Darko Not Ready to be Labeled a Bust Yet
Jonathan Givony
One of the more intriguing early signs coming out of this Eurobasket tournament so far is the apparent rejuvenation of the #2 pick in the 2003 draft, Darko Milicic. After two listless seasons seeing little to no playing time in Detroit's stacked rotation, Darko is beginning to show signs of coming around this summer with his national team by displaying a high level of performance and energy, while, most importantly, being a difference maker for his team in his time out on the floor.
While he's had to scrap and earn every minute he's gotten so far, and even though his teammates still don't appear to trust him enough to actually pass him the ball unless he is really wide open, Darko has found a way to make his presence felt repeatedly for Serbia and Montenegro and show some of the awesome athletic ability and upside that made him the #2 pick to begin with.
Darko has been coming off the bench so far backing up, and often outplaying, New Jersey Nets Center Nenad Krstic. His biggest contributions for his team have been felt mostly on the defensive end and on the glass, where he's been using his mobility and explosiveness to block and alter countless shots around the rim and come up with many momentum changing rebounds on both ends that have been extremely influential for the Serbians in key parts of the games.
Against Israel in the 2nd game, Milicic came off the bench in the 4th quarter with the result of the game still up in the air and sparked a 20-0 run that put the game out of hand for the Israelis. Darko's energy on both ends of the floor were clearly the difference for his team, finishing the game with 11 points, 7 rebounds and 3 blocks in only 14 minutes of action. He finished well around the hoop, knocked down a jumper and got to the line repeatedly.
The best sign for Detroit, beyond his newfound aggressiveness and urgency, has to be Darko's willingness to mix things up inside and do the little things to endear himself to his team. Whether its by setting solid picks, demanding the ball around the basket rather than on the perimeter, moving off the ball and using his height and passing ability to find the open man, Darko has been extremely active and energetic in everything hes trying to do.
He's struggling a bit in the set offense when it comes to placing himself, but this time its not because of a lack of effort. His positioning is not the best, and he doesn't seem too confident at times about knowing what to do and how to move, particularly against zone defenses.