European Prospects

Hungary is currently playing the Qualifiers for the Eurobasket 2011 in Lithuania. Even if their chances to reach the tournament next summer have evaporated, the performances of Adam Hanga are worth to take a closer look at. Before the last two games (tonight versus Bosnia-Herzegovina and Thursday against Ukraine), the athletic forward/guard is leading his team in not less than 5 statistical categories (points, assists, steals, blocks and FTs attempts) and is as well their second best rebounder.

After having seen the Hungarian player for the last time at the Reebok Eurocamp in Treviso 2009, I was wondering how he has developed since then and was looking forward to see him against real competition. An interesting part of his game is that he is playing some kind of point forward, using the ball a lot and being able to create from the top of the key in Pick and Roll situations. He can attack the basket with his excellent first step especially when going right. But he remains aware of what is going on around him and is able to recognize the help situations in order to pass the ball to his team mates. On defensive hedge situations, he can split the defense with the cross-over dribble in order to attack the basket.

When attacking the basket, he goes always until the hoop as he has not much of an in-between game. The 2m01 (he is listed at 2m01 but was measured in Treviso 2009 at 1m97) tall player can finish with the acrobatic layup, the dunk or with some floater from the top but rarely stops his drive in order to take the shot. He likes to go for the last-second pass to the big guy waiting when the help is coming to stop him. Hanga can nicely accelerate his drive and he prefers to have some space in order to start his play. He prefers attacking either from the top of the key or going baseline with either hand; however, when using his left hand, he struggles sometimes with his ball handling.

One of the main weaknesses of Hanga’s game is and remains his shot. He can hit the three-pointer in catch-and-shoot fashion (he has really progressed here) but he is not really able to create his own opportunity out of the dribble. His jump shot is not really perfect in terms of mechanics as he takes the ball from his chest and shoots a bit in front of his face instead of having a really high release point. This is a problem when he is being defended hard as he can not take the shot in those situations. Additionally, he has a little tendency to float to the left when taking the jump shot. I could not see him take one shot from mid-range so I do not know if he has the same problems there. His whole shooting process is a bit slow even when he is open but he is able to hit the three-point shot and be a threat from behind the arc. The question of the new distance needs to be pointed out as well for his future.

On the defensive end, the Hungarian player sometimes struggles to go over or through the screens of the offensive players. He is not particularly strong or physical which does not help him either. His reaction time on the defensive end is improvable as well as he is not always in perfect defensive positioning or not seeing his man and the ball at the same time. He has the tools though to become an excellent defender and he may develop into a defensive stopper when playing for a top-level team. Hanga is able to read the passing lanes and steal the ball but right now, he is not a real on-the-man defensive power. With his athletic abilities (he has a 98cm free jump Vertical), he is as well able to block some shots.

After having played is Hungary only so far, it is about time for the NBA Draft 2011 automatically eligible player to move abroad. He finished his season with Albacomp with 13.1ppg, 3.8rpg and 2.0apg and is currently averaging 16.8ppg, 5.7rpg and 3.2apg with the Hungarian Senior National Team. We heard that several European teams showed interest to sign him for the next season. It would be a good moment for him to make the next step in order to become a bit tougher when facing more intense defense. Hanga has the athletic and scoring tools in order to lead Hungary and help them to remain in Division A. With his move to play more and more the PG position, he can even become an interesting player for the NBA as he has the necessary athletic skills for the big league and with his sense of the Pick-and-Roll situations, he can be a interesting option.

Watch the Video Analysis prepared from one of the preparation games of the Eurobasket 2011 Qualification Phase.