European Prospects

Only three players finally remained in the NBA Draft pool of those that were present at the Adidas Eurocamp 2013. So let’s see what kind of talent the present.

Raul Neto – 1m88 – PG – 1992

The short Brazilian PG was certainly the main guard of the event together with the auto-eligible Nemanja Nedovic. Neto has already gained a lot of experience by playing major minutes in the ACB. This explains his good reads on Pick and Roll situations where did really well when playing with his countryman Bebe. His passing is quite precise and he also has good timing to throw lob passes even if he struggles sometimes against taller defenders by trying to pass over them.

Next to his playmaking skills, Neto is also a good scorer. His jump shot has a good high release point and is executed with very good and regular mechanics. He can arm his shot out of the dribble and does this really well when being in Pick and Roll situations. Neto has excellent confidence in his shot which is underlined by the fact that he continues his move without any hesitation even when he is fouled. The floater is another option in his offensive repertoire as he is a bit short to attack the rim against the big guys.

On the downside, Neto struggles sometimes in defense when he has to play against bigger guards. He is not physically strong enough to keep them away from the low post and his lateral speed is nothing special. He does his job in the passing lanes though and compensates a lot with his smarts. On the other hand, he might not share the ball enough and overdribbles sometimes on offense before making the opening pass. But with his qualities in the fast break, this is not a major problem. The NBA though seems a bit far away for him as he lacks the great athletic skills that are needed to become an impact player. Nevertheless, we would not be surprised if a team takes a gamble on him in the second round.

Lucas Nogueira “Bebe” – 2m13 – PF/C – 1992

One day and one game should have been enough for the Brazilian big man in the Adidas Eurocamp to improve his stock. Playing together in a team with Raul Neto and Augusto Lima was the perfect situation for Bebe as he had a guard who knew where and when to pass him the ball and a big guy who did the dirty work for him on both ends of the floor. In this situation, Nogueira could excel and he did it to perfection. With his verticality, he could catch the lob passes thrown by Neto and finish above the rim showing his athletic abilities. Never in a difficult situation, it was though not clear how much the Brazilian big guy has improved his approach to the game. The last time when he was at the Eurocamp, his on-court behavior was quite doubtful as things did not really go in his favor. It would have been nice to see how he has developed in the mental part of the game.

On the positive side, you have to add that Nogueira showed that he can defend power forwards on this level. His great mobility gives him the possibility to stay in front of outside forwards and with his athletic abilities, he remains a shot blocking threat in these situations. Offensively, Nogueira did not show much else than finishing close to the rim on good passes from his guards. His back-to-the-basket game was not put in front during the day he was present in Treviso unfortunately.

The general impression though remained positive as he has a great combination of athletic abilities, physical presence and upside potential. With his energy level, Bebe can develop into an interesting asset for any NBA team even he will most likely not be the player to build a program around. He does not have the skill set of a Tiago Splitter at the moment so that the team who drafts him needs to consider that Nogueira still needs a lot of work in the next years. But this does not make him a non-valuable first round pick.

Janis Timma – 2m02 – SF – 1992

The Latvian forward was one of the pleasant surprises of the Eurocamp and his decision to keep his name in the Draft was certainly valuable after his showing. Having grown a lot stronger, Timma is now physically quite impressive for a European wing player. Still quite athletic and having good speed, Timma is a nice asset on the fast break where he is not afraid to go hard to the rim for the thunderous slam.

Offensively, Timma’s main strength is his good touch from outside. His shooting mechanics are really fluid and he can nail shots on a regular basis also from behind the NBA 3pt line. When he puts the ball on the floor, he prefers to go all the way and only rarely stops in the mid-range territory for the finish. In Pick and Roll situations, he can find the roller also on the nice behind the back play, but his first option remains the attack of the basket. Timma can develop into a NBA player in the future as his game looks clearly more adapted for an athletic environment. However, it would not surprise me if he makes a stop on the Euroleague level first. Any team in the second round that looks for a potential swingman addition in the next years should take a closer look at Janis Timma.