Could Rodions Kurucs provide forward depth for the Bucks via the NBA Draft?

Having gained limited playing opportunity at Barcelona, what does the NBA Draft have in store for Latvian prospect Rodions Kurucs?

Rodions Kurucs is a European prospect who has been held up as one of the most tantalizing young international players who could make his way to the US since his days at the youth level, yet as his NBA draft potentially nears he also remains something of a mystery.

The primary reason for this is a complicated situation between Kurucs and his club, Spanish powerhouse Barcelona.

Highlighting a variety of games when scouts traveled to watch Kurucs only for the club to switch the player between its first and second team at the last minute, ESPN’s Mike Schmitz explained the source of the strange situation.

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"“Kurucs has been a man of mystery of sorts for the better part of this season, as Barcelona continually moves him between the top team and the second team, doing all it can to keep him from playing meaningful minutes in front of NBA scouts. The 6-10 Latvian forward, who was a highly-touted youth player, and his agent chose not to sign an extension with Barcelona, which ruffled the feathers of management.”"

The result has been inconsistent opportunities for a young talent who once certainly promised to have the ability to contribute at a very high level, such as in EuroLeague with Barcelona.

With limited opportunity to watch Kurucs play or gain any real rhythm, the question many teams will be asking is whether the situation has impacted his development.

The complications of Kurucs’ club situation don’t end there though, as he’s reported to also have an excessively expensive buyout price if he is to be drafted, and currently has a year remaining on his contract.

Viewed as having first round potential otherwise, those circumstances have seen Kurucs widely mocked as a second round pick and may yet see him withdraw from the draft for the second year running when the June 11 early-entry deadline comes around.

Saying that, Kurucs has been impressing since he began workouts stateside, and that may be key to his final decision.

With all of that in mind, let’s take a closer look at Kurucs’ NBA Draft case, his strengths and weaknesses, and his potential fit with the Bucks.