Getty Puerto Rico's Gian Clavell (R) fights for the ball with Serbia's Filip Petrusev during the FIBA Mens Olympic Qualifying Tournament.
Late in the second round of the 2021 NBA Draft, the Philadelphia 76ers took a flier on Serbian big man Filip Petrusev. After spending two years at Gonzaga, he went back overseas to play in the ABA Adriatic league before going pro in the states.
While Petrusev wanted to play in the NBA from the start, the Sixers have opted to stash him overseas to continue polishing his game. He most recently played in the Turkish Super League, where he averaged 15.2 PPG and 6.2 RPG.
Recently, Heavy’s NBA insider Sean Deveney caught up with an Eastern Conference scout to talk about the Sixers’ overseas prospect. When dissecting Petrusev and his game, one of the main drawbacks mentioned was him not being ready for the NBA from a physical standpoint.
“He overestimated where he was in his career,” the scout told Deveney. “He was so good in Serbia two years ago, he thought he was ready for the NBA then but the Sixers didn’t. He made the move to Turkey last year and he was not ready physically, he is not ready physically for the NBA right now. He was playing against the second-best competition in the world and he was outmatched.”
Once Pretusev is ready to battle against NBA athletes, there could be a home for him on a roster. The scout made it clear he has the skills and IQ to stick around in the league for years.
“He has a good feel for the game, he is definitely an NBA player, you can see it just watching him, he stands out. Good finisher at the rim, excellent in the pick-and-roll and he is still developing as a stretch-big. Defense is an issue, though, so if he is not a polished shooter yet, there are still too many red flags. But he’ll be in the league soon.”
Filip Petrusev Going Back to His Roots
For the second summer in a row, Petrusev joined the Sixers in Las Vegas to be part of their Summer League team. Across four matchups, the 22-year-old averaged 5.5 PPG and 2.3 RPG.
Following his performance in Vegas, Petrusev is making his way back overseas. According to a report from eurohoops.net, he has agreed to a deal with Crvena Zvezda in Serbia. They are currently the reigning champions of the ABA Adriatic league.
Joel Embiid Trolls Atlanta Hawks Big Man John Collins
Sixers star Joel Embiid has had his fair share of beefs throughout his NBA career. Some of the first names that come to mind are Andre Drummond and Hassan Whiteside, but one of the lesser talked about players is John Collins of the Atlanta Hawks.
Both players have taken shots at each other over the years. Most recently, when they squared off in the postseason back in 2021. After the Hawks eliminated the Sixers, Collins was seen wearing a shirt of himself dunking on Embiid.
More recently, Embiid took an opportunity to poke fun at Collins. He and his Hawks teammate Trae Young made an appearance in the popular ‘Drew League,’ but it did not go how they may have hoped. Collins became the first NBA player to ever foul out in the famous pro-am, and their team lost their matchup. Embiid was caught liking a Tweet showcasing their shortcomings.
