Ignacio Arroyo

It was during last year’s U17 South American Championship that Nacho Arroyo’s talent became pretty obvious and impossible to ignore. Along with NYC native Maxwell Lorca (uber-athletic presence with several college offers for 2019) and Kevin Rubio (a 6’3 bulldozer who can also make threes), he made up the backbone of a historic Chile team that won the gold medal in Lima, with Arroyo as floor general. Facing Argentina in the final, Arroyo set the tone and pace of the game, got the best of Andres Farabello (BWB invite), and rose above all the Argentinean efforts to stop him with rough D, full-court press or even 2on1. After the final, the crafty Chilean playmaker, who already spent a year away in Utah with San Diego Catholic high school, moved to Europe, where he’s continued growing and working on his game with the Spanish club Estudiantes.

What sets Nacho Arroyo apart from other PGs? Let’s call it fundamentals:

– Master of the bounce/hiding the ball with his low-gravity handle and long arms: Ability to shake and make his way to the basket using crossovers, spins, fakes and euro-steps

– Good user of screens and passing lines, looking to feed post players (special PnR partnership with big Maxwell Lorca as a roller) and kicking out the ball

– Fluid shooter with smooth release (catch and shoot or off the bounce) plus soft touch in the drive and great use of the floater

– Fast and furious in transition, easy down the rack with space and smelling blood against a slow defensive balanced teams

– Leadership and confidence to embrace his playmaking role

Nacho Arroyo is as pure a ball handler as they come, and has the precious and uncommon talent to break defenders off the bounce. Even without being extremely fast or explosive, he still can beat them on the spot and small spaces, moving well his feet and creating separation for a jumper or a drive. Over the year, he has also become a natural in the art of the floater, finishing a good amount of dribbles that way. Although sometimes he has played off the ball with Chile, he’s clearly a PG by trade. And in Estudiantes, with a simple and effective game plan based on screens, 1×1 and PnR, he’s become the main playmaker and initiator next to Lithuanian combo scorer Dovydas Geidraitis, but still with freedom to make shots for himself or others.

Most of Arroyo’s skills are already translatable to the pros, but there is still some work to do with his decision-making, D concentration and sometimes rushed shot selection. Moreover, in order to overcome his apparently lack of elite athleticism, the main way forward is gaining strength and muscle to become a better defender and overall player. That will allow him to better finish in contact, fight through screens and react to D rotations and switches. His notable wingspan already helps to deflect and disturb the rival’s passing lines.

We will see Nacho Arroyo and Chile from Sunday on, all guns blazing and going head to head in a competitive FIBAU18 Americas group B, with host Canada (Florida commit Andrew Nembhard among them) and old rivals Argentina (BWB guy Farabello, and also UVA commit Francisco Caffaro). They will try to avoid USA in the quarterfinals and look for a last 4 spot that brings qualification for the FIBAU19 World Cup next year. It’d mean a whole new world of exposure and possibilities for Chilean basketball and this truly gifted generation. While the task in hand will be extremely difficult, the reward will never be more worth it.