NBA Comparison: Fred Hoiberg/Richie Frahm

Strengths: His wingspan and height are perfect for his role … Possesses underrated athleticism since he doesn’t attack the basket very often … Abrines is probably the purest shooter among European NBA prospects, with fluid mechanics, quick release, and a huge range … His off the ball game is excellent, exploiting screens and cuts in order to reach the proper spot to shot … He’s extremely effective in catch and shoot situations, but he’s also able to create off the dribble with confidence and effectiveness, both using pull-up jumpers or attacking the rim …  On the defensive side his wingspan and instincts make him a good threat to jump the passing lanes, especially when his team plays zone defense …

Weaknesses: He needs to add strength in order to withstand contact when he tends to lose balance … There are some toughness concerns with him … Doesn’t attack the rim nearly enough … Poor footwork, he’s not smooth running the floor, he needs to work on his coordination and posture … He lacks a reliable midrange game … Needs to improve the use of pivot feet and fakes in order to become a better offensive threat … On the defensive side his poor lateral quickness will make him struggle against guards and small forwards at NBA level … He also needs to work on his defensive attitude, especially in one on one situations …

 Notes: He grew up with Unicaja Malaga and last year he scored 31 points in an ACB game at the age of 18. This summer he signed a contract with FC Regal Barcelona, where he played throughout the course of this season. His utilization by coach Pasqual was far from being consistent with several games in which he played only a few minutes both in ACB and in Euroleague … His final averages are 3 points and 1 rebound in ACB and 5 points and 1 rebound in Euroleague, playing an average of 11 minutes per game …

Davide Bortoluzzi 6/28/13