After acquiring Tornike Shengelia, the 54th pick of Thursday’s NBA Draft, in a draft night trade with Philadelphia, Nets general manager Billy King said that he expected Shengelia to return to Europe this fall for more seasoning.
But while that may be how things turn out, Shengelia and his agent, Guy Zucker, are hoping that the 20-year-old forward – and a member of the Georgian National Team – will get a chance to impress the Nets brass as a member of the Nets Summer League team in Orlando next week.
“I know the Nets are planning on him staying over, but I think we would like to make that decision after Summer League,” Zucker told The Post in a phone interview. “The Nets have never had him in for a workout, the coaches have never dealt with him. I would like to see how they feel after they see him and experience him in person.
“If he has to go back to Europe, then that’s a decision that will come later.”
Zucker said that in order for Shengelia to play for the Nets in Summer League, clearance will need to be granted by Spirou Charleroi, Shengelia’s Belgian League team, and where he’s contracted next year. But Zucker is curious to see how Shengelia handles himself if he’s able to make the trip to Orlando.
“I think it will be intriguing for everybody, because until you throw a guy into a situation … this is a guy who, so far, when he’s been thrown into the water he’s done a remarkable job of swimming very easily,” Zucker said. “Some guys just find a way to get it done.
“To throw him in with Adam Morrison and Julian Wright, you’re talking about [former] lottery picks, and let’s see if they’re better. I want to see them covering him, because he’s a very tricky guy off the dribble to cover.”
Shengelia, who was ranked 48th among draft prospects in the 2012 draft by Draft Express and 53rd by ESPN.com, already has plenty of experience at the highest levels of European basketball, despite the fact that he doesn’t turn 21 until October. He has gone from playing in a lower-level Spanish League in 2008-09 to starting for one of the top teams in Belgium in Spirou Charleroi – which finished last season with an overtime loss in the Belgian Division I title game.
Shengelia scored 14 points on 6-for-9 shooting in that game, and also averaged 7.6 points per game in 12 games in Euroleague competition. That came after a dominant performance in the European Under-20 championships for Georgia, in which he averaged 30 points and 12 rebounds.
If Shengelia does make it to Summer League, he should be familiar with at least one of his teammates. Shengelia and Nets Summer League participant Taurean Green played together on the Georgian National Team in 2010.
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Haven’t gotten a chance to write about this yet, but NetsDaily.com previously reported that Green, Adam Morrison and Al Thornton all have been invited to play on the Nets Summer League team in Orlando. With the Nets involved in trade talks involving their expiring contracts, including Anthony Morrow, Johan Petro, Jordan Farmar and Jordan Williams, they will be looking for cheap players to help fill out their bench.
It won’t be surprising to see multiple players from the Nets Summer League roster get invites to training camp, at least, if they perform well.