As we are slowly approaching the 2017/2018 NCAA season another Top European class of 2018 recruit made his college decision. Elias Valtonen will suit up next year for Arizona State.
His choice was down to Sun Devils and Illinois which he both visited last days. Moreover ASU assistant coach Rashon Burno took a trip to Finland on September to evaluate and recruit Finnish prospects in person.
Valtonen is borderline Mid Major + / High Major – prospect. He is Top 20 caliber player of his generation regarding European market which would easily allow him to be considered Top 100 recruit by USA standards. His stock decreased last months a bit because of minor health problems with his (jumper) knee which limited his presence and impact on the prestigious U18 international events. However it’s past now and medical records are 100% correct.
Young star from HBA Marsky is quite good athlete for European requirements. He posses significant size for position and well proportionate frame. He can get low and attack close out with nice body control. His shot doesn’t work consistently but can be considered the weapon thanks to his notable shot creation ability. He has advanced footwork off the dribble and seems to be skilled enough to translate this ability in highly demanding and physical Pac-12 Conference. He is bucket getter first but has better assisting ability than typical player of this characteristic and can find his teammates on the move. He can play really well with the ball and Arizona State may be the place and the system where he will be able to refine typical guard skillset even more. On the other hand his aggressiveness tends to come and go so he can be unproductive for some stretches especially against physical competition which raises some question about how immediate his transition to college can be. Also he was not equally good on defensive end in the settings we have watched him so far even though he has upside to contribute on this side of the floor as well.
To sum up Elias is a smooth swingman with good feel for the game. He still has a lot of room for improvement and can even ultimately become Euroleague player if Arizona really appears to be right place for his development. Currently he is having hot start to the season and should remain fired up after come back to Finland and decision he has just made.
