NBA Comparison: Raul Lopez/Marcelinho Huertas

Strengths: Has amazing speed with the ball in his hands in transition and a really quick first step … He has remarkable ball handling skills, that give him the ability to change speed and direction quite easily … He’s excellent in the pick and roll, with a great instinct to find teammates in drive and dish situations … He shows a great ability to exploit the screen to attack the basket with great intensity and effectiveness, with ability to get to the rim or to use his floater … On the defensive side he’s really intense with the ability to put pressure on the ball with his excellent lateral speed and quick hands … At the age of 21 there are few players in Europe playing with the same confidence and maturity at a high level … Despite the lack of size he has a solid frame, especially in the upper body …

Weaknesses: With a height of 6’2”  in shoes and a 6’2” wingspan he lacks optimum length …from an athletic standpoint he has just average leaping abilities … His perimeter shooting lacks consistency, especially in the midrange area when he’s forced to use the pull-up jumper from the dribble … He also needs to work on his 3 point shot in catch and shoot situations. His playmaking skills needs to be developed, in particular decision making, since he tends to over dribble and look for the highlight play … On the defensive side his great intensity combined with the lack of maturity leads sometimes to early foul troubles against more experienced opponents.

Notes: He was in the world roster of 2011 Hoop Signed and signed with Lagun Aro in ACB the same summer. After a 2012/2013 ACB season when he closed with 9 points and 3 assists per game, he was the MVP of 2013 Adidas Eurocamp in Treviso. He’ll be probably spending at least a couple of season at a high European level before leaving for USA.

Davide Bortoluzzi 6/30/13