NBA Compariosion: Lior Eliyahu

Strengths: A natural small forward, but can also play with his back to the basket, thanks to his physical strength … He’s an agile player with skills in various parts of the game: he can shoot, dribble and also play off the ball adroitly …. Physically is strong and athletic, so he can be a good rebounder for the position … He’s very young and lacks experience at a high level, but on the court he shows the composure and confidence of a veteran …

Weaknesses: His first step is not a strength. On defense he can struggle in the post when he plays power forward, and on the perimeter with the quickness of small forwards … He has to improve his efficiency on free throws and develop the range and consistency to shoot behind the arc …

Notes: An underrated player on the European scene: last year at Valencia (Spain), he didn’t get a chance to play and it dropped him off the radar … This season he’s playing very well in Belgacom Charleroi, a Belgian team that is in Euroleague … 2011/12 is the first season that he has played important minutes …

Giovanni Conte 12/15/11