TOPOROV, Serguei
STRENGTHS: A small forward that can also play as a guard. Disciplined, solid, he knows what he has to do on court and manages to score points without forcing anything. His main attribute is his three-point shooting: open, with the jumper. Good mover without the ball, he scores easy baskets with cuts or in the open court. Soft hands, he can finish his drives with special shots.
WEAKNESSES: His main flaw is a modest athleticism. He lacks quickness and explosiveness, especially when he jumps. Large but not especially muscled. On offense, he needs time to be effective, slow, he struggles when he has to hurry or force his shots. Not very creative off the dribble. He can’t drive past his defender and he’s not a good passer. Aggressiveness level can waver.
CAREER: Junior international, he took part in the European Championships U16 and World Championships U18 (14.4ppg, 6.1rpg). At club level, he started with Kirov, then he signed for Samara after a brief spell at Tula. After a difficult start in Samara, he broke out establishing himself as a solid scorer in the Superlega (17ppg, 5.1rpg in 2002-03, and 17.6ppg, 3.7rpg the following seasons). At Kazan, his role and impact were less important. Had similar stats (around 10 pts and 3 rbds) the following three years before spending most of his time on the Khimki bench. Back with an important role in 2010-11 with Lokomotiv Kuban.
EVALUATION: One of the few interesting players that came up in Russia in recent years. He doesn’t have the talent to aim for the top European clubs but he’s mature, he understands his role and he brings quality without being pretentious on offense. When he can play his basketball, at his pace, he’s a quality shooter. Does not have the talent to create.
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