Duje Brala | Scouting Report
I’m Kuzey, 19. I’ve been writing about basketball since I was 9. I have been working in Eurosport Turkey for the last 1,5 years. I have written on various sites and magazines before. I’ve been working as a freelance scout for three years. I worked as a consultant. I have interviewed dozens of prospects such as Theo Maledon, Deni Avdija, Henri Drell, Aleksej Pokusevski, Arturs Kurucs, Yves Pons, and dozens of notable basketball people such as Luis Scola, Xavi Pascual, Jonathan Givony, Dimitris Itoudis, Sasa Obradovic, Joan Plaza, Sarunas Jasikevicius, Derrick Williams. I write an article every day. I live in Turkey, I go to all the Euroleague and Youth League games. My main areas are all of age group in Africa and from U12 to U20 European and NCAA. MY BIGGEST GOAL IS SCOUTING! Anyway, don’t forget to follow me on Twitter and feel free to DM!
Team: Zadar
DBO: April 2, 2003–17 years old
Nationality: Croatia
Shooting Hand: Right
Primary position: Shooting guard
Secondary position: Small forward
Offensive skills: Can finish around the rim, good quickness with the ball, effective one-on-one scoring.
Defensive skills: Good perimeter defender, good rebounder.
Watched games: 13
Measurements
Height — Shoes off: 6’5”
Height — Shoes on: 6’6”
Weight: 190
Wingspan: 6'7.5'’
Duje Brala is one of the key players in Croatia’s strong new generation basketball. Brala, who is an effective one-on-on scorer on the offensive end, made his name among the important prospects with the leap he made last year. He played in five games at Jr. Liga ABA last year and averaged 17 points, 2,2 steals, 2,2 assists, 8,4 rebounds while shooting 42.3% from the court and 35.7% from the 3-points line. At the 2019 FIBA U16 Euro Championship, he was one of the best scorers. He played in seven games with 35.5 minutes per game and averaged 16.6 points, 1.4 steals, 3.6 assists, 6.9 rebounds while shooting 41.7% from the court and 23.8 from the 3-points line. He played one A-1 Liga game last year but this year, he already played two A-1 Liga games in 54 minutes.
Background
Duje Brala was born in 2003, in Zadar, Croatia. Brala’s father played professional basketball for 25 years. Brala was impressed by his father’s work discipline and love for basketball and began playing basketball at the age of five for local teams in Croatia. Brala’s mother is a banker and his father works at an insurance company.
After joining Zadar’s youth team, Brala received offers from some teams but did not want to leave because both his family and close friends were in Zadar. Spending time with his girlfriend, doing things with his family and playing PS are his hobbies. His favorite food is stuffed cabbage. His favorite series is Prison Break. Playing in a high-tier European team in three years is his biggest goal. Magic Johnson, Kobe Bryant, Michael Jordan, LeBron James and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar are his all-time five.
As I learned from an assistant coach working for local teams in Croatia, Brala comes to training early and works hard on dribble the ball and handle the ball. After training, he trains 3-points until he gets at least 50 hits. The biggest factor in his level up to Zadar’s senior team was his being very disciplined in every sense.
Physical Tools, Approach and Athleticism
Medical History: One month out last year — Right hand, not serious.
Standing 6-foot-6 with a 190-pound lanky frame that is still filling out and a 6-foot-7.5 wingspan, Duje Brala has great size for a 17 years old prospect who can play as a point guard, shooting guard and small forward.
Has good sized arms, has a great wide chest with good muscle mass on them that go to his core muscles and legs. Shoulders are very narrow and there is a lot of room to get stronger. Arms are good sized but needs some special GYM programs for his biceps and triceps. Wrists are smooth when using a shot or attack the rim. Hands are not too wide but not narrow. End of the day, Brala has room to grow on his shoulders and arms. But as I said, his size is really a huge plus. He has time to make muscles, just 17 years old. And playing in one of the best prospect countries.
