Ksistof Lavrinovic

Ksistof Lavrinovic is having the best season of his professional career at the age of 28, ranking 3rd in the Euroleague in points per-40 minutes pace adjusted, first in 3-point shooting accuracy, 5th in blocks, and 2nd in PER.

We’re talking about a typical late blooming big man, who atypically spent two years in jail between 2000 and 2002 with his twin brother Darjus after being convicted of rape, and therefore took a bit longer to burst onto the European scene. Lavrinovic has great size at 6-11, a superb wingspan, and a decent frame that could probably still add weight comfortably. He’s a very good athlete, blessed with solid quickness and leaping ability, who has become a real go-to scorer for Siena this year, averaging 13 points in just 21 minutes of play.

Lavrinovic is Siena’s main post-presence offensively, the player everyone looks to drop for drop-offs as they make their way into the paint. He’s very reliable here, showing nice hands, excellent touch and the athleticism to finish most everything that comes his way underneath the rim, although he struggles at times to finish through contact or with his left hand. He’s not the most advanced shot-creator in terms of showing crafty post-moves or an aggressive back to the basket game, but is rather more of a finisher.

Facing the basket is where Lavrinovic prefers to play the most, though, as his incredible 63% accuracy from behind the arc (on nearly 3 attempts per game) would attest. He can also hit shots from mid-range on pick and pop plays, showing beautiful shooting mechanics and absolutely no hesitation hoisting up everything and anything that comes his way, with the utmost confidence. He’s clearly one of the best big men in Europe when it comes to knocking down shots with his feet set.

When it comes to putting the ball on the floor, though, he struggles, as his ball-handling skills are average and his poor decision making ability gets a bit exposed here. Lavrinovic isn’t what you would call a smooth or fundamental player-- his basketball IQ is not the highest, and he’s not immune to taking bad shots or turning the ball over. He’s not much of a passer, as you can probably guess by the fact that he averages nearly four turnovers for every assist he gets, in fact, he’s a bit of a black hole.

Defensively, Lavrinovic is pretty average. He gets backed down by opposing big men fairly regularly, as he isn’t the toughest or most physical player you’ll find. His feet also aren’t very quick on the perimeter, meaning he struggles defending pick and roll plays, and generally looks very upright in his stance trying to stay in front of player. It’s pretty obvious that his awareness isn’t the best, and he’s extremely foul prone on top of that, which is the main reason he only plays 21 minutes per game. You can’t ignore his physical tools, though, as his size, length and athleticism are all top-shelf for a European big man (the reason he gets so many blocks and steals), and largely allow him to get by in spite of his lack of fundamentals.

As a rebounder, Lavrinovic is mediocre, grabbing only 7.7 rebounds per-40 minutes, which ranks him just 37th in this category in the Euroleague. Considering his physical tools, he should be in the top-10, but his lack of toughness and fundamentals hinder him from doing so.

All in all, Lavrinovic is one of the best offensive big men you’ll find at this level, and could probably take his game to the next level (the NBA) if he so desired. He probably couldn’t play for Gregg Popovich or Jeff Van Gundy, but Don Nelson or Mike D’Antoni would surely be able to find room for him…

Also deserving of some praise are the Lavrinovic twins—Ksystof and Darjus—so identical both in looks and style of play that they cannot be discussed separately. Big, athletic, and skilled enough to knock down mid-range jumpers off screens, static 3-pointers from behind the arc or put the ball on the floor and create their own shot—the twins aren’t the most naturally talented guys in the world in terms of fundamentals or basketball IQ, but they are good finishers around the hoop and very useful guys considering their size and versatility.

This time, the Lavrinovic brothers will not only have the joy of playing together, but also full hands of work being always in rotation for both the PF and C spots. On offense they show their best skills when they are together in the court. The Twins understand each other perfectly and if either of them is open, the pass will come just a millisecond afterwards. They both have a nice stroke from beyond the arc, but fall in love with it too much. When free, the brothers usually make it, but the problem emerges with impatience shooting over defenders and at the same time having nobody under the basket for the rebound. On occasions the Lavrinovic duo shows post moves and plays successfully there, but it’s sort of obvious that they feel better staying further away from contact on offense. Being mobile and athletic for their size, they don’t avoid playing facing the basket or taking their opponents to the hoop. Their athleticism is good enough for the NBA level despite their size, but the brothers don’t use it as much as coaches would like them to. On defense they sometimes lack strength vs. banger type forwards or centers. The Twins usually fish for the blocks of opponents making their way to the basket and are good on help defense. Fine reaction and coordination makes them decent rebounders as well. The problem might be getting into foul trouble as it occurred in some friendly games. As well as some childish mistakes not fitting to players of their caliber.

The preparation for this Eurobasket was harmed again when Ksystof suffered a broken nose 3 weeks before the tournament. Lithuanian fans and him are hoping that the rustiness of skipping 12 days and wearing a mask in the remaining practices won’t be seen in the Championship. The two brothers have a big task both on offence and defense and will see plenty of time to fulfill it. The upside of the twins is well known for Lithuanians, the duo just needs to show it to the masses and Eurobasket is the right place to do so.