He's a big guy who can shoot and rebounds well. He can defend positions 3-5.

NBA Comp: Karl-Anthony Towns but less athletic

He's a big guy who can shoot and rebounds well. He can defend positions 3-5.

NBA Comp: Karl-Anthony Towns but less athletic

Strengths:

• Has solid size for a bigger four. Stands 6 feet 8.75 without shoes with a 6-foot-11 wingspan and an 8-11 standing reach. Has solid 225-pound frame. Very fluid, functional athlete who plays with great bend and accesses his explosiveness.

• While his strengths aren't overwhelming, there aren't many weaknesses to his game, either. Has a chance to impact the game at different levels. His game flows nicely as a role player. Tennessee was six points per 100 possessions better when he was on the court versus when he was off.

• Didn't shoot well this year but made an impact as a driver. Good at catching pick-and-pops or catching in transition and getting downhill. Despite being nearly 6-9, he can bend and get his hips lower than his defenders to get leverage. Can attack closeouts well, too. Has a nice jab step move and is good at rejecting dribble-handoffs and getting into the lane. Very comfortable with the basketball in his hands.

• Was a solid shooter throughout college. Made only 31% from 3 this year but hit 37.6% as a junior at Charlotte on nearly five attempts per game. Unlikely to be an elite shooter, but should be an effective one. Has a quick release that he gets out of his hands with a lower shooting pocket. Good with his footwork. Sharp in pick-and-pops this year and consistently created space for his teammates before sliding and finding an open area for 3. Will need to improve here, but there isn't anything broken with his shot.

• Understands how to move without the basketball. Very good at relocating in dangerous areas of the defense. Understands how to space the court for his teammates when they're looking to drive. Good screener. Sharp cutter. Has great timing and sets up his cuts with hesitations well. Loves to find backdoor cuts off his own screens. Good along the baseline. Got about one bucket per game off a cut. This is easy to say given who his father is, but he plays like a coach's kid.

• Sharp passer. Not elite, but constantly looks for his teammates and moves the ball promptly. Can drive and kick off closeouts. Had a really good partnership with both Chaz Lanier and Jordan Gainey, finding both in kickouts off quick relocations regularly on his drives. Will get through multiple reads on the interior, going from his first progression to his second to his third depending on where the help is. Averaged 1.9 assists per game versus 1.5 turnovers. Solid numbers given his role in the offense.

• Was solid as a finisher at the rim, too. Made 61.8% of his attempts at the basket in half-court, with many of those coming on drives. Hit over 54% of his layups. Has good touch and maintains his balance through contact. Has a nice array of gathers for a big man but can also load up if necessary.

• I didn't think Milicic was a bad defender this year. Moves reasonably well for a big and knows where he's supposed to be. Steady presence even if he's not disruptive, and generally understands where he is supposed to rotate. Will bump cutters and make sure he's tagging. Very aware of cutters.

• Milicic wasn't switchable, but if he was caught on an island, he could at least work to keep players in front of him. Walls up well if he can stay in front, but even if he can't, gives solid second and third efforts to contest. Not going to be a plus defender, but works hard enough that he won't get crushed.

Areas for Improvement:

• Milicic is between the four and five positions in the NBA. Given his lack of rim protection, he probably has to play the four to stick. I'm not convinced he has perimeter game or speed to do that consistently. Good north-south athlete, but laterally he's questionable.

• Is Milicic good enough at anything to be an NBA player? Or is he merely one of those guys who doesn't take things off the table? The latter is valuable, but the former is the key to sticking. Milicic has a nice, versatile game, but I'm not sure where he's going to make his mark beyond just having outstanding feel.

• On offense, he's not a good enough shooter. He'll be a solid shooter at some point, but he's not there yet. Took only 17 3s from beyond 25 feet and made just three. Again, hit just 31% of his threes this season.

• Will need to improve shooting to unlock his driving ability. If he doesn't shoot, I worry that longer, more athletic defenders in the NBA will completely shut off his ability to get to the rim and get paint touches, thus rendering him ineffective on offense. That would also make him less effective as a passer.

• Defensively, Milicic is solid and moves well for a bigger guy, but I'm skeptical that he moves well enough to deal with perimeter players when playing the four. He had moments where he got blown by this year and had to turn and run in recovery. Not quick laterally. Plays with good bend which allows him to access what he has, but will need to keep getting more athletic.

• Not disruptive on defense. The defense won't break down because of him when he's off the ball, but he wasn't much of a playmaker on that end. Didn't get into passing lanes to force turnovers. Most of his 0.7 steals came from being in the right place at the right time. Averaged 0.7 blocks per game with those tending to either come in recovery or from the weak side. Don't see much upside for him as an NBA five.

Summary:

Where you fall on Milicic likely comes down to philosophy more than anything. If you believe the most valuable role players are those who take the least off the table, then you can squint and probably see some value in Milicic and would be interested in developing him. If you'd rather work with someone who has an elite skill to build off and then try to develop the rest of their game, you probably aren't quite as interested. In the end, I worry that there isn't anything dynamic enough about Milicic's game for him to stick. He is worthy of a two-way deal to see what his game looks like in the NBA next year, but he strikes me more as a guy who stars for a decade in Europe.