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By: Sam Meyerkopf / @HoopLikeDrazen

Over at the ESPN True Hoop blog PistonPowered.com I contributed to a few draft profiles on European Prospects.  The three guys I wrote about are Furkan Aldemir, Kostas Papanikolaou, and Tornike Shengelia.  If you haven’t gotten over there yet, Patrick Hayes is doing an incredible job profiling just about every draft-able player and hash tagging it on Twitter #DraftDreams.  I started off talking about the best thing they each could do for their team and did a little bit of an overall profile for all three guys too.

Kostas Papanikolaou, F, Olympiacos:

Energy. Whether it’s being a nuisance on defense, attacking the offensive glass, or launching off on the fast break, his energy is the best way Papanikolaou helps his team right now. Think of him as an Omri Casspi type player. He’s someone who plays with a lot of hustle, is a supporting offensive piece, and can guard both forward spots. He has a sound knowledge of the game after grinding his teeth at Europe’s highest level the past three years and developing under coaching legend Dusan Ivkovic. Read the rest on Piston Powered.

Furkan Aldemir, C, Galatasaray:

Furkan Aldemir had a breakthrough year in Europe and turned himself into a potential rotation post player in the NBA. He’s a below the rim big man who will earn his first few salaries off of his rebounding prowess and solid roll game off of pick and rolls. His offensive game stays within seven feet of the basket, which means he doesn’t really have a jumper and doesn’t create much, if any, offense for himself. But that’s not what Aldemir is here for. He keeps his nose around the basket where driving perimeter players can dump it off to him for strong finishes or he’ll attack the offensive glass where he was one of the best in the Euroleague this year. Read the rest on Piston Powered.

Tornike Shengelia, F, Spirou Charleroi:

Forget stretch, Shengelia is about the slash. At 6’9” and a little bit slender you start thinking he’s a small forward, but with how he plays, he slides in better to the power spot. This might place him into the dreaded “tweener” category but don’t be so quick to label Toko Shengelia. Read the rest on Piston Powered.