Shane

Larkin

Efes just complete their second consecutive EuroLeague championship, and they have two of the best players in Europe on their roster. One is Vasilije Micic, who was drafted by the Sixers in 2014 but has remained in Europe ever since. The Thunder now own his rights, but there is speculation that the Pelicans could be trying to get involved. They also could have been getting a look at Shane Larkin, who is one of the best guards in Europe currently and has also played four seasons in the NBA since being drafted with the 13th pick in the 2013 NBA Draft. Larkin has been adamant that he would want a role that would allow him to have the ball in his hands if he was to return to the NBA.

Larkin is coming off of back-to-back EuroLeague titles and signed a two-year deal to remain there, with his contract extension lasting him until the 2023-2024 season. Larkin did play four seasons (with four different teams) in the NBA but never managed to average double figures in scoring, but he seems to have found a new home in Turkey and was even named a member of the All-EuroLeague First Team.

Larkin’s contract is “lucrative” according to EuroHoops, and it includes an NBA opt-out clause next summer if he draws interest stateside. The 26-year-old guard helped Anadolu Efes win its first Turkish BSL championship last season.

“We don’t feel like he’s going to be on the board when they select,” agent Steve McCaskill said. The Knicks hold the No. 24 pick in the June 27 draft. They could use some point guard depth with Jason Kidd at 40 years old and Pablo Prigioni’s future unclear. Larkin’s stock rose a little at the Combine when he showed extremely well in the athletic drills. The negative is that he measured in at 5-foot-11 1/2 and 170 pounds. Trey Burke is considered undersized at 6-foot-1 1/4 and 187.

Larkin stands just 5'11" tall but he also made waves during the NBA scouting combine in May when he recorded a 44-inch vertical leap, second-highest in the combine’s history. In spite of his reportedly lackluster workout in Milwaukee, Larkin remains a prime candidate to be drafted by the Jazz (No. 14), Bucks (No. 15) or Celtics (No. 16).

Larkin, whose father is Baseball Hall of Famer Barry Larkin, registered a standing vertical of 34.5 inches and a max vertical of 44 inches, which feel 1.5 inches short of Kenny Gregory’s record set in 2001. Larkin also turned in an excellent 3/4 court sprint and showed well in agility drills. Given his pedigree, Larkin’s athleticism shouldn’t be all that surprising. He’s still lacking in size, although his combine numbers could cause Larkin to rise up some team’s draft boards.

Beat writer Gary Washburn writes “don’t be surprised” if the Celtics “nab a point guard,” and he specifically references Shane Larkin as a possibility to backup Rajon Rondo. Although the Celtics desperately need size, they also need a backup point guard badly, something that was obvious to anyone watching the team after Rondo went down last season. Washburn also notes Dennis Schroeder, a German point guard, is in the mix.

It’s a weak draft and Larkin’s stock is unlikely get much higher. Barry’s son led Miami to the ACC regular-season and tournament championships, averaging 14.5 points, 4.6 assists and 3.8 rebounds while shooting an impressive 47.9 percent from the field. But at just 5'11/176, Larkin is merely a late first-round prospect that projects as a No. 2 point guard in the NBA. Trey Burke, C.J. McCollum and Michael Carter-Williams are all better prospects.

“It’s looking like I should be good to return in the middle of training camp, so we’ll just see what happens,” Larkin said. “There’s no positive (return) date, so we’ll see what happens.” He broke his ankle just before summer camp, so we haven’t got a very good look at the 2013 first-round pick. The lack of action suggests he’ll need some seasoning before getting some playing time, so he’s highly unlikely to be in the rotation to start the year.

He broke his ankle back on July 12 and was expected to miss 2-3 months, so he’s still right on schedule. The Mavericks have a lot of new parts in their backcourt, so Larkin has his work cut out for him to get minutes in his rookie season.