Dwayne Aristode

Dwayne was definitely not shy of taking the shots. He took his share of shots but the percentages on them were bad – he shot just 4 out of 23 from the field in the three games combined. This is now happening to him quite often and I noted that down on almost every tournament in this season. The shooting motion doesn’t look bad but the percentages are staying low and usually there are some really bad misses too. In Treviso he played more outside and on the guard spots and I think that is the right move since I don’t see him as a stretch 4 that he often played in Joventut.  He has great size and tools but the shooting percentages will just need to get better… He is still young and has time to work on that.

The Dutch 2006-born has shown a good strong athletic frame at ANGT in Patras 2023. He can get out in transition and also showed over average defensive performance. He was the key factor, besides Prey, to win this second ANGT tourney this season for Badalona. He has an NBA-type of length and knows how to use his long arms and quick hands to be a decent on ball defender. 

In his best game against Vechta (18pts, 7rebs, 10/15 FT, 3ass) the Dutch forward was unstoppable on drives and transition runs. While going 15 times to the free-throw line and drawing 14 total fouls, he had a Player Index Rating of 20. 

Exciting to see his next steps, especially regarding his shooting and ball handling skills. His tourney stats: 12pts, 7,8rebs, 2,2ass, 1,4stls, 30% 3FG.

Dwayne Aristode (F | 197 cm | ’06) ~ Joventut Badalona

Probably the player that dissapointed the most in L’Hospitalet. I had high expectations on him, especially since Ruben Prey was out and everything was set up for Dwayne to step up. He couldn’t find his shooting touch and shot just 4/26 (15.4%) from deep. I think that all of his made shots came in the 4th quarter vs Unicaja and that was not enough for his standards. He is not that bad as shooter and also the shooting motion looks good and I believe that was just a bad tournament for him. Also played out of his role most of the time, on the PF spot as a stretch 4 even though he is more of a swingman (SG/SF). Had some good drives but for my taste he opted for a shot too often and he should attack the rim more often. He has the tools but will need to show more and be more consistent in next tournament(s).

Dwayne Aristode (SF | 200 cm | ‘06) ~ Netherlands

15.3 pts, 9.0 reb, 3.1 ast, 2.0 stl, 1.3 blck, 3.7 to, FG 39.8%, 3P 37.5%, FT 60.0%

It was nice to see Dwayne Aristode in a different setting than at the ANGT Varese tournament in April where he played for Joventut. In Joventut he played mostly off-ball and didn’t get many touches in offense while here he had the ball in his hands more often and his offensive role was bigger. He had some isolation plays early in the tournament and he struggled to create advantages so an off-ball role definitely suits him better. He is an above average athlete and I would love to see him being more aggressive and attacking the rim more often and not just relying on his outside shooting. He showed that he is a good shooter already on a big sample size but the shot selection was sometimes bad and needs to add more in-between game and at the rim scoring to his repertoire if he wants to become a better and more versatile scorer. Offers high defensive potential as a wing too and has good instincts on that side of the floor. In my opinion, Aristode was one of the players with the highest upside in Skopje and if the development goes in the right direction, he could make an NBA career as a 3&D wing.

(Written by Marko Turk)

7.2 pts, FG2-100.0%, FG3-26.7%, FT-68.2%, 6.0 reb, 0.5 ast, 1.0 st, 1.5 to, 1.0 blck

The third player from Joventut Badalona that caught my attention at this tournament is 2006 born Dutch wing Dwayne Aristode. I could imagine that he hasn’t completely grown into his body yet and that he could still grow for a few inches and of course add more muscle mass to his frame. His role in the team wasn’t that big and he played mostly off the ball but he made correct reads when to shoot or attack the closeouts and showed some scoring versatility. He has great athletic tools and is explosive vertically and horizontally and uses his athleticism very well in defense. He played very well on that side of the floor and showed that he is able to defend multiple positions and that he can compete with older players already. Hasn’t played much above the rim during the matches but on warmups he has shown that he has the bounce to rock the rim. Definitely an intriguing player that has the potential for a very good two way wing in the future.

(Written by Marko Turk)