Lower body is almost great. Fast, very fast feet. Strong legs and nice mobility on his hips. Not has great hip turns but his hips help him on attack the rim to change direction — this is his special and probably best move.
There is nothing very important or extra in his lower body, except that: He has to maintain his development curve.
Has great body coordination, good laterally and linearly, can run on full court in four seconds both with the ball or without the ball, has impressive first step, has excellent change direction ability both on the ground and in the air. However, lack of vertical pop, some aggressive around the rim athleticism hurt him.
Duje Brala is not an explosive, dazzling athlete, nor does he have the fluidity that a perfect slasher should have, but he has that classic Yugoslavian players’ BBIQ, excellent change direction ability, speed, coordination and body rigidity. He should be a little explosive and aggressive for higher levels. DB also looks very unbalanced when falling to the ground after rising. I watched almost all of his games, and as he fell to the ground after each rim attack, I thought, “He must have been injured.”
Mentality and Awareness
I have serious question marks here. Duje Brala, like many notable 17-year-old basketball prospects, is a player who does not stop doing 100% of what he can, regardless of the point difference. He likes to lead his teammates both on the offensive end and on the defensive end, and to talk to them in-game, including the A-1 League level. Aware and well-intentioned. But the problem here is that he’s too confident. Yes, prospects’ self-confidence in him may seem like a great plus at first, but Brala’s self-confidence hurts his gaming skill set multiple times. If he learns to play a little more balanced, a little more for ball sharing and can stay mentally calm, things can be better. He has to learn something about it. I think this season he will improve about that. Because he plays against strong and talented players. And at some point in the season, he may learn from his coaches, teammates and the reactions of the opponent team that it is not right to play the game with too much confidence.
Offense
Before explaining everything in detail, Duje Brala is a great attacker to the rim, can finish around the basket with some tricks, has a crafty Euro step, a deceptive ballhandling to create his pull up from mid-range. Duje Brala is not a good shooter yet, but solid mechanics present the possibility of improvement behind the 3-points line as a catch-and-shooter and around mid-range as a shot creator with one/two dribble jumper.
Brala does his best job on the offensive end with attack the rim. Secondary right-handed and deceptive ballhandler read well his opponent’s defensive line after takes the ball. He chooses the area he will react to well and uses his impressive change direction ability to go around the rim.
As he goes around rim, he usually ends positions with regular layups — can finish with both hands, knows how to use glass to increase ball momentum. He doesn’t yet have top-of-the-line finishing skills like sneak and bumb and fade, but he usually lifts his right knee with perfect timing and momentum, coordinates his body well, maintains aggressiveness, and does good goofy foot outside / inside hand finishing.
Despite not having the perfect athleticism package, he can change direction in the air and go to the basket. Also, very fast.
My concern about his finishing that Brala sometimes forces these possessions. Because he trusts himself so much, he is trying to physically fight against defenders who are great rim protectors, shot blockers or smart defenders, but he usually cannot score in these positions. I think he has to be smarter in these positions.
In off the ball motions, Brala’s arsenal is excellent. He usually waits on corners and after takes the ball, he uses his burst, great linear movement, goes to the basket and finishes possession with baseline backboard tap style. Also, he is a great transition runner to make something on the offensive end as an off the ball player — also as I said, he can finish himself in these situations.
I would like to see him more active when he is not a clear duty man in off the ball motions. I mean, if Brala doesn’t take the ball in offensive action, he’s not someone who can use screens to create spacing for his teammates and change geometry from weak-side to strong-side. I think he should improve in this regard.
Shooting is the most complicated thing on his offensive arsenal in my opinion. He showed some good flashes as a catch-and-shooter behind te 3-points line and as a shot-creator around the mid-range but inconsistent.
