The 2027 NBA Draft cycle has so much going on this season that each subsection of prospects has its own fascinating storylines. The top of the class is where most of the heavy discussion will be had. And rightfully so. That is the most important part of scouting the draft: identifying the top talent. The returning class will have its own niche arguments: Who is the best returner? Who can be this class’s so-and-so? Can one of these returners make a push for the Top 3? Top 5? And so on.
You may have read my Five Offseason Findings piece from October 1st, where I mentioned that this crop of traditional international prospects could be the best group in quite some time. With that said, I thought it would be prudent to share my offseason findings on this particular group of prospects before the college basketball season (officially) kicks off on November 1st.
Keep in mind that when I say traditional international prospects, I mean those who were born outside of the States and are playing outside of the States, so Luigi Suigo won’t be in this series. Also, those who aren’t eligible for the 2027 NBA Draft won’t be included, so Joaquim Boumtje-Boumtje, Nikola Kusturica, and others won’t be mentioned.
Originally, this was going to be a two-part piece with five prospects per article. But there was simply too much to say about each of these guys to cram them together, so every prospect is getting his own installment of International Snapshot (yes, this group is kind of deep this year, folks).
Let’s dive in!
Stefan Joksimovic | Baskonia | Perimeter | 6’7” | ~190
Leading the way for the international class on most big boards for the 2027 NBA Draft is Stefan Joksimovic. Like most prospects playing overseas, Joksimovic has already begun play for the 2027 cycle. Unlike most prospects playing overseas, he is still 17 years old (turning 18 on November 16th), and he has a unique blend of size and skill for his position. Joksimovic plays on a pretty talented Baskonia team that features players such as Kenneth Faried, Chris Duarte, Matteo Spagnolo, DJ Stewart, AJ Lawson, and Kobi Simmons (among others). To this point, he has played in six games this season, with Synergy Sports crediting him with 20 total possessions thus far.
So, why make such a fuss over a prospect who isn’t close to being a starter?
These things happen in European leagues. These clubs don’t start young players for the sake of appeasing them. Instead, there is a bit of an “earn your stripes” mentality, as teams can be relegated into “lesser” leagues/divisions if they do not perform to a particular standard. That means Stefan may not be front and center on the court or, therefore, in the consciousness of the greater draft community.
But why use lot words when few words do trick? We—and the league—have tape that can explain how Joksimovic could translate to the NBA.
Offense
While playing with Baskonia this season, Cerebro Sports credits Stefan Joksimovic with a usage rate of 21.6. In the ACB, they credit him with a field goal percentage of 57.1% and a three-point percentage of 33.3%. There is a lot of fluidity to his game, as Joksimovic profiles to be a player who can be effective on and off the ball.
Playmaking
Part of the intrigue with Stefan Joksimovic is the level of feel he has at his size. In 15 tracked games this cycle, Cerebro credits Stefan with nearly three assists per game in under 22 minutes per game. His vision is quite advanced for his age, and he is able to do some interesting things off of the live dribble. This clip shows Stefan Joksimovic (#6 in black) bringing the ball up the floor and getting into the pick-and-roll with Kenneth Faried.
Joksimovic does a great job of stringing the ball out to his left after running the action with Faried. He drives right at Faried’s man, who takes a swipe at the ball. Stefan does well to keep his dribble alive and then takes a dribble to his left. As Joksimovic sees his man recovering and Faried’s man still on the three-point line, he picks up the dribble and jumps over the defensive big man—slinging a pass directly into the layup hand of his teammate.
Manipulation
As is normally the case with this archetype, Joksimovic is a natural and fluid mover within the course of the game. In this clip, we see him bring the ball up the floor and kick the ball out to the left wing. As his teammate looks to take his man off of the bounce, Stefan casually moves to a different spot to optimize the offense’s spacing. As the ball is driven to the left elbow, Joksimovic makes himself open on the opposite wing.
The pass is delivered in such a way that it requires Stefan to both continue sliding along the three-point line and jump. Joksimovic is aware that the defense is still recovering to the swinging ball. As he gathers the pass, he glances over to his teammate in the corner. This freezes the defense, as the corner’s defender switches to pick up Joksimovic. Instead of swinging the ball over for the potential to get three points, he quickly drives to the paint to pick up a guaranteed layup.
Crafty Finishing
Joksimovic can get to the basket out of pick-and-roll actions, too. We can see here that Stefan is operating on the right side of the floor, opposite of where the clip is starting. After a shallow cut exchange, the ball is driven along the left elbow. This draws in the defense. The defense cuts off the driving lane, which forces the drive-and-kick to Joksimovic in the right corner.
After he corrals the ball, Stefan resets by facing away from the defense to allow his teammate to set a screen to his left (his dominant side). He squares up and attacks the screen, forcing the switch. The defense tries to switch again before Stefan drives to the paint but, after a hard cross left, Joksimovic attacks the middle of the paint for a lefty layup finish.
Spot-Up Shooting
To get out in front of this, floor spacing is one of the aspects of Stefan’s game where he will need to be consistent. Cerebro shows that Joksimovic has shot over 35% in several different settings (2026 U18 EuroLeague, 2025-26 Spanish ACB Regular Season, 2025 U18 EuroBasket, 2025 NBA Top 100 Camp, and 2024 FIBA Europe Division A U16), so there are clearly some signs of touch.
