Turnover GOAT takes the first plunge in this year’s ranking
Before I even begin to try to make sense about who Anžejs Pasečņiks is, who he may be, and most importantly, how he fits in with this edition of the Milwaukee Bucks, I must provide this relevant context courtesy of Brew Hoop commenter extraordinaire, Jman2926:
While I recognize the sheer number of wings we have on the roster that are ahead of Umude, isn’t Anžejs Pasečņiks the same guy who tied the record for having the most turnovers in 6 minutes in league history and then was waived by the Wizards lol? I mean if the Wizards wave you you’ve gotta be terrible.
Jman didn’t just tell me the truth via the written word. He showed me the truth.
This is NBA basketball legacy we have on our hands, folks.
It is poetic that the last Buck to make the roster will also be the first one voted off the island by you, the readers of Brew Hoop. Having arrived too late to make any sort of impression in Summer League (assuming you remember Stanley Umude doing anything worth leaving an impression on your mind in that setting), Pasečņiks will have to work hard to prove his latest batch of doubters wrong.
…the doubters might be on to something.
The first thing that will jump out at you — besides that most Latvian of names — is his size. At 7’1” in height and a wingspan rumored to be around 7’6” when he was in the draft process back in 2017, it is hard to miss him. Well, until he turns sideways, of course. Weighing in at just 230 pounds at that height will do that to you. Therein is the rub. He is a simultaneously a giant of a man and a relative beanpole when stacked up against the heft of your average NBA caliber big man.
Still, he must’ve seemed a project worth gambling on when he was draft 25th overall by the Orlando Magic (before being immediately traded to the Philadelphia 76ers). Philly would eventually give up his draft rights on him without ever having brought him into the team and the lowly Washington Wizards decided to pounce. Pasečņiks’ 2019-2020 NBA season would be his peak with 27 bench appearances and averages of 5.8 points (.526/.000/.586), 4.0 rebounds, and not much else in 16.2 minutes of play. Disturbingly, his 15 games in the G-League that same season saw nearly identical values with slight improvements to scoring and still no three-point shot worth commenting on. I assume this was his career NBA night:
Even in those clips you can see a few moments that highlight why he never translated to the league: There really isn’t any strength worth mentioning, his hands are iffy (he blows a clear-cut steal opportunity because the ball just… bounces off his hands?), and speed and fluidity just aren’t hallmarks. He has size, positions himself regularly in the dunker spot, and can finish putbacks if he’s in the right spot. That’s about it as far as offense goes. In 12 years of professional basketball he has made 24 threes; he is in no sense an interesting stretch big option.
God only knows what he’s doing on defense being that slow-footed and reliant upon length to finish plays rather than strength. The relatively low block numbers for a guy his size suggest you should expect very little besides a body who can sometimes do a little cleanup work. Too gangly to switch and too light to zone drop, you’ll be asking another big to be on the floor next to him to provide cover on that end of the floor.
Since his NBA sojourn, Pasečņiks has bopped around the European professional leagues with stops in France and Spain. He spent the 2023-2024 season with the now-relegated 6-28 Zunder Palencia of Spain’s Liga ACB. Check out the absolute BS he got to fall in this one game against Girona:
To level with you, I see no viable pathway to Pasečņiks having an impact with the Bucks outside of a truly dire scenario. Did I mention he is already 28? I look at the signing as a way to get a big with some professional experience in Oshkosh with the Wisconsin Herd and not much beyond that. Even spinning this as an agent favor play doesn’t make sense as the rest of his agency compatriots contain nobody I can identify as a viable NBA candidate.
Sometimes, signing a guy to the very last spot on the roster isn’t all that deep. Occasionally you need someone who is tall and has played basketball before, and in that respect Pasečņiks is a home run. It just isn’t exactly the way I’d be using my two-way slots is all.
Either way, I wish him luck and hope he contributes even a little bit to the wider project in his own way.
With the first trial by vote over, it’s time for you to decide Anžejs’ playoff fate:
And then choose your next victim:
You have until 8 AM (Central) tomorrow to vote!