Last Updated on July 25, 2026 by Mat Diekhake

Anžejs Pasečņiks is a skilled big man whose size and touch around the basket helped him earn opportunities at the highest level of the sport. Although his NBA tenure was brief, he showed flashes of offensive ability and the potential that made him an intriguing international prospect.

Here is detailed information about Anžejs Pasečņiks:

Player Profile

  • Full Name: Anžejs Pasečņiks
  • Nationality: Latvian
  • Age: Born December 20, 1995
  • Hometown: Riga, Latvia
  • Height: 7’1″ (2.16 m)
  • Weight: 229 lbs (104 kg)
  • Wingspan: 7’3″ (2.21 m)
  • Shoe Size: 15 (US)
  • Number: Wore #18 in the NBA
  • Position: Center / Power Forward
  • High School: Not applicable; developed in Latvia’s basketball system
  • College: Did not attend college; played professionally in Europe before joining the NBA
  • NBA Draft: 2017, 1st Round, 25th Overall Pick by the Orlando Magic (rights traded to the Philadelphia 76ers)
  • Teams Played For:
    • Washington Wizards (2019–2021)
    • Several European clubs, including Herbalife Gran Canaria (Spain)
  • Championship Rings: None as of 2024
  • Kids: No publicly known children
  • Siblings: Information not publicly available

Player Archetype / Play Style

Anžejs Pasečņiks’ player archetype is a mobile finesse center, a tall interior big whose appeal has long come from size, fluid movement and touch around the basket more than bruising power play. Offensively, he fits best as a screen-and-roll finisher, transition runner and complementary interior scorer who can catch, finish with soft touch and occasionally hint at face-up or stretch potential, while defensively his role is more limited to positional interior coverage and team concepts than true anchor-level rim protection because his frame and physicality have not always matched his height. At roughly 7-foot-1 to 7-foot-2 and around 229 pounds with reported plus length, Pasečņiks has the size of a traditional center but tends to play a lighter, more agile style built on mobility, finesse finishes and opportunistic scoring rather than force. Put together, his game is best described as that of a mobile big who can run the floor and finish plays, but whose overall impact depends on whether his skill, activity and size can outweigh questions about strength, rebounding and defensive presence. (NBADraft)

Scouting Report

Anžejs Pasečņiks always looked like a centre whose best offensive possessions came from staying one step ahead rather than overpowering anyone. The first thing you notice is how willingly he flows into the next action. He’ll screen, roll with good timing, drift into open space if the lane is occupied and present a big target for pocket passes instead of demanding post touches. Around the basket, he relies more on length, soft hands and touch than brute force, often finishing before defenders can fully recover rather than through heavy contact. The interesting thing is that he flashes enough feel as a passer to keep the ball moving after short rolls or from the high post, but he generally prefers the safe read over the ambitious one, which keeps possessions organised even if it doesn’t create many highlights. Defensively, he reads the game better in structured coverages than in chaotic ones. He can sit in drop coverage, use his reach to discourage drives and rotate across as the low man without overcommitting, yet the trade-off becomes obvious when quicker guards force him into repeated changes of direction or drag him away from the paint. His footwork in space can become reactive instead of proactive, making it difficult to recover once the initial advantage is lost. To me, Pasečņiks fits best in a system that asks its centres to screen hard, finish efficiently and maintain defensive structure rather than switch across multiple positions. His game carries shades of Alex Len because of the reliance on size, vertical finishing and conservative defensive responsibilities, while there are elements of Tibor Pleiß in the way he prefers to operate within the flow of an offence instead of trying to create one. He’s the kind of big who can quietly complement skilled teammates when the game remains organised, but the more possessions become about speed and constant defensive exchanges, the narrower the margin for his strengths to take over.

Sources:

NBADraft.net — Anzejs Pasecniks
Sports Illustrated — Who is Anzejs Pasecniks? Scouting report, bio, analysis of 2017 NBA Draft prospect
NBA.com — Anžejs Pasečņiks | Center-Forward
Blazer’s Edge — NBA Draft Profile: Anžejs Pasečņiks
NBA Draft Junkies — ANZEJS PASECNIKS