UCLA Men's Basketball: Expert Breaks Down Game Of International Bruins Recruit

He's an intriguing candidate for major minutes this year.

New Bruins commit Berke Buyuktuncel, a 19-year-old Turkish forward most recently with pro club Tofas S.K. in his home country, seems poised to help UCLA retain the competitive edge that helped it reach the Sweet 16 in last spring's NCAA Tournament. 

So just how good will the 6'9" swingman be?

Tracy Pierson of 247Sports (subscriber-exclusive link) is convinced that his defensive effort and overall high motor should endear him to Bruins head coach Mick Cronin. Pierson writes that Buyuktuncel should prove particularly effective off-ball thanks to his length and court awareness, though he may struggle on the ball against smaller, faster opponents. Pierson notes that he's a solid defender around the rim as well.

On offense, Pierson believes his versatile scoring touch will make him a tough cover for opposing players.

"He's a good driver and a crafty scorer, and, while he's not quite the pump faker that senior Jaime Jaquez [now with the Miami Heat] was, there is a little bit of the old man craft to his game. He's a great passer, averaging 3.8 assists per game in the recent U-19 World Cup, having great vision in seeing cutters or finding open kick-outs," Pierson writes. "He's a very good rebounder, particularly out of his area, having great anticipation for the ball off the rim."

"He has the size and skills to be that rare, true face-up four in college basketball, one who can legitimately play inside or out -- the kind that Cronin has been looking to recruit for the last few years. It's pretty much the spot just vacated by [Jaime] Jaquez, but Buyuktuncel probably has at least two inches on Jaquez and is a better outside shooter at the same stage," Pierson adds. "Buyuktuncel has also been used as a post, and we could easily see Cronin using him there when he wants to go small but skilled. Buyuktuncel, in our opinion, could match up defensively against most college posts just fine. But most of the time he's going to be that tough match-up as an effective inside-outside face-up four man."

Buyktuncel has been projected as a late first round draft selection (somewhere in the 20s), but definitely an NBA-caliber talent. Pierson concurs with this appraisal.

"I think Buyktuncel is a future NBA player, and probably a first-round pick with his combination of size and inside-outside skills," Pierson writes.

The full analysis is well worth reading.