If France would win the championship, then probably Zacharie Perrin would be picked as the MVP of the tournament. Statistically he was the best performer at the competition and averaged 15.4 points, 10.9 rebounds and 2.7 asists per game with an average PER of 25.1. Amazing numbers for the French big man. Zacharie has similar game and similar limitations as Izan Almansa. He scored almost all of his points at the rim and he doesn’t offer any stretching. He was great in following the game and offering himself around the rim – be it out of cuts or pick & roll plays. He run the floor well and often got rewarded with quick and easy points in transition. As said, lack of the ability to make shots from distance sets some limitations on him in offense and I think his ceiling will depend on how good he can get at shooting. Defensively he was doing his job, offered some switchability and was capable of defending inside or outside. Showed great rebounding efforts and was the best rebounder in Debrecen. Great tournament for him overall but those numbers won’t translate so easily on the pro level.

Zacharie Perrin (C | 207 cm | ‘04) ~ Next Generation Team

10.0 pts, FG2-54.2%, FG3-0.0%, FT-63.6%, 5.8 reb, 1.8 ast, 0.8 st, 2.5 to, 0.5 blck

Perrin was physically one of the most pro ready bigs at this tournament. He wasn’t as dominant as in the tournament in Varese mainly because this Next Generation Team had much more depth and quality on all positions and his role and impact was smaller. Nevertheless, he was doing his job and his interior presