Overview

One of the best-kept secrets on the European circuit, Barac's offensive development matches that of his athletic frame. He's grown more than four inches during the past two years and added bulk prior to the 2006-07 season.

The result was a newfound, yet still-developing offensive game, as he more than tripled his scoring average and blocked shot total and doubled his rebounding numbers from the previous season.

Personal

Born 8/13/86...Resides in Mostar, Bosnia.

A member of the Croatian junior national team, Barac also played at the 2005 Under-20 European Championship in Russia and at the 2006 U-20 European Championship in Turkey. In the 2006 series, he scored 56 points and shot 64.1 percent from the field (25 of 39) with 27 rebounds, five assists and four blocked shots in five contests.

In 2004-05, he appeared in 12 games for Siroki ERONET II, but managed just 18 points, six rebounds, two blocked shots and 20 Personal fouls in just 71 minutes of action. In 2005-06, Barac had increased role, playing in 24 games for a total of 317 minutes (13.2 per game). He shot 56.9 percent from two-point range (37 of 65) and made 23 of 40 free throws for 79 points, an average of four points per game. He grabbed 79 rebounds, blocked 13 shots and had five assists, but was charged with 63 fouls and 17 turnovers. The team won the Bosnian National Cup that year.

Hard work in the training room paid off for Barac during his 2006-07 season with Siroli Brijeng. He finished second in the Adriatic League with 184 rebounds (7.1 rpg) and third with 47 blocked shots (1.8 bpg) in 26 contests. He scored 338 points on 111 of 204 shooting (54.4 percent) from two-point range and hit on 14 of 39 3-pointers (32 percent) while making 74 of 110 free throws for an average of 13 points per game. He handed out 37 assists, had 19 steals with 61 turnovers and fouled 92 times.

Barac averaged 17.8 minutes, 7.3 points, 4.3 rebounds, 0.7 assists and 1.0 blocked shots over his last 62 games. He registered 21 steals with 175 fouls and had 81 turnovers during that three-year span.

Scouting Report

Positives: Developing talent who added over four inches and 25 pounds to his frame in the past two years...Best when playing with his back to the basket, but shows decent ball-handling skills for a big man and is starting to develop a good shooting form from outside the paint...Uses his long arms well to alter the opponent's shot or take his man off the dribble...Uses his body effectively to get position working under the basket and showed better aggression in his game, especially in attempts to box his man out last season than he did in the past...Does not hesitate to toss his elbows around when he needs to get physical on the defensive boards...For a big man, he has an impressive jump shot when firing from the perimeter, but needs to generate a quicker release point on 3-point attempts...Has most of his scoring success in the paint, using his size well to crash the boards for putbacks...When he gets the ball in the low post, he will generally take the baby hook with his right hand, but has also shown decent ability finishing with his left hand...Still needs to generate better elevation, but uses his length and timing well to alter the opponent's shots...Surprises the defender with his ability to take the ball and slash to the basket...Has an unorthodox release point, but likes to deliver the static jumpers from behind the arc and hit on 35.9 percent of his attempts from this area last season...While stiff in his lateral movement, he shows good footwork in the paint...Can finish with either hand when playing the low-post game, but still could use some polish with his game here...Patient shooter who will rarely force the situation and shows decent court vision, and is quick to recognize the slightest of openings in the defense.

Negatives: Needs to continue working on overall conditioning, as he tires easily during games, which resulted into reduced minutes until last year...Is a typical, slow, plodding European center and lacks the speed and stamina to get up and down the court without being a few steps behind...Gets taken off his game when having to move laterally to the ball...Is too stiff in his hips to redirect without having to gather...Looks sluggish handling defensive switches and must learn to stay in front of his man to prevent the opponent from slashing to the basket when asked to provide perimeter defense...Gets out of control trying to strip the opponent of the ball and had quite a bit of foul trouble due to this issue in 2006-07...Too stiff in his body to get low and take his man off the dribble...Can put the ball on the floor for a few dribbles, but quicker defenders have good success stripping him from the ball...Has increased his bulk, but his strength is still marginal by NBA standards...Strong under the basket because of his lower base, but can be shoved around when the opponent attacks...Lacks quick reactionary ability and will bite on good hesitation moves or pump fakes.

Compares To: RASHO NESTEROVIC, Toronto. Some scouts liken Barac to Mehmet Okur (Utah), but he doesn't have anywhere near the quick release or shooting touch the Utah center displays. Like Nesterovic, he is slow-footed for the NBA game, but he does show decent range and uses his length to block shots. He could be a nice change of pace that draws a few fouls, blocks a few shots and alters a few. Must improve his overall strength and needs to get a little quicker up and down the court while also improving his stamina.

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