Lazar Stojkovic Scouting Report

Lazar Stojkovic

Position: Forward/Center

Team: KK Crvena Zvezda (Serbia)

Class: International

Height/Weight: 7'0", 228 lbs

Birthdate: October 22, 2007

Player Overview

Lazar Stojkovic is an intriguing modern big man prospect with legitimate perimeter skill, feel, and offensive versatility for his size. He’s a fluid, mobile 7-footer who can stretch the floor, make reads, and put the ball on the floor, giving him a “big with guard skills” profile that NBA teams will keep tracking as his body and physicality catch up to his talent level.

"You don’t see many 7-footers with Stojkovic’s level of skill and feel. If his body comes along, he’s got a real chance. The upside is high." — Matt Babcock, NBA Draft Analyst

Strengths

• Skill package for size: Comfortable handling, attacking space, and creating angles off the bounce.

• Touch and scoring versatility: Soft touch in the mid-range and around the rim; can finish inside with both hands.

• Floor spacing: Capable 3-point shooter and can punish closeouts with straight line drives.

• Feel and decision-making: High basketball IQ; processes the defense quickly and sees options before committing.

• Passing: Willing passer with above-average vision for his size; can facilitate from the mid-post and in motion.

• Functional movement: Mobile, fluid athlete who runs the floor well and gets up and down.

• Ball security and technique: Keeps the ball high in the post and mid-post, which helps him survive swipes and traffic.

• Defensive versatility: Moves well enough to hang with some guards and wings in space; contests and bothers shots inside and out; shows some shot-blocking flashes.

  
  

Concerns

• Strength and physicality. He needs to get significantly stronger; he struggles to finish through contact, gets knocked off his spots, and can look uncomfortable in traffic.

• Rim protection translation: Not an explosive athlete, and he doesn’t project as a true rim protector at the NBA level.

• Perimeter defense translation: While he can survive on the perimeter right now, it’s questionable how well that holds up against higher-level athletes and shot creators.

• Shooting mechanics and pace: At times, he looks hesitant and/or his release can run a bit long, which may impact his ability to get clean attempts versus quicker closeouts.

  
  

Bottom Line

Stojkovic is a high-upside, skilled big man with the kind of ball skills, touch, and processing that NBA teams covet in modern frontcourt players. If he can add functional strength and develop the ability to absorb contact, his offensive game can scale quickly, and he has a chance to become a serious scoring threat who also facilitates. His defensive ceiling looks more “positionally solid and competitive” than a true anchor, so he likely projects best next to a rim protector. Stylistically, the “Chet Holmgren-type feel on offense with less defensive impact” is a reasonable framework, but his long-term value will come down to whether his body catches up to his skill, adding functional strength, consistently knocking down NBA threes, and proving he can defend a clear position at the next level.