European Prospects

After having talked about the automatically eligible players and the vitals and measurements of all participants, the article of today discusses the camp of the NBA Draft 2012 early entrants. At the moment, it is not sure who will really stay in the Draft but we will talk about all the players that were present in Treviso under this status.

Jonas Bergstedt – C/PF – 2m06 – Denmark – Torrelodones – 1991

Denmark is not really a basketball powerhouse but their younger generations produce a lot of interesting big men. While some chose the US way and others prefer to stay in Denmark to develop, Jonas Bergstedt moved to Spain at a relatively young age in order to polish his basketball skills. Being a member of Torrelodones, Bergstedt currently plays in the fourth division in Spain but he has become an early entrant to the NBA Draft in order to get known by the European basketball scene. During his camp in Treviso, he showed some solid skills in the paint where he was mainly efficient through his effort. Technically limited and raw in his back to the basket game, Bergstedt has good physical tools to work with but his technique is still not to the level required for European standards. Good rebounder and shot blocker, Bergstedt struggles with his left hand even from close and has still a long way ahead. The NBA is not a realistic option for him, at least not in the next two to three years.

Josep Franch – PG – 1m90 – Spain – Murcia – 1991

The Spanish PG had a quite erratic camp in Treviso as he was doing way too much fancy stuff in stead of playing good passes. Franch tried to attack the basket hard as he can finish above the rim but often he decided to go for the circus play that went wrong. This is the risk of playing in this way in such a setting as you can either look like a genius or not. For Franch, it ended up in bad decision making and an overall disappointing camp in our eyes. He has good qualities as you can see during regular game play in the ACB but this camp did not really help him. He has another year to go but right now, he does not look like a NBA prospect.

Tomas Satoransky – SG/PG – 1m99 – Czech Republic – Sevilla – 1991

Having participated only one day in the Adidas Eurocamp, the Czech guard showed good things but nothing great compared to what he did when he was a first time participant 2 years ago. Satoransky is still a great guard, with good size, nice speed and athletic abilities who can run the point or play the shooting guard even if he has a clear preference for having the ball in his hands. He has improved his mid-range game as you can see him now stop around the key when driving for the jump shot. He can find his team mates out of the drive or on the break but does not go for the spectacular pass at will.

Because of his early departure, we could not see a lot more from Satoransky as he preferred to fly to the United States for individual workouts. But it was enough to understand that the Czech player may have a future in the NBA. He has already good experience in the ACB and also on the European level. With one or two more seasons in Europe, he should be able to have an immediate impact in the NBA as well if he becomes more regular from behind the three point line and is a little more implicated on defense.

Tornike Shengelia – PF – 2m05 – Georgia – Spirou Charleroi – 1991

The Georgian forward was certainly the player that boosted his stock the most during the Adidas Eurocamp 2012. Despite having played a full season in the Euroleague with Spirou Charleroi and being covered by ourselves and Draftexpress, his performance during the camp was again a step above of what you could expect. It was clear that Shengelia was on a mission in Treviso showing that he is able to dominate in such a setting. No defender could really stop him as he beat nearly anyone on the dribble when playing face to the basket. He attacked the basket hard and wanted to finish from as close as possible to have the highest percentages. Shengelia did an excellent job to finish with the contact as he was not only physically more mature than most of the players but also experienced enough to draw the necessary contact before the finish.

Shengelia is the most effective when he receives the ball outside of the key. He can play either with his back to the basket or face his defender. He recognizes pretty well how to play which defender. Out of the post-up, he can finish with the running hook or go baseline for the lay-back. He has of course a large preference to go to his right hand for the finish. When facing the players, he has a nice jump shot around the key, which he can also create with one or two dribbles to bring the defender in trouble. The Georgian can also put the ball on the floor to attack the basket and finish with the running floater or the two handed dunk over defense. He is not overly athletic or fast but has learned how to use his body at best.

Shengelia needs to become more consistent from the three-point line in order to attract the defense further out. With his 2m05, he has just enough size to play PF in the NBA but lacks the defensive lateral speed to defend SF on the next level. He can still work on his physical presence which is especially needed when he needs to defend in the low post. However, as he stays in the Draft, he is confident enough that he will get at least a second round selection which should be his best option. Like that, he can add one or two more years in Europe, knowing though that his maturity level is already quite high and his progress margin on the physical side looks limited. But more experience and a better developed technique are certainly two factors that he can earn when staying 2 more seasons in Europe.

Sertac Sanli – C – 2m10 – Turkey – Galatasaray – 1991

The Turkish big guy was one of the most imposing physiques in the whole camp. Sanli looks extremely strong but he is not very mobile. He can make the jump shot here and there but his athletic and speed deficits are not speaking in favor of an NBA career but more of a presence like Oguz Savas in the future. Sanli can become a very important defensive presence in the future but he will most likely step out of the NBA Draft pool and continue a career in Europe.

Abdoulaye Loum – PF – 2m06 – France – Gravelines – 1991

The French early entrant was one of the most gifted athletes in the camp with good vertical, quick legs but a somehow limited game. Loum, who has nearly seen any minutes with his Senior team this season, lacks a lot in terms of game understanding and decision making. He started the camp by taking nearly every shot possible and not looking good on these. His physical attributes and leaping abilities are good but he needs to gain experience in playing on the highest level first. He might be a long term project for a team that wants to take an eventually rewarding risk.

Nika Metreveli – PF – 2m07 – Georgia – Sassari – 1991

The other Georgian power forward in the camp was very quiet in his performances. In fact, you could barely see anything of the 2m07 tall player from Sassari. Already around for several years without having a real break out so far, Metreveli used the camp to showcase his skills and underline what he is up to for the next years. The NBA though seems far away for him right now.

Maxi Kleber – SF – 2m06 – Germany – Würzburg – 1992

The German forward was a pleasant surprise of the first day of the Eurocamp. Great athlete and good size, Maxi Kleber did some very good things on the Small Forward position where he could use his jumping abilities and speed to create some danger. With his three-point shot, he is a constant threat from outside and when he puts the ball on the floor, he can finish above the rim. Not overly fast when attacking the basket, Kleber was a bit of a surprise of the finish of the regular season in Germany and is supposed to get a lot more minutes next season. With his overall package, especially also on the defensive end, Kleber can develop into a high level prospect if he can reduce his injuries in the future.

Evan Fournier – SG – 1m97 – France – Poitiers – 1992

The French prospect played only the second day of the camp. One game he was on the court with his Adidas Eurocamp team while he added a match with the U20 National Team of France. He underlined his typical strengths like the elegant drive to the basket for the finish close to the basket and the passing out of the drive. Fournier could not really improve his stock during the Eurocamp as he saw only limited minutes because of his one-day presence. The French guard showed during the whole season what his talent level is and should not be judged on his Adidas Eurocamp alone.

With his understanding of the game and possibility to drive between the defenders, Fournier looks to be a very good prospect. His physical presence remains limited as the guard is not very muscular yet. This might be a problem for him if he wants to play in the NBA from next season. Additionally, Fournier needs to become more regular from outside in order to be able to attack the basket on the NBA level because his first step is not really explosive.