Izan Almansa

Izan Almansa continues where he left last summer – with collecting the MVP awards. Last summer he won the MVP award at the U17 World Cup and later also the MVP trophy at U18 European championship and now he added the U19 World Cup MVP title to his name. Impressive stuff and it will be really hard for someone to accomplish the same thing in the future. Almansa was a dominant inside player on both ends. He managed to get some nice looks at the rim due to his elite footwork but overall there is still a lot of room for improvements in his post up technique and learning some go-to moves. Usually he relied on strength to get close to the rim and then pivoted for a good look but I doubt that can work so well against better/stronger/more experienced competition. He was way better and more efficient in pick & rolls and catch & finish plays when he could show his great court awareness and mobility. He was rarely at the wrong spot and did not make a lot of mistakes which is also a positive thing. It looks like his shooting motion also improved and it looks smoother than last summer and that was especially obvious at the free throw line – last summer at U17 he was 7/24 (29.2 %) and at U18 10/20 (50.0 %) from the free throw line while now at U19 he was 17/19 (89.5 %). Still needs to add range in half-court sets though since he scored majority of his points at the rim and improving in that skill should be his main focus in next season. Showed great interior defense too and has not allowed any easy points at the rim while he also knew how to move his feet and defend on perimeter. It will be interesting to follow him in G League next season and how his game translates to pro level because in the FIBA competitions he looks really dominant.

Izan Almansa (C | 207 cm | ‘05) ~ Spain

15.7 pts, FG2-61.7%, FG3-N/A, FT-50.0%, 10.7 reb, 0.9 ast, 1.6 st, 1.6 to, 1.1 blck

Almansa continued where he finished at the U17 World Cup and took home another medal and another MVP of the tournament reward. I think there is nothing more to add to the report from a few weeks ago since he played his game again and dominated both paints because of his physicality and mobility. A big man that is doing his job and excels in the PnR role so there should always be a place for players like him at the highest level but as said a few weeks ago, offering no stretching could be an issue for the NBA or he needs to be extremely good in the other stuff to fit in a Clint Capela role.

Izan Almansa (PF/C | 207 cm | ‘05) ~ Spain

12.1 pts, FG2-55.7%, FG3-N/A, FT-29.2%, 11.9 reb, 1.6 ast, 1.1 st, 1.3 to, 1.6 blck

MVP of the tournament. Almansa has improved by a lot since the last time I watched him (that was before he joined Overtime). He is mobile, athletic and strong and can make a difference in the paint on both sides. There were possessions when just his presence in the paint scared opponents away from attempting shots at the rim. He showed good instincts for blocks and contested the shots when it was possible. Also crashed the boards on both ends and was among the best rebounders in the tournament. Unfortunately, he can’t offer much in offense except finishes in the paint. His shooting touch is poor and struggled even from the free throw line while he hasn’t attempted any shots outside the paint. His court awareness is very good and he opens up the passing lanes and has a great feel for how to move without the ball. He profited a lot from great passers in the Spanish team that served him some easy points/dunks when he lurked at the dunker spot or rolled to the rim in a pick & roll setting. Almansa has some post up game too where he can make a balanced spin that creates separation for a finish or make a precise pass to a teammate. Almansa has a lot of skills that can make him a great player in the future especially his rebounding, defense and interior game on both ends can make him a valuable asset but to make it into the NBA, he will need to add some range and start to knock down shots – at least from mid range if not even behind the three point line.