Pau Tendero

PAU TENDERO, 6’5, GUARD, SPAIN

STRENGTHS:
– 6’5’’ tall, very fast in the open court and on his legs in defense, nice vertical. Very complete player, puts a lot of effort on both ends off the floor. Has a very good understanding of the game, high IQ
– Dangerous with the ball, challenges opponents 1on1- quick first step, able to beat his defender off the dribble and penetrate the defense. Fearlessly drives to the rack, plays through contact, finishes with soft lay ups, can use either hand. Nice shooting mechanics, able to shot off the dribble and play as a spot up shooter-moves without the ball, uses screens to get into position or slashes to the rim. Very impressive 3 point shooter -42.9% and very solid 78.9% from FT line.
– Utilizes PnR’s well, with nicely developed handles, sees gaps on defense, always looks for open teammates delivering the ball precisely with either hand or bounce passes. Doesn’t panic when double teamed. Unselfish, patient with the ball, aware of the time.
– Very fast in the open court, runs transition and cuts to the basket. Able to finish with strong dunks and alley ups
– Good defensive instincts. Gets back on defense quickly, does well guarding a 1on1, quick on his feet, fights, puts constant pressure on opponents, contests shots and rotates accordingly.

WEAKNESSES:
– Struggles guarding stronger opponents on the perimeter, gets pushed out the way. Weak, needs to improve his strength.
– Not a consistent scorer, doesn’t play in isolation, having trouble to create shot opportunities for himself, prefers to use screens.
– Streaky shooter, tends to disappear on offense, has hot and cold moments, not able to keep the continuity in his scoring.

OUTLOOK:
Pau Tendero is a very competent two-way player, putting a lot of effort into everything he does. He has shown a lot of offensive potential even though he was playing as a third option and sometimes coming off the bench. Needs to bulk up in order to compete on the next level, he is feisty but will struggle against stronger opponents. He averaged fair 10.7pts, 2.3rebs and 2.4ast and finished second with Spain in the tournament.

PAU TENDERO (SPAIN, BARCELONA, 2002, 193cm) – Spanish prospect was recently evaluated by our Catalunyan contributor Eric Castro Gonzalez here. My first look at Pau was a bit unfortunate as the game wasn’t his best showing ever and moreover he twisted an ankle early in the second match. However I really did like what I saw. Tendero possess absolutely phenomenal athleticism for European player. He has superior speed and power in his legs. Can slash every defense to death in his age group. You also got to like his fearless borderline reckless attitude while getting to the rim. Even though he moves at unmatched pace he is able to slow his body down and control the moves when necessary. Generally he feeds from his physicality in many aspects of the game. It is extremely hard to deny him off the ball, provides much more above average rebounding contribution and can really be a problem on defense when he digs in. Besides shooting skills raise him to elite level as a prospect. It’s still not 100% pure and he creates space to get it off mostly thanks to speed and good balance instead of advanced handles but there is still not that much great slashers with sweet stroke. He can survive with current height on the high level but 1-2 inches more could definitely make a difference especially regarding NBA chances which he definitely shouldn’t be deprived of. Not a point guard by born, will probably be tried on scoring PG position next years but I am not sold on whether this transition can go smoothly. Kinda still figuring out the way how to use his assets best way possible and help the team at the same time.

PAU TENDERO

Team: F.C.Barcelona            Born: 29/01/2002

Current position: Forward

Future position: Guard

Height: 6’3

Pau Tendero plays with Barcelona’s U16 and U18. He couldn’t participate in Adidas Next Generation Tournament because he was in Valladolid with Catalonia U16 team. Used to play in Bahía San Agustí, where he scored 57 points and grabbed 25 rebounds in the final of Mallorca’s Championship 2 seasons ago. Recently at U16 Sant Josep Tournament he went for 24 points, 5 rebounds & 25.5 PIR per game. He followed good performance as member of Spain cadetes at Íscar tournament Tendero where he averaged 19 points and 16.6 PIR per game. He is considered one of the best prospects of Spain. In my opinion he is a NBA prospect because he already has shooting skills of a pro player especially off the dribble even under defensive pressure. Moreover has amazing athleticism.

PHYSICAL PROFILE

Tendero is one of the best in his generation in this regard. He is really fast, strong and is able to make greats changes of pace while dribbling. He isn’t fully developed and can grow even more. His physicality helps him a lot to be able to play with U18 league. He isn’t a corpulent player but has good muscles especially in lower body. It gives him ability to guard fast players and have significant leaping ability.

OFFENSIVE

His best offensive quality is nice stroke off the dribble. Able to play as playmaker, shooting guard and small forward but in the high level I see him more as a combo. He has a tremendous killer mentality and shines in transition offense.

Tendero possess decent court vision but he has to improve a bit his IQ.

DEFENSE

In general he is able to guard all the position except centers thanks to his physicality. His hands are very active and he can press on ball. Decent rebounder due to his long arms vertical leap.

Pau Tendero (2002, Barcelona)

Guard with a great athletic abilities. Very fast with good strength in upper and lower body. He is a good ball handler but what stands out the most is that he is a killer shooter. Possess rare skill to shoot of the dribble which most players his age lack. On defense is very active and has the ability to steal the ball. The rebounding is easy for Pau because he has very long arms and strong legs. Choosen to All-tournament Team.