Iaroslav Niagu

USC

Position: Big

Nationality: Russia

#26

Of 2003 Generation

Born: 04.09.2003

Height: 213cm - 7’0’’

PREDRAFT MEASUREMENTS

Recap: VTB Youth League Final 8

Iaroslav Niagu (C | 211 cm | ‘03) ~ Lokomotiv Kuban

One of the youngest players in the tournament and had a smaller role in his team. Fluid and mobile big that can stretch the floor and hit shots from distance. Most of his points at the tournament came in the paint though where he wasn’t afraid to initiate the contact against stronger players and go for dunks. Good rim protector and rebounder and knows how to use his length in defense. Definitely one of the players with the highest ceiling in this tournament. 

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Recap: Belgrade AdidasNGT
Iaroslav Niagu (’03), Lokomotiv Kuban Krasnodar, 6’11.5”, C

11.3pts, 2FG-42.9%, 3FG-25%, FT-88.2%, 8.8reb, 1.8ast, 0.5stl, 1.5to, 2.5blk
(Written by Igor Chytrzynski)

Iaroslav has good size and mobility, is fluid in the lower half but the upper body is a bit stiff. Good screener with the ability to pop behind the 3-point line and space the floor for his team. Has smooth mechanics on the shot but on the longer attempts he dips the ball really low prolonging his gather. At the free throw line presented himself very well and showed up regularly. Still needs to add more muscle to his frame. He sometimes lacked a bit of interior aggressiveness and could have shown more of his abilities like his footwork and soft touch inside. Majority of his points came from spot up jumpers and good positioning in the paint. When he did put up a fight, he wasn’t afraid to get his hands dirty on the floor going after 50/50 balls. On defense, he is always keeping the hand on the pulse and is eager to help on drives. For his size, he can quickly slide over to protect the basket and elevate high but needs to make sure he is not flying towards shooting opponent and goes up vertically. Done nice job on a couple of occasions staying in front of the guards after a PnR. Looks for bodies to box out.

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FIBA U16 Europe: Best Prospects
Russia came as a surprise to many people watching them first time, they definitely worked their way up to semi-finals with an amazing performance against Turkey on QFs. Easily the best prospect on the team was the 6’11 big man Iaroslav Niagu. At the first look, he looks very raw body wise but definitely has impressive basketball IQ that allows him to be efficient in both ends. It is always hard to judge big men in U16 level, as their coordination is usually lacking at that stage but Niagu had none of it. He was finishing around the rim with ease, ran the floor pretty well and defended against stronger players thanks to his positioning and intensity. Conditioning wise, he has a long way to go as he never played more than 30 minutes in any game in the tournament. Another impressive trait of him was his ability pass out of low block and it looked all so natural about him. Horizontal mobility is not there but can be solved to an extent in the upcoming years.
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Recap: VTB Youth League Final 8

The Final Eight of the VTB United Youth League took place in Saint Petersburg last weekend where the top 8 clubs in Russia fought for ...
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Recap: Belgrade AdidasNGT

Adidas Next Generation Tournament Belgrade took place between 26-28 of March and was a third and final qualifier this season. Below you can find a ...
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FIBA U16 Europe: Best Prospects

FRANCE To no one's surprise, France has progressed all the way to the Finals without losing a single game thanks to their impressive length, athleticism ...
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