Chicago Bulls international prospect target: Filip Petrušev, Mega Bemax (Serbia)
Filip Petrušev is not like most international draft prospects. The Serbian big man played two seasons at the collegiate level, both with Gonzaga, before eventually returning to Europe to play for Mega Bemax.
He dominated in his second season with Gonzaga and was named the West Coast Conference Player of the Year for his efforts. That season, the 2019-20 college basketball season, saw Petrušev average 17.5 points and 7.9 rebounds per game.
He returned to Europe after that season and joined Mega Bemax in order to play somewhere he felt would maximize his skill set. Mega Bemax has produced a number of international NBA prospects that have found success in the NBA, including players such as Nikola Jokic, Ivica Zubac, Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot and Goga Bitadze.
Petrušev also has a connection to the Bulls already as 2020 NBA draft selection Marko Simonovic is a teammate of his in Europe. The two teamed up to form an overwhelming frontcourt in the Adriatic League Liga ABA.
Petrušev led the team in scoring by averaging 23.6 points per game. He has demonstrated an outside shooting stroke and well-rounded offensive arsenal. His added connection to Simonovic makes him a very interesting name to keep an eye on in relation to the Chicago Bulls.
While he isn’t an overwhelming defender he has shown the ability to play solid defense and not be a liability on that end of the floor. Petrušev can play both the power forward and center position which adds versatility to his game.
A frontcourt rotation of Nikola Vucevic, Simonovic and Petrušev would be a handful for opposing defenses to handle. Petrušev is 21 years old and has shown rapid development over the course of the last few years.