FSU basketball: Huge loss, Balsa Koprivica declares for NBA Draft

FSU basketball sophomore center Balsa Koprivica would have been one of the most productive players for Leonard Hamilton in 2022.

However, the Serbian will take his talents to the NBA as he announced he would forgo his remaining eligibility and enter the 2021 NBA Draft.

It’s a move that’s somewhat surprising, but we knew it was possible in the back of our minds with the skill he displayed this year.

Koprivica’s upside is incredible, and the improvement we saw from his freshman to sophomore year looks as though he’s barely scratched the surface of his potential.

Koprivica averaged 9.1 ppg, 5.6 rebounds, and 1.4 blocks while averaging 18.6 minutes per game. He doubled his output in nearly every major category and began to come into his own late in the season.

He’s a seven-footer that can handle the ball in traffic and makes high percentage shots around the rim. Koprivica would have easily been one of the best players on next year’s team for Leonard Hamilton.

The drop-off when he went out of games was noticeable this year and Hamilton will have to rely on some inexperienced players to attempt to fill the void.

Koprivica has a good feel for the game and is a solid defender when he’s able to stay out of foul trouble. It’ll be interesting to see which NBA team takes a chance on his potential.

Koprivica is the third FSU basketball player to declare for the NBA Draft. RaiQuan Gray, Scottie Barnes, and Saadar Calhoun have entered their names for the draft.

However, Calhoun hasn’t hired an agent and could withdraw his name and return to the Noles for another year. M.J. Walker is another player that could declare for the draft, but he could return for a sixth year with this past year not counting against eligibility.

A team that many thought would be one of the best teams in 2022, now suddenly could look a lot different with these departures. However, Hamilton has the No. 2 recruiting class in the nation coming this fall, but he’ll have to merge that talent and inexperience into success.