Detroit Pistons NBA Draft: Vrenz Bleijenbergh is similar to Lonzo Ball

Detroit Pistons: Vrenz Bleijenbergh has the skills of a guard

Bleijenbergh played 41 total games last year and started 28 of those. It is also important to note that 31 of these games were played in the Belgian League and the other 10 in the Eurocup. Eurocup is widely regarded as the second highest level of competition in International basketball behind the EuroLeague.

I make this distinction because it is basically a split between a regular season and the playoffs. This gave Bleijenbergh the experience against different levels of competition to showcase his abilities.

And those abilities start with his guard skills and size. Measuring in at a reported six foot ten inches and 170 pounds he stands out physically on the court. He brought up the ball as a lead guard, grabbed rebounds and ran the floor in transition, even getting to run the occasional pick and roll in the halfcourt.

All of the things Aleksej Pokusevski flashed last year, Bleijenbergh was able to do on a more consistent level at a higher level of competition. Yet, whereas Pokusevski was asked to be more of a big protecting the rim on defense and rolling and hanging out in the corners on offence, Bleijenbergh has been developed as a big guard. This might appeal to the Detroit Pistons, who could use another big who can make plays.

His usage has steadily increased over his three years in Antwerp’s system, reaching a career high 21.4 percent this season. Yet he has shown no matter how much they have given him the ball he always found a way to display his guard skills with an assist percentage of 26.0 percent last season and 22.2 percent this season. He also led the team in assists last year dishing out 144 across both the Belgian League and Eurocup.

While his shooting percentage may not be incredibly high, Bleijenbergh also has strong indicators in his numbers that he is a difference maker as a shooter. Of the 346 total field goal attempts he took last season, 215 of those were three-point attempts. This translates to a 62.1 percent three-point attempt rate. To put this into perspective, Joe Harris of the Brooklyn Nets had an almost identical three-point attempt rate last season at 62.8 percent.

It would be great if Bleijenbergh shot the 47.5 percent Harris posted last season, but the rate he is launching threes indicates someone who can get this shot off a lot and in a variety of situations. He was also first on the team in terms of three point attempts. So this means he was the team’s primary floor spacer. This is a major plus as he has gotten a ton of reps shooting in different situations against pros and already knows how to inhabit a vital NBA role.

In addition to these skills, just pull up any tape or highlight of Bleijenbergh and you will see a solid foundation as a ball handler and pick-an-roll operator who also happens to be 6 foot ten inches tall. This provides so many mismatch opportunities and even if Bleijenbergh ends up being a secondary ball handler, he is a player type few in the Association will be able to counter.

He could be the next unicorn for the Detroit Pistons, but he’s got some weaknesses.