The Sports Xchange

OVERVIEW

Regarded as one of the best athletes on the international circuit, Asik is still obligated to play two more seasons with his current team, Fenerbache Ulker. While an NBA team that drafts him in 2008 will have to patiently wait for his arrival to the United States, they will be comforted by the fact he will be playing for head coach Bogdan Tnjevic, regarded as the best tutor for young big men in Europe.

A neophyte on the senior basketball circuit, Asik played two seasons with the Fenerbahce youth teams. As a member of the Turkish U-20 National Team, he helped the squad win the silver medal at the 2006 European U-20 Championship. He was also loaned to Kadikoy Beledlyesi and then appeared in one game for Alpella Istanbul in 2005-06, scoring two points with a pair of rebounds.

In 2006-07, Asik competed in 30 games for the Alpella organization, where he averaged 9.3 points, 11.2 rebounds, 2.0 blocked shots and 1.2 assists per contest. Asik stood with Alpella Istanbul until December, 2007, signing with Fenerbahce Ulker soon after.

He appeared in seven regular season games, six "Top 16" contests and made two more appearances in the playoffs, where he set a league postseason record by blocking 19 shots in "Top 16" competition. He scored a total of 117 points in 15 games (7.8 ppg), as he also averaged 2.1 blocked shots, 5.5 rebounds and 0.7 steals per game. He shot 60.3 percent from the field and 52.7 percent from the free throw line.

ANALYSIS

Positives: Has a body that is still growing in length and bulk (should peak at more than 7-feet), with a very large wingspan (86-inches) and good standing reach (9'4") ... Has surprising quickness for a player his size, running the court in a manner that draws similarities to the Lakers' Pau Gasol ... Despite facing inferior competition (compared to NBA players), he plays with true aggression and uses his reach and timing well to get in front of a perimeter shooter in attempts to block the shot (holds the Top 16 competition series blocked shot record at 19) ... Physical getting into the lane in attempts to draw contact, but becomes a bit of a liability with poor shooting mechanics at the foul line ... Displays good basketball IQ, as he is usually in the right position to attempt put-backs or go for the rebound ... Applies good pressure as a defender along the perimeter, showing the leaping ability and lateral range to stay in front of his man to prevent penetration ... Has a non-stop motor, especially when manning up and getting physical with opponents in the paint ... Rotates nicely on help defense, thanks to his mobility and range, coupled by his wingspan that lets him get to make quite a few steals in the passing lanes ... Last year, his improved lower body power saw him have much better success when attempting to box out the opponent ... Blue collar type whose offensive game has not yet developed, but he is a good plodder going for the rebound (on either end of the court) or blocked shot, using his lower body power to establish position in the paint ... Not comfortable facing the basket, but has good back-to-the-basket skills, with good second jump ability and elevation for the put-backs from the offensive glass or to put in a resounding dunk ... Shows good body control making off-balanced rebounds ... Scores most of his points underneath, as he is good at pushing out opponents when attacking the rim, finishing strong in the paint ... Must be more creative with his post moves and is still a work in progress shooting from long distance, but has improved his touch when trying to deliver a jump hook from his strong side (still more reliable scoring on dunks and put-backs until he gains more confidence shooting from mid-range) ... Not a great passer, but has soft hands for catch-and-shoot situations, executing nifty pivot moves and can put the ball on the floor for a dribble or two without causing a turnover ... While he waits for his body frame to mature, he knows he might not have the power needed to execute an NBA inside game, but has shown steady improvement playing in the high post, as he is quicker than most big men moving his feet when used on pick-and-rolls ... Uses his length well to keep the ball high and generate the high release point to keep the ball up and over defenders when operating in the post.

Negatives: Like most international players, he has not had the benefit of a quality weight training program and needs to add more bulk and strength in order to be more effective when needing to establish position vs. NBA type forwards in the paint ... Prefers to score under the basket and even with a developing jump hook, he refuses to take more than a few long-range shots, as he is a bit too deliberate and predictable operating at the perimeter (defenses give him space, knowing his shot does not have good long range) ... Good at drawing contact, but has very poor shooting mechanics (shoots from the hip) at the free throw line, making him a liability at the charity stripe ... Needs to be more alert to double teams, as a lot of his turnovers come from his high dribble or when he tries to pass the ball out of traffic ... Perhaps due to his youth, he gets a bit frustrated when he can't create his shot and loses his composure when pressured by more physical forwards ... Tries to draw contact on the way to the rim, but it will more often lead to charging calls ... Too reliant on his right hand as a shooter, lacking any ability to execute his shot from behind the arc ... Must learn how to get his body wide and be more alert to post entry passes ... Lacks an array of offensive moves and might not ever be able to discover a good shooting touch away from the rim ... Good help defender with face-up ability attacking perimeter shooters, but slashers have had success separating from him with good pump and head fakes.

Compares To: NENARD KRSTIC-New Jersey ... Asik lacks the scoring touch that Krstic displayed before his poor performance last year, and might never develop the range needed to score away from the basket. But he is a solid help defender with strong desire to block the opponent's shot or get to the rebound at both ends of the court. He needs to greatly improve his power structure to play at the NBA level, but he might have the time to do so, as reports indicate that he has two years left on his contract with no NBA opt-out clause, making him more likely to be a second-round choice for a team willing to be patient waiting for him to come to the states.

CAREER NOTES

In his last two seasons, Asik averaged 8.8 points per game (397), shooting 54.6 percent from the field (147-of-269) and 49.8 percent from the foul line (102-of-205) ... Grabbed 418 rebounds (9.3 rpg) with 42 assists (0.9 apg), 59 steals (1.3 spg) and 91 blocked shots (2.0 bpg).

2007-08 SEASON

In his first season with the senior team, Asik played in the Turkish All-Star Game ... Saw action in a total of 15 contests after joining Fenerbahce Ulker in December ... Scored 117 points (7.8 ppg) with 82 rebounds (5.5 rpg), grabbing 34 offensive boards, as he handed out six assists, had 11 steals and blocked 31 shots (2.1 bpg) ... Charged with 26 fouls and 21 turnovers ... Scored in double figures in five contests.

2007-08 GAME ANALYSIS

Blocked four shots, grabbed four boards and scored six points in his second game for Fenerbahce Ulker, vs. AXA FC Barcelona ... Grabbed five rebounds with nine points vs. Chorale Roanne and tallied 13 points with nine boards and two blocks vs. Partizan Igokea ... Set a "Top 16" record by blocking 19 shots in six contests, scoring seven points with four boards and four blocks vs. Aris TT Bank, followed by three blocks and seven points vs. Tau Ceramica...Had five blocks, 13 points on 6-of-8 shooting and seven boards vs. Lietuvos Rytas, adding five more blocks and 13 points in the second meeting vs. Aris TT Bank and two blocks and five points in the next match-up vs. Lietuvos Rytas ... Scored 12 points with two rebounds vs. Montepaschi Siena in the playoffs.

2006-07 SEASON

Played in a total of 30 games for Alpella Istanbul, scoring 280 points (9.3 ppg), making 103-of-196 field goals (52.5 percent) and 73-of-150 free throws (48.6 percent) ... Tallied 336 rebounds (11.2 rpg) with 36 assists (1.2 apg) ... Added 48 steals (1.6 spg) and blocked 60 shots (2.0 bpg), but also had 95 turnovers.

2005-06 SEASON

Appeared in one game, scoring two points with two rebounds and two turnovers vs. Beykozspor.

INJURY REPORT

No injury report available.

PERSONAL

Born 4/07/86 ... Resides in Bursa, Turkey.