During the last game of day 1 at 2nd edition of Young Guns GBA Invitational we witnessed exciting wing match up between Dutch 2001 born Tristan Enaruna and year older Paul Eboua from Cameroon.
Enaruna is highly touted prospect who needs less and less introduction even though he comes from and plays in non basketball country. He was one of the leaders of Netherlands U16 team who won promotion to Division A last summer.
Eboua arrived in Stellazzurra during the summer of 2015 and has been making strides ever since to raise his stock and be known from more reasons than just freakish wingspan and participation in dunk contests.
PHYSICAL PROFILE:
Both of them have great standing reach for forward position. Enaruna is taller but Eboua is longer in general (223 cm wingspan). Tristan is not the most ripped player but possess adequate frame and can most likely improve his base also considering body built of his 2 years older brother – Iyen. Paul’s frame already filled out and he seems to have stronger legs and bounce off two feet. To some up Eboua wins comparison but they are both high level athletes with desirable tools and physical profiles.
POSSESSIONS IN DIRECT MATCHUP:
- Tristan tried step back jumper but didn’t create separation and went away.
- Tristan faked backdoor cut and went back to baseline 3pt line. Had a lot of space but was unable to get it off quickly and made contested airball.
- Tristan missed three after offensive rebound by his teammate. Eboua was deeper in rotation as he tried to get rebound as well.
- Tristan was PnR ball handler and Eboua got lost on the screen. He had no chance to recover and chased Enaruna for very hard foul. Tristan missed 2 FT, looked confused and lost the rest of his aggressiveness after this play. But it made him angry and he defended Eboua physical drive in next possession.
- Tristan was unable to get to the rim or create shot in open court.
- Eboua made big put back. Not poster but passive attitude of Tristan.
- Tristan shied away because of aggressive D
They were not defending each other most of the times because of different periods they spent on the court or using zone defense. However Tristan confidence was killed early in the game. He scored 1st points in the 4th quarter after missing many FTs in row. Later showed his amazing potential and couple of really nice plays but the game was pretty much over.
TRISTAN DOES HAVE GREAT PERIODS
It’s not like I try to be hard on Enaruna. As a scout you cannot stay indifferent to the combination of his skills and tools. Moreover his coordination and basketball talents seems to be very natural which is always great advantage to start with and build on. Against weaker opponents he has no troubles at all to create separation when operating with the ball. Some of those plays look VERY polished and his shooting is one smooth motion supported with good balance and footwork. He just doesn’t show will to dominate and as for now his ability to develop killer mentality is questionable. His transfer to High School in USA and stepping out of comfort zone can definitely help to become more of a fighter. On the other hand his teammates are extremely physical for European standards. Apollo really competes, guys are not overly skilled but willing to hustle and throw their body around. Moreover all of them are older so practising with them should have brought better results so far for Tristan.
PAUL EBOUA: TOUGH MINDED
Stellazzurra’s wing is definitely the type of player that you would love to have on your side and the one you wish not to play against often. He takes pride in playing defense. His body contains all the contact and he can really slide his feet. Given this plus apprioprate mindset, ridiculous bounce and conditioning he is great candidate for lockdown defender. On the contrary he got introduced to organized basketball late and his offensive production on pro level may not be satisfying.
POSITIONLESS?
The title is not as promising as it could be. Positionless basketball is trending in NBA for a while now. By this term we understand that someone is not closely tied to solely one position. It comes with increased versitality as PGs have forwards size and bigs can stretch the floor as never before. Everyone in this concept is strong, athletic and can check all switches. However it’s totally different story if you stuck between roles that are meant for players to take. Eboua basically can be considered for 2-4 positions. How does he fit for them all?
Guard – Simply defensive contribution limits you in big degree even if you are surrounded by few teammates who can shoot and drive. Eboua doesn’t possess the most natural stroke. It has very high release point and is not broken at all but it’s hard to imagine him become specialist or even consistent day in day out let’s say 40% spot up shooter. At the same time he is very mechanical and predictable as isolation player. Handles are definitely not tight and he can hit the wall. Also you can forget about playmaking considering his late start and lack of feel.
Forward – Again not as much in terms of shooting as you could expect. Eboua is not the best slasher around because of his slow decision making. Also he cannot facilitate as off ball cutter without necessary instincts. Post up heavy PFs are out of fashion and he won’t score that easily at pro level without broadening repertoire and better touch. However he is quicker than almost all 4s, rebounds at a high rate including put back dunks and has enough body to screen.
So who he is? Still tweener forward who is trying to become more of a wing. As for now facilitates thanks to elite physical tools and tremendous will to compete. Improvements in his IQ and skillset are crucial to translate his production and find a more translatable role on next level.
SUMMARY
If we could blend them then we would have absolutely amazing prospect. Highly skilled with good shooting, elite length, top notch defensive ability and outstanding competitiveness. Maybe overall feel for the game and decision making would be the only but very small question tags. However separately it’s difficult to be convinced if any of them is legitimate NBA talent. Tristan makes it doubtful because of his performance against likewise players who can defend. On the other hand Eboua does make progress but at the good not great pace. Nevertheless what they have to offer keeps them in consideration and on shortlists of all scouts.
