INDIANAPOLIS – When Vlade Divac looks at Nenad Krstic he sees a young version of himself.

Divac raves about Krstic, the explosive 6-11 forward the Nets drafted with the 24th pick, a selection they kept quiet about before the draft.

“He is, not just in Yugoslavia but in all of Europe, one of the most talented guys. He reminds me a lot of me,” said Divac, the Kings’ center who also is president of Partizan of Belgrade, Krstic’s Yugoslavian team. “He has a low-post game, an outside game. He can block shots. Most important he is a great guy. He comes from a good family. I know him because we came from the same city.”

Net scouts saw Krstic before the draft and were impressed. But so were Sacramento and San Antonio picking after them. So the Nets stayed mum and grabbed Krstic, whom they don’t even want to think about for a year. They want him to stay in Europe to gain experience and bulk.

“He’s 19. He’s got to get some muscle like everybody else. But he’s still a kid. He’s quick, smart,” Divac said of the teen who impressed Net president Rod Thorn in July’s Global Games when he was an all-tourney choice.