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

Detroit Pistons draft picks: NBA Draft prospect Vrenz Bleijenbergh

While the Pokusevski comparison is an easy one to make, as I have stated numerous times already, I think Bleijenbergh is more of a guard/wing and Pokusevski is a combo forward with center potential if he puts on more weight.

Bleijenbergh reminds me most of Lonzo Ball. Tall guard who can really make things happen on the break, fires away from deep at a high rate, but struggles in the halfcourt and with finishing. Now, I don’t know that Bleijenbergh will get to the level of shooting Lonzo has, but their games line up very similarly in what they do best, and Bleijenbergh has a good four inches on Lonzo to create even more mismatches.

Lonzo also has instincts as a passer and defender that Bleijenbergh is still working on, but the role Lonzo has inhabited now as primarily a floor spacer and Fastbreak leader, Bleijenbergh can be a perfect fit for. It also took Lonzo three seasons to really find a role utilizing his skills, stabilize his free throw shooting, and fix his jumpshot. While Bleijenbergh doesn’t have some of those same wrinkles, I see him as taking a few seasons, like Lonzo, to physically mature and settle into a role.

I also think Bleijenbergh has more experience in pick-and-roll running halfcourt sets so he may even have a leg up on Lonzo there. If Bleijenbergh continues to develop his ball handling enough to consistently run the pick-and-roll, he could also inhabit a role similar to that of current Chicago Bull and Olympic star for his native Czechia, Tomáš Satoranský.

This might sound odd and as if I am saying Satoranský is a better outcome than Lonzo (I am not, although I would want both guys on my squad any day). I making a distinction between a break running wing shooter in Lonzo and an international POINT GUARD capable of running the offense in your second unit—and saying that Bleijenbergh has the potential to inhabit both roles.

If his skillset develops more he could be a unique player who functions as wing launching triples to open up the court in the starting lineup, but switches over to the point to use his size as a mismatch against backup point guards to hit shots and passes smaller players just can’t stop it.