New Orleans Pelicans Draft: 5 International Prospects for the 2nd Round

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Marko Simonovic of Serbia could be a 2nd round pick for the New Orleans Pelicans (Photo by Zhizhao Wu/Getty Images) /

New Orleans Pelicans International Prospects: Marko Simonovic

Marko Simonovic- KK Mega Bemax

The Denver Nuggets made one of the best draft picks of all time when they took Nikola Jokic in the second round.

He has since evolved into the ideal modern big man and made first team All-NBA, which should give teams some hope that there is value in the second round.

Marko Simonovic comes from KK Mega Bemax, which not only produced Jokic, but also Ivica Zubac and Goga Bitadze, so they have a history of developing big men for the NBA.

If Simonovic makes it as an NBA player, it will be because of his scoring. At 6-foot-11, he made just over 31% of his 3-point shots and shoots over 80% from the free throw line, a stat that usually translates to better outside shooting.

He’s not a banger, and is not the type of guy that is going to play physical under the hoop, but he is smooth in the pick-and-roll and has good athleticism for his size.

He doesn’t have great strength, but he has a nice shooting stroke and runs the floor well for a big man.

He’s not faced the best competition, so this would be somewhat of a leap of faith, but you could say the same of Jokic and many other international stars.