1146734247 Meet Roko Leni Ukić - Newest Toronto RaptorRoko (Leni) Ukic I have been talking about since he was drafted. So much so to Ztrain that if I were Japanese he could mistaken him for GODZILLA!

Ukic was drafted in 2005 in the 2nd round, 41st overall. It was believed that Ukic would stay in Europe for a few years. He was actually projected by most draft experts to be taken in the first round (16th overall) but the Raptors chose Joey Graham instead and had Ukic fall to them anyway.

As a side note, Calderon went undrafted in this same draft and Ukic was actually one of the reasons Calderon left for the NBA as Ukic was brought in to play for TAU Cerámica, Calderon’s team. Calderon then bolted for the NBA and the rest is history there.

Roko Ukic is 6′5 with decent speed and loves dishing to his teammates and is a point guard NBA teams love to have, quick and tall and a guy who loves utilizing the 1 on 1 game effectively. His highlights against a Raptors team in an exhibition game suggest some major talent:

Roko displays some amazing talent. A few people suggest that his game style didn’t suit the European style of play as Roko is not much of a defensive player. Hoops Addict said last year that Roko needs the NBA.

I can’t help but draw comparisons to Calderon, both were 24 when signed by the Raptors, both signed 3-year deals. They both play a team style of basketball and look to dish the ball before shooting. Calderon’s stats are quite unimpressive and if you’d ask that he would be doing what he’s doing now in the NBA based on his 6 PPG and 7.6 PPG before he “broke out” into a 13.3 PPG player I may have laughed. Ukic has similar stats with 12.7 PPG with adding a few rebounds and assists.

He’s going to be our backup and while he may have some growing pains, he may turn out just like Calderon a very good point guard. If you catch his videos, he has a ton of skill and potential.