The Euro Stash: Bolden and Lessort Square Off

Jonah Bolden-

Drafted 2^nd Round 36^th Overall 2017 PF/C

Plays for Maccabi FOX Tel Aviv (Euroleague/Israeli Premier League)

I was very excited to see that stash picks Jonah Bolden and Mathias Lessort were squaring off against one another last week in a Euroleague fixture. I was hoping to watch a fast paced slug fest between these two teams, and these tow Sixers stashes. However, my dreams were shattered very quickly as the two weren’t matched up on one another, and Bolden got in to foul trouble early and sat for most of the game, only recording 1 point, and 7 rebounds. Bolden didn’t neccesarily have a bad game, he just didn’t play enough consistent minutes to get in to any sort of groove. He only attempted one shot from the field, and he was fouled (he made one of two free throws, for his sole point in the game). I’m expecting him to bounce back against AX Armani, who sit second to last in the Euro standings. His main highlight was this nifty behind the back pass to a cutter for an easy two points.

Mathias Lessort-

Drafted 2^nd Round 50^th Overall 2017 PF/C

Plays for Crvena Zvezda (Euroleague/Adriatic League)

In the battle of the stash picks, Mathias Lessort had himself a decent game as the high flying Frenchman put up 10 points and 3 rebounds including this murderous block on Maccabi center Alex Tyus

Mathias did something I’ve yet to see him do all Euro season, he actually took a jumpshot!! He missed, but he took it!

While Lessort is full of bounce and energy, if he wants to try and make it across the Atlantic and in to the NBA, he’s going to need to find some sort of jump shot so opposing teams don’t just sag off him completely. There’s still ample time for him to work on this and progress into a more modern day power forward.

Lessort was also just named to the French FIBA World Cup team! So coagulations to Mathias!

Anzejs Pasecniks-

Drafted First Round 25^th Overall 2017 (acquired from Magic via trade) Center

Plays for Herbalife Gran Canaria (EuroCup/Liga ACB)

Over the last few articles a lot of people have been commenting “oh we could’ve gotten Kuzma instead of Pasecniks!” and I think it’s time to finally address how looney the trade up for Pasecniks was. I get that they might’ve been trying to draft even more Embiid insurance, just in case something tragic happened, but with the state of our roster and our severe lack of wings, it BAFFLES me that we traded up to draft another foreign center, instead of one of multiple shooting wings that were still on the draft board including Kyle Kuzma and Josh Hart. The more I think about it, the more mind boggling it seems that we actually traded up for Pasecniks. Now, I’m not saying Pasecniks is a lost cause, but with our current roster, and our projected roster moving forward, it makes virtually no sense to me why we would draft another “big man project” instead of a young wing prospect.

Anyway, Anzejs is still averaging 5 points and 3 rebounds a game, and he’s still tall.

Vasilije Micic-

Drafted 2^nd Round 52^nd Overall 2014

Plays for Žalgiris (Euroleague/Lithuanian Basketball League)

Micic currently sits at 11^th in the Euroleague standings in assists per game (one spot ahead of Pierre Jackson) and yeah he’s really not doing much else.

The Others:

Hollis Thompson- Uhhhhhhh if you want me to make you happy… I won’t tell you that Hollis is shooting 26% from three-point territory and I also won’t tell you that he’s only made 5 three-pointers over the span of his last 11 games. No more bad thoughts no more bad thoughts. Just watch this and forget I said anything

Sergio Rodriguez- El Chacho is shooting… wait for it… he is shooting… I can’t believe I’m about to say this… Sergio “El Chacho” Rodriguez is shooting 49.2% FROM THREE. FORTY NINE POINT TWO. WHAAAAAT? It’s not like he’s being selective with his shots either, he’s jacked up 118 threes so far in his nineteen games player, and he’s made 58 of them (averaging six 3PA a game, making an average of three of them). I feel cheated knowing he’s over in Russia putting up these kind of percentages, when last year he subjected us to 36% three-point shooting and 7 points a game.

Pierre Jackson has been on a mission as of late. Pappy Gawd has been averaging 18 over his last six games, including a season high 29 against Luka Doncic and Real Madrid.

#THEYSLEEP

Chukwudiebere Maduabum is coming off back to back 9 and 5 games for the Cyberdyne Ibakari Robots. Enjoy a throwback to when he was drafted by the Lakers in 2011 (his rights were later traded to Denver, and then to the Sixers in 2015. His rights are now actually owned by the Cavs, I think it’s time for LeBron to bring out Chu Chu’s full potential).