42. Edgaras Ulanovas, SF, Zalgiris
Nationality/College: Lithuanian
2017-18 stats: 7.3 points, 3.3 rebounds, 1.8 assists per game (Zalgiris)
Career synopsis: Ulanovas has played in Lithuania for his entire career, first with Athletas, Lietkabelis, and Neptunas, and for the past four seasons with Zalgiris where he’s emerged as a productive starter at the Euroleague level.
Representative Highlight Play:
What’s his skill set?: Ulanovas is a 3-and-D wing, through and through. On offense, he’s a 43.2 percent shooter who also is one of Euroleague’s best slashers. Defensively, he gets the ace assignment against the other team’s best perimeter weapon, and also functions as a weak-side rim protector.
What makes him special?: If you were going to make the most stereotypical Zalgiris player in a lab, your testing would spit out Ulanovas. He’s such a classic European player — a deceptively athletic 6-foot-6 wing that can shoot, is a disciplined defender, never gives up on a play, and is one of the best off-ball movers in the league. The clip above isn’t there because of the block Ulanovas secures on Ray McCallum — it’s because he immediately closes out on the player who recovers the ball, cutting off a passing lane as time expires. That’s the type of performance you can expect from Ulanovas. Also he wears number 92, which should be encouraged in basketball in all situations.