European Prospects

In the second part of our analysis of the Albert Schweitzer Tournament 2014, we take a closer look at the most talented wing players of the event.

Daniel Donzelli – 1m98 – SF – 1996 – Italy

Daniel Donzelli was the main Italian contributor on the wing. Mainly used as a spot up shooter, also playing the PF position because of the limited height of the roster, Donzelli was key in the run for the Gold Medal. Capable of stretching the defense because of his ability to knock down the shots at the key moments, Donzelli also was dangerous when putting the ball on the floor to attack the basket. His first step was quite dangerous as he was mostly defended by slower and bigger PF but he could also finish these drives because of nice footwork and the ability to avoid defenders by the eurostep. The left handed forward mainly uses his strong hand when putting the ball on the floor but he is good enough on his right hand to finish in traffic. Defensively, Donzelli is a good rebounder for his position and he can also push the ball out of these situations. It has to be seen how Donzelli plays when he will compete on his natural position of SF in the future as he lacks the size to become a professional Power Forward.

Stats: 14.9ppg (48.7% FGs – 34.4% 3FGs), 6.3rpg, 1.7apg

Okben Ulubay – 2m00 – SF – 1996 – Turkey

It was a so-so event for Okben Ulubay who has once been considered as a top prospect but since the revelations on his birth certificate falsifications, his stock has dropped. In Mannheim, Ulubay tried to be the leader of a highly talented Turkish team but he never really took over in a positive way in the decisive moments as he forced too much and going for the hero ball situations. His talent is undeniable as he has great size, can play every position from PG to SF and is both dangerous on the drive and the outside shot. However, he goes too much on his strong left hand which makes him predictable for improving defenses. Then, he tries to score too much out of his own creations instead of creating for others when he has the ball in his hands. A lot will depend on how Ulubay matures mentally over the next years in his approach to the game. With his skillset, he can become one of the better prospects of his generation but his showing in Mannheim was not that promising as he looks to stagnate in his development and being physically without any major upside anymore.

Stats: 8.9ppg (45.7% FGs – 38.5% 3FGs), 2.1rpg, 2.6apg

Jan Niklas Wimberg – 2m04 – SF – 1996 – Germany

The German forward played only one game for his team in Mannheim but it was a big one in the group stage against Turkey. Wimberg showed his all-around versatility with his drive and dish game but also his ability to create his own shot out of the dribble. Sporting great size for the wing position, Wimberg can be used both on SF and PF depending on the game situation. In the crucial moments of that game, it was him who kept Germany in the game with big three-point shots either in Pick and Pop or Corner kick out situations. After a full season on the ProB level in Germany, Wimberg has to be integrated in the BBL rotation in a next step which might be difficult in Oldenburg so that a loan could be an interesting option for him in the future.

Stats: played only 1 game

Stefan Lazarevic – 1m98 – SF – 1996 – Serbia

The Serbian forward showed in Mannheim what we have seen from him during the NIJT already. A really solid all around game with the capacity to dominate physically on this level because of above average athletic abilities and a great will to score close to the basket. His vertical presence in the paint is impressive on both sides of the court as he can grab rebounds above the rim on the defensive end and push the ball full court to finish on the dunk. Lazarevic was a matchup problem for most teams in Mannheim as he posted up other small forwards really deep and attacked the power forwards on the drive. When Lazarevic has position down low, where he has made an excellent job over the last months to work on his deep post-up position, he is able to finish nearly at will with a jump hook or a drop step.

His ball handling allows him to be a key player in the fast break situations where he can push the ball and find his team mates on the wings making him some kind of offensive facilitator in transition. His off the ball movement in set offense is great as his guards can find him open so many times on back door situations because of good fakes and speed changes as well as reading what the defense is giving him. With this understanding of the game, Lazaervic should have no major problems to make the next step and be a contributor on the professional level relatively soon. He needs though to work on his outside shot in order to give it a larger part in his game. In Mannheim he took only a total of 5 three point shots in the 6 games he played but his free-throw percentages (83.3% on 6 attempts per game) gives hope that his shooting touch is there and that he will develop a reliable outside shot in the future.

Stats: 15.0ppg (60.4% FGs – 40.0% 3FGs), 7.0rpg, 1.5apg,

Marc Garcia – 1m98 – SF – 1996 – Spain

The Spanish sniper played a good individual tournament but was unable to bring team success to his team. With his feel and touch, Garcia is a great scorer on this level and he should be able to translate this to the next level. The small forward can score in many different ways as he has an excellent shooting touch from behind the arc with extremely quick execution. He can also put the ball on the floor to finish from the mid-range area either with the jump shot or the floater from the top. Out of his drives that are always executed with great elegance, he remains under control to come up with good passes as he generates a lot of help situations. On the downside, you could not see much physical development of the still thin body. Also, when guarded by smaller players, he rarely goes to the post up even when being more than 10cm taller.

Stats: 23.8ppg (46.4% FGs – 39.4% 3FGs), 2.0rpg, 3.8apg

Samuel Berkelund – 2m00 – SF – 1997 – Sweden

Probably not the player with the most impressive stats in the Albert Schweitzer Tournament 2014, Samuel Berkelund has shown though great talent and interesting upside potential for the future. The 2m00 tall forward was often used on the PF but has definitely the possibility to become a SF in the next years. Berkelund has interesting ball handling that he can use to attack the basket on the drive from the three-point line but also in transition to push the ball up-court. He needs to improve his touch from outside in order to become a threat also from down town which would make Berkelund a really interesting long term prospect. He is definitely a player to watch for the future.

Stats: 4.5ppg (37.0% FGs – 27.3% 3FGs), 1.7rpg

Erik Johansson – 1m94 – SF/SG – 1996 – Sweden

Erik Johansson was probably one of the best pure shooters of the tournament. Really a great offensive threat when receiving the ball in catch and shoot situations, Johansson was a good target for his PG Hakanson on kick out situations. His shooting mechanics are perfectly fluid and stable and he has also a particularly quick release from all around the three-point line. Additionally, Johansson also showed that he is not only a jump shooter as he can also find his team mates with perfect passes especially when coming off the flare screen that is supposed to get him open. Johansson will certainly be able to fulfill the shooting role on the next level and it will be interesting to see in which direction he goes in the future.

Stats: 7.5ppg (46.3% FGs – 40.0% 3FGs), 1.7rpg, 1.7apg

Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk – 2m00 – SF/SG – 1997 – Ukraine

I did not see much of Ukraine during the tournament and Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk was not as impressive as usual during these moments. He might have been tired after coming back from a week of Hoop Summit in Portland and the long tournament in Mannheim was probably too much for him. His poor shooting percentages are a sign of this. Nevertheless, the Ukrainian prospect is without any doubt one of the best potentials of his generation with his combination of size, skillset and athletic abilities.

Stats: 16.0ppg (38.2% FGs – 35.7% 3FGs), 5.0rpg, 1.0apg

Oleksandr Kobets – 1m93 – SF/SG – 1996 – Ukraine

The second main scoring option for Ukraine was the 1m93 wing Oleksandr Kobets. Physically already quite strong, Kobets showed an excellent touch from around the three point line despite a not really high release point. Kobets is also present as a defensive rebounder because of his good athletic abilities and he likes to push the ball up the court in transition. All in all, he played a nice tournament and he was the main help for Mykhailiuk who struggled with his shooting. A player who will probably remain in the shadow of the 1997 born for scouts but who is definitely worth a closer look in the future.

Stats: 22.0ppg (54.5% FGs – 43.8% 3FGs), 6.2rpg, 1.4apg