Arturs Zagars — Ball Guard / Lead Guard
THE SPANISH HUB — Betsafe LKL Edition
ARTURS ZAGARS — BC Nevėžis, Lithuania
Hometown: Riga, Latvia / DOB: 04.21 2000 / 6’3–172lbs / Guard
STATLINE 22–23: 16.2pts, 3.2ast, 2.0rbs / 43.6 FG%, 44.8 3P%, 87.0 FT% / 1.14 ATO / 28.24Min in 5GP
ROLE + BANKABLE SKILL: Combo Guard + Ball Screen Offense & Shot-Making
The sight of Arturs Zagars defiant with his right hand up and just about to be swallowed by his team mates before a time-out against BC Juventus is an exciting one. Two consecutive threes in 40” seconds to turn around the game are well worth the fuss. Zagars seems transformed these days into a new player, one who owns the ball, dictates the tempo, gets buckets and takes on games in the crunch. It’s been a rough time of late for him with injuries, some loan stints that didn’t quite work, lack of physical development, and tough competition at the PG spot with Joventut Badalona in Spain, where he arrived from Latvia at 17.
Never mind. Fast-forward 5 years and Zagars finds himself important on a basketball court again, more mature, enjoying a high degree of usage and responsibility. He shows off his smooth ball handing and shot-maker ways, and above all shines as PNR operator for Nevezis in the Betsafe LKL. Zagars reportedly rejected a four-year offer from Joventut last summer before moving to Lithuania. Nevezis looks now like the right place to be; a club with a low budget that every season reinvents itself betting heavily on young players, and where Arturs has oozed the feel and craftiness of his teenage self.
Still somehow lightweight and with a child face, Zagars qualifies as an uber-dynamic playmaker that lives and dies by the screen. He’s silky and slippery rather than explosive, plays with his head up, and gets downhill exploiting angles by both sides of the pick thanks to his combination of advanced handles, fakes, balance and burst in the first step. It’s not a surprise that half of Zagars’ scoring input comes directly off PNR situations and handoffs; 8.8pts/game per InStat. Despite his athletic shortages in traffic, he’s been very efficient slicing defenses and finishing with the offhand (makes 50% of his left handed layups by InStat). In addition, Zagars just knows how to change speeds and make the most of his frame to lure defenders into fouls anywhere on the court (almost 6 FTs per game at a clip of 87%).
More good news yet: Arturs has been extremely prolific with his pull-up off the dribble in the early season, especially from behind the arc. His one-motion release is working wonders off the catch too, albeit on a lesser volume. All the same, he sinks an impressive 44.8% of his 3-pointers on just under 6 attempts per night.
Is Arturs Zagars a pure playmaker or more of a score-first self-creator? While his shot-making has gone places with Nevezis, there’s plenty of room for growth as a primary facilitator in my view. There’s no question about Zagars’ high IQ. He’s made live-dribble reads on the fly and produced highlight reel plays consistently all his career. But the truth is Arturs has never posted more than three assists/game as a pro until this season, and his present A:TO ratio is rather improvable facing elite size and length. He’s shown consistency as a passer with his feet set, whether he kills his dribble, gives the extra kick or gets the ball in-bounds. Finding the balance between shots and feeds on the move is the key, and working like a nominal PG and offensive motor under Head Coach Gediminas Petrauskas and alongside versatile guards such as Brad Davison will do him a lot of good.
Becoming an adequate on-ball defender is the biggest challenge ahead for Zagars, though. While he can naturally play the two-guard in attack, there are limitations matching up athletic twos on his own end. Most likely he’ll spend his career being a full-time one-defender at high levels. Frame, strength, cold feet and to some extent lack of second effort are to blame. You can be certain that opposition teams will target him in ball-screens and mismatches down low. However, there are encouraging flashes of him as team defender early this season. Zagars has been reactive in rotations and ready to take the charge, and he’s also worked quite well as either side-low man in 2–3 zonal defenses. Those indicators are likely the building blocks for Arturs Zagars on his way up; a lead-guard in the making with more finesse than power and an extraordinary basketball brain.