This clip shows that touch.
We start with Joksimovic in the left corner, on the completely opposite end of the floor from the ball screen being set just inside halfcourt on the right side. The screener flashes to the right elbow, and both defenders converge on the ball-handler. The ball is kicked to the screener, who turns to the basket off the gather, bringing all eyes to him. There is a clear passing window to Stefan in the corner, which is taken as the ball is expeditiously fired into his hands.
Joksimovic sets into the shot, gets into his shooting motion, and nets the corner three-pointer. Notice the lefty stroke. The form is compact, and the base is a little narrow. Not a ton of time is needed to let it fly. This will be an important aspect of Stefan’s game to monitor throughout the season.
Overzealous Playmaking
When you have someone who can make fantastic plays, you’re going to have some headscratchers at times. Joksimovic is still learning when to hit singles and doubles instead of swinging for the fences every at-bat.
This clip shows Stefan getting the ball on the right side of the court and then bringing it back up to the top of the key. He then gets into some two-man action on the left wing. He is doubled and picks up the ball to pass out of the double. Instead of kicking the ball to his teammate along the left side of the floor for a safer read, Stefan tries to make a two-handed overhead pass from just inside the halfcourt line to his teammate in the opposite corner.
His eyes told the defense what he wanted to do, and he gave them ample time to shift over and intercept the difficult read.
Dealing With Contact
One of the trickier parts of evaluating this archetype of prospect is mentality, particularly when it comes to interior finishing. This is where Stefan Joksimovic leaves some room for skepticism. This play begins with Joksimovic getting the ball on the left wing. This is a rarer play, as Stefan looks to take his man off the bounce without the use of a screen. He successfully establishes enough of a first step to drive to the left elbow.
The not-so-good part comes when he picks up his dribble. Joksimovic stops dribbling just inside the three-point line, which only gives him a couple of steps to figure out how he wants to get his shot off. Opting for a Euro or rip-over move, Stefan elects to go for a flippy layup under the defender’s contesting hand that really stands no chance of going in.
If you’re going to pick up your dribble that far away from the rim, it’s going to be hard to make that shot without initiating contact—unless you’re Giannis Antetokounmpo or Victor Wembanyama. Watching the drive the whole way through, there appears to be zero interest in making contact with the defender, which negates any shot of at least getting to the free-throw line instead of settling for a flippy layup.
Defense
While the offensive side of the ball showcases some advanced feel, Stefan Joksimovic’s defense is where you can tell that he isn’t even 18 years old.
Footwork
This clip is against Spanish legend Ricky Rubio, but Joksimovic will see no shortage of guards in the NBA who can take advantage of his footwork. Rubio doesn’t even get into a play or a concept in this clip—this is just hoops. Rubio brings the ball up the court on the left side, with Stefan working to stay out in front of him after being screened. Joksimovic does a pretty decent job getting back into coverage and working to force Rubio along the left side of the court early, denying a drive back to the top of the key.
Rubio sets Stefan up masterfully here. Ricky has the ball in his left hand, then dribbles between the legs back into his right hand. Joksimovic places all of his weight on his right foot, the back foot in his stance, to keep Rubio driving left. Rubio reads it perfectly and attacks that back foot, which is shifting Stefan’s weight to go the other direction. This encapsulates something that shows up across Joksimovic’s film: he tends to bite on what his man is selling.
Strength
It’s to be expected that a 17-year-old would get pushed around a bit by more mature, more physically developed players. However, it’s worth mentioning that he’s going to have to go up against the best athletes in the world, so this season serves as a fair proxy to see how he can hold up in the short term.
This clip shows the ball being placed into the hands of Jaylen Nowell, Stefan’s assignment. Nowell is listed around 6’4” and 200 pounds, and he looks to take the ball right into the chest of Joksimovic. In Nowell’s pursuit of the basket, he gives Stefan a couple of bumps with his left shoulder, then goes into a stop-and-pivot fade over the top of his man. While it is encouraging that Joksimovic fights to stay in the play, he is too easily bumped off of his spot and doesn’t have the requisite length/athletic tools to properly recover.
Initial Thoughts
I’d be lying if I said I didn’t have some significant concerns with Joksimovic’s game. I’d also be lying if I said I couldn’t see a path for him to make in-season improvements while standing on the strengths of his game. Joksimovic provides special feel for the game and desirable size. Outside of Luka Doncic, there haven’t really been a ton of players of this archetype who have reached the high end of their perceived ceilings.
The best parts of his offense have to make everything else that’s going to require work worth the patience. It’s been discussed more and more as of late, but the level of patience teams once showed has worn thinner and thinner. Joksimovic will have to show consistency as a floor spacer and passer, and that hasn’t been easy, since his minutes haven’t matched those of the other top-end players who make up the rest of this class.
His feel and potential are enough for me to rank him sixth on my personal board, with room to rise. BUT, there is a real chance that he doesn’t stay that high if he continues to show an unwillingness to handle contact.
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