Wizards want him to be.