Elias Valtonen

Height: 200cm – 6’7’’
Born: 11.06.1999
Nationality: Finland
Position: Forward
Current team: Tubingen

RANK:
Of 1999 Generation

STRENGHTS WEAKNESSESS
  • legit 6-6 with a solid 6-8 wingspan
  • good athlete by european standards. smooth with the ball in his hands and plays at a good pace
  • can play above the rim in space
  • solid frame bucket-getter through and through. Impressive scorer in almost every setting he has played in good shooter
  • confident shooting off the bounce but can also make spot-up three-pointers. Has a very smooth, fairly quick trigger. Could develop into a high-level shooter down the road ability to create space. Uses step-backs to get his shot off. Fadeways also part of his repertoire
  • not super light on his feet but can attack closeouts. Solid awarness, looks for holes in traffic flashy passer. Finds his teammates on the move regularly or kicks the ball to the open shooter in the corner
  • good ball-handler for his size. Uses hesitation moves or crossovers to create seperation right hand-dominant but can finish with his off-hand a bit as well
  • not a great athlete by american standards. More fluid than exploisve
  • can be a bit turnover prone, consistent decision making a work in progress
  • doesn‘t have overwhelming tools defensively. Not super quick or tough. Could play harder at times on the defensive end
  • smooth stroke but results are not there yet. Not very consistent at FIBA tournaments
  • can struggles with contact. Shies away from taking the ball strong to the rim
  • passive when he‘s playing with stronger teammates and against stronger competition. Showed glimpses of exceptional talent at the U17 World Championships and then just looked very average at the U18 European Championships. Not the guy who takes over in camps. Does he lack killer instinct?
OUTLOOK
The Finnish wing has all the tools of an elite european prospect. He‘s a really gifted scorer and a smooth athlete with still quite some room for improvement defensively. Valtonen is considered to take the NCAA route, he‘s already getting offers from high-level schools. It‘s not out of question, that he receives NBA interest in the near future.
League / TeamGMINPTS2%FG3%FG%FTRDRORTASSTTOBFvFCmEff
Finnish 1st Div 16-17
HBA Marsky
1526:359.043.8%25.0%75.0%5.00.75.72.41.32.50.82.111.1
FIBA U18 2016
Finland
621.77.751.4%11.1%58.3%4.20.34.51.81.52.20.21.38.5

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