Video: Roko Who? Raptors Croatian Rookie Showing Some Razzle Dazzle!

Roko Ukic Toronto Raptors Guard

November 27 – Dr. Anklesnap

Unless you are a die hard Toronto Raptors fan you probably have never heard of the rookie point guard “Roko Ukic.” Raptors GM Bryan Colangelo and his staff are well on their way to being known league wide as the executive scouting team who find diamonds in the rough internationally. While the management of many NBA teams heavily scout internationally, specifically Europe these days, most teams don’t pull the trigger as quickly or as frequently on draftees from Europe as the Raptors.

And for good reason, there are risks involved. If you draft a player from Europe he won’t necessarily come to play in the NBA right away….or EVER for that matter. Croatian born, Roko Ukic is the perfect example of this as he was originally drafted to the NBA by the Toronto Raptors back in 2005 out of Croatia. For fear he wouldn’t see much playing time and develop properly, Ukic decided to stay in Europe to play in the Spanish League. He changed teams three times since 2005 before finally signing a 3-year contract this summer with the Toronto Raptors.

Technically this is his first year in the NBA so he is considered to be a rookie. However he is a fairly experienced rookie with plenty of professional experience overseas. He has started this season a bit slow due to the fact he was playing behind point guards Jose Calderon and Will Solomon. Roko has seen his playing time increase the last couple games due to the slight hamstring strain of Jose Calderon and poor play out of backup Solomon. Personally, i’ve been fairly impressed with the play of Roko Ukic thus far. He has long arms and a great wingspan for his size, great foot speed, excellent court vision and already is showing he can bring a bit of flair and energy off the bench. He may not have put a huge stamp on the box scores as of yet, but as those that have been watching will know he’s certainly made his mark on the past couple of games for the Raps.

This video sequence is an example from last night’s game between the Toronto Raptors and the Charlotte Bobcats of the type of energy Roko Ukic has been bringing off the bench the last couple of games.

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Comments

http://hoopheadsnorth.blogspot.com romes

Roko OOOO-kic! Give him time, he should turn to be a good player for the Raps…
cuzzy

I like his chances to be a good player. You have to remember Calderon looked lost his first few seasons. Sweet pass to BOsh.
http://dinonationblog.com James Borbath AkA The Dino Blogger

Given the lofty and unrealistic expectations of Raptor Fans(Some) I am guessing they are not happy with Roko to this point. He is a lot like Jose in the sense that he really has no shot to speak of at this point. The exciting thing is that he has the makings of being a much better defender than Jose. Who is just not any kind of a defensive force. If Roko can improve he would make a nice partner to Calderon with some different skills to bring to the table.

But I still think the Raptors made a huge error in not bringing in an experienced vet to play behind Jose it is clear that Will Solomon is not that guy. A Damon Stoudamire would have been a nice fit with a cool return home feel to it for the Raptors. But Roko does show signs of the makings of a decent point guard. The problem is the Raptors need someone to spell Jose Calderon now and that can’t or shouldn’t be a rookie that is raw like Roko.
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Dr. Anklesnap

@James

I agree on the defensive abilities. Although Roko can get overpowered at times by stronger point guards like a Chauncey Billups, he has long arms and quick hands and feet. Thus far that has worked out to a few nice steals for fast breaks at key moments for the raps.

It will be interesting to see moving forward if he will improve his physical strength and be a great all around defender in the future.
http://dinonationblog.com James Borbath AkA The Dino Blogger

I agree I have 0 idea of this being true and I hate to spread trade rumours. But I heard some wacky idea of a Nash for Jose trade. If you honestly think Roko could be a starter in this league someday that would be a hell of an interesting trade. Nash gets his glory run in Canada and Roko is ready to take over. But I am not sure if I am that sold on roko to make that move.

It also would add a heck of a lot more cap space in 2010 for Raptors. I think from the math to work Raptors would need to deal a Kapono or Parker as well to match the salary. But just on surface it was something that made me go wow that would be interesting.
TrueRapsFan

Slow down here everyone…. Roko has looked completely lost in almost every game so far. He has not proven he can shoot and he has not proven he can finish at the rim. He has not proven he can play defense… and 1 behind the back pass doesn’t mean this guy has a guaranteed future. The only thing Roko has proven is that he knows how to jump with the ball in his hands before he has anyone to pass to. Roko may show some signs of promise, and I really hope he does pan out to be a 2nd Jose Calderon… but just because he is playing similarily crappy to Jose’s rookie year, doesn’t mean he will turn into Jose.

And to Dino Blogger…. Jose for Nash? Serious? Not in this lifetime. More like Nash plays in canada as Jose’s back up for his final few years.
TrueRapsFan

Sorry I’m not doubting Nash’s ability, and he should have been a 3 time MVP…. but Jose is almost as good and much younger. Its as simple as that. From what I understand, Nash already mentioned finishing his career in Canada… and if he did he would be Jose’s back-up.
Dr. Anklesnap

@TrueRapsFan

…..you had me until “Nash plays in Canada as Jose’s back up…”

Maybe i’m missing some sarcasm there? You may want to wait until Jose becomes an all-star for the first time before you proclaim a two time mvp as his ‘back-up’…..
http://www.carmeloanthony.com/ Melo_Time

Jose’s got game but he’s still not even close to as good as Nash is right now, even if his game is a bit declined. Nash on the Raps right now instead of Jose would make them a contender for the title.
Downtown_Showdown

I just need to correct you on something: Ukic was drafted by that idiot of a GM named Rob Babcock, so technically, the props for this pick does not go to Colangelo. I know it was Colangelo’s regime that brought him to Toronto, but it was Babcock who drafted him.