His shooting form looks solid but lack of strength and narrow shoulders hurt him here. Nice vision, good timing, good handle the ball but his last kick in the air, release and shot pocket create problems. His pocket is inconsistent: Sometimes too high, sometimes too low. Shortly, he has a lot of room on his shooting but if he can hit 3-points with %35 on 3.3 PA, his career projection will change seriously.
Has not elite BBIQ, pass the ball repertoire and pick-and-roll scoring. Brala is not someone who can create crafty, unexpected things on the offensive end with using his handling, dribbling or passing skill-set. Also, he is not someone who can create great opportunities for others. He can’t score or make assist in pick-and-roll situations. After takes the ball on top of the key, he goes to the three-four steps behind the 3-points line, reads the game and reacts well, that’s it.
As I said, he is a deceptive ballhandler who can create a shield around the ball. He usually does not do TO while attacking, but he does a lot of TO when he forces positions, in half-court passes, passes from a corner to the top of the key, and against hard double teams.
Defense
Duje Brala was one of the players in both NJT and Zadar standing wing side on 2–3 zone defense many times. In the 2020–2021 season, he has been fully involved in man-to-man defense in both games he has played so far. I wanted to say this note at first.
As a team defender, Brala’s motor works — has not a high-level motor but enough to find a good place in team harmony. He has a good BBIQ positionally, knows how to protect his team’s defensive shell, and rotates correctly. Brala covers a ton of ground, shows good quickness sliding on the perimeter, and regularly picks the pocket against ballhandlers.
My concern about his team defense ability is actually about off the ball defense. I mean, when Brala is off the ball, he sometimes watches the ball a lot, gives a natural reaction, but in the meantime, he creates a very clear spacing for his own man. I think he should increase his awareness a little more.
Coming with a lot of deflections around the baseline, perimeter and in transition situations, Duje Brala is a good perimeter and on the ball defender with great intensely.
When he defends his man on top of the key, Brala ‘s one foot is inside the 3-points line and his other foot is outside the 3-points line.
If his man dribbles, Brala can combine his feet with his hip turns and close his man’s angle. But interestingly, he can’t do this in wings and corners.
Brala’s quick footwork, good lateral and linear movements, almost excellent body coordination on the ground and nice eye-hand coordination allow him a ton of steals. Also, his game instincts help him here.
Not a great shot blocker or something but Brala showed nice awareness knowing when to rotate into the paint. On the ball rim protection, DB can be pushed off his spots as well, even if he beats his man to the spot. I don’t think he can be a good rim protector (as I said, he is a good perimeter and intense on the ball defender) or something, but this is not necessary.
Not a good pick-and-roll defender. He has the quickness to get over the top but can get lazy sometimes and he is not someone who can run around the screens well due to lack of elite strength and some self-confidence problems…
Not good but not bad on closeouts. He does a nice job getting out shooters with keeping his hand up, running to shooters (good timing here) and using great body coordination. However, sometimes he is not someone who can do “wild, aggressive, consistency” closeouts.
On the rebound side, all good words… Brala’s rebound skill-set is excellent. Duje Brala makes up for his lack of elite strength and vertical pop with great feel for the game, timing and grabbing handle. All good words both on the offensive end and on the defensive end for his rebound skill-set.
Questions
· At what level will he be mentally? Will he be able to control his self-confidence?
· Will he be consistent in 3-points shots?
· Will he active when not in action during off the ball motions (both on the offensive end and on the defensive end)?
· Will he be able to add a little more balance to his athleticism package?
Overall
Duje Brala has a great one-on-one weapon on the offensive end. He can create his 2-points situations with multiple styles. On the defensive end, his peskiness on ISOs and good sliding ability around the perimeter are important. Also, he is a great rebounder. The team environment in Zadar is a good plus for him to improve. Playing with the new great generation in Croatia is also a good plus. However, his lack of strength, mental problems, going to very high levels in a very short time (will DB continue to be open to improvement?), Almost nothing in the pass the ball skill-set, and some consistency problems on the defense create question marks in my mind.