Over the past few weeks, I’ve discussed Eurosyndrome. I’ve defined Eurosyndrome as a disease that some European—or European-based—players suffer from that allows them to succeed in Europe, but prevents them from succeeding in the NBA. Last week I ran Milos Teodosic through the test and he passed. For this post, I am going to run two more players through the test and see how they do. One of the players is a teammate of Teodosic’s, Aaron Jackson, and the other is Cedi Osman.
We’ll run Osman through the test first. Osman is a 21-year-old Macedonian-born Turkish wing who currently plays for Anadolu Efes Istanbul. His draft rights are owned by the Cleveland Cavaliers due to the trade that sent Tyus Jones to the Timberwolves.
The first test is the numbers test. To be more specific, is Osman succeeding in Europe by boasting a high usage rate which results in a high PER? In the past four season’s (not including the current season and excluding the 2012-13 season as he only played three games), Osman’s average usage rate was 18.74 and his average PER was 13.03. The usage rate is a good number for Osman but his PER is a little low.
For PER, the player should usually be in the 14-18 range so Osman’s 13.03 doesn’t make the cut. So does Osman pass this test? That would be a yes.
To break the tie, I looked at the numbers Osman is posting for the current season. His usage rate of 23.81 is a little high but with his rise in usage, his PER has risen to 21.74. This indicates that Osman improves as he uses the ball more and can still impact the game when he has the ball less.
For the second test, we have to evaluate if Osman’s best skill is his ability to score, which isn’t usually a good sign. If a player is creating for himself mainly through isolation, he can struggle in the NBA. Fortunately for Osman, that isn’t his true strength. He is more of a catch and shoot player who can also hurt teams on the fast break. Osman is shooting 40 percent from downtown this season and 34 percent for his career. Each season Osman has improved his accuracy from deep which is great for a prospect like him. This is his calling.
In this clip, Osman showcases his ability to shoot a three off the dribble after using a ball-screen.
In this clip, we see Osman bury a catch and shoot three after the ball was swung around after some PnR action.
I also said that Osman is a player who can cause problems for opponents in transition. On this play, Osman grabs the defensive rebound and then goes coast-to-coast, attacking the backpedaling Victor Rudd and then euro-stepping around him for an easy lay-up.
The last test is whether or not Osman has shown flashes of laziness on defense, which he hasn’t. Osman is a solid defender who seems to almost enjoy playing defense. He also has a lot of potential on the defensive end due to his combination of size, length, and quickness. Osman is 6’8” and weighs 215 pounds (he weighed 190lbs in 2015). He’s got quick feet as well so when you combine his physical tools with his desire on the defensive end, he could be a fantastic Three-and-D guy in the NBA one day.
The final diagnosis for Osman is that he does not suffer from Eurosyndrome.
The next player we’ll discuss is Aaron Jackson.
Jackson is an interesting case as he’s clearly a skilled player, but he plays for CSKA Moscow. That’s not a bad thing in theory. They are the reigning Euroleague champions. But this means he’s stuck behind Teodosic and last year’s MVP, Nando De Colo, in the rotation.
This brings us to an interesting scenario. When NBA teams try to recruit players from overseas, they usually try to get a star caliber player and make him a rotation guy. Because of Eurosyndrome, this doesn’t work that much. So why don’t NBA teams pursue quality rotation players in Europe, like Jackson? The answer could be that rotation players like Jackson also suffer from Eurosyndrome. Let’s find out to see if this checks out.
Jackson passes the numbers test with flying colors. He boasts a career usage rate of 16.07 in international play and a PER of 14.5. What’s most impressive is that Jackson has managed to post these numbers while playing alongside high usage guards the entire time he’s been with CSKA. Teodosic and De Colo are the current guards he plays alongside but in the past, he’s also played with Sonny Weems and Jeremy Pargo. The ability to thrive alongside stars is something nearly all players going from Euroleague to the NBA need to succeed.
Also, Jackson’s best skill is not his ability to score. His best skill is probably how well-rounded a defender he is. Jackson is 6’4” and weighs 185 pounds which means he’s big enough to guard NBA point guards. In addition, his speed and length could allow him to switch onto other perimeter players when necessary. He’s also got great anticipation skills and is nearly perfect when it comes to help defense principles.
In this first clip, Jackson plays game winning lockdown on-ball defense here for CSKA Moscow.
In this clip, Jackson helps off his man just enough to force the pass and then anticipates it for a steal. From there, he goes all the way to the other end and finishes the fast break lay-up.
Jackson isn’t just a great defender, he’s also a knockdown shooter. He’s shooting 38 percent from behind the arc for his career and a good portion of those shots come from open catch and shoot opportunities. This is a luxury Jackson would have in the NBA as well, giving him the chance to really show off that sweet shooting stroke.
Aaron Jackson can also isolate and get to the rim when given the opportunity.
Here, Jackson uses the on-ball screen to set himself up for an off the dribble three.
Jackson is also a huge threat in the pick and roll because he knows when to both attack the rim and hit the roll man for an easy lay-up. On this play, he neglects the ball screen presented to him and then changes speed and direction, weaving all the way through Maccabi’s defense and getting to the rim for a lay-up.
In this last, extensive clip we can really see just how talented a player Jackson is. In the first highlight, he manufactures a bucket on Maccabi’s center, Alex Tyus (one of the best shot blockers in Europe) on him. He then shows a level of anticipation, determination, and competitiveness that would make Chris Paul gasp with an incredible backcourt steal to set his teammate up for an easy lay-up. Later in the clip, we see him isolate and knock down a game winning turn around 12-foot jumper as well.
With it being obvious that Jackson passes the defense test, I’ll point out something about him that deserves recognition. It’s clear Jackson cares about winning more than anything.
Aaron Jackson could be a star point guard for probably 75 percent of the teams in Euroleague and grab some All-Euroleague first/second team awards. However, instead, he settles to be a back-up to Teodosic and De Colo. There’s really only one reason why he would do that, and that’s because he wants to win championships and help his team in anyway he can.
So if you’re an NBA team, looking for that back-up combo guard that could give some real fire power to your bench… Why wouldn’t you look to sign Aaron Jackson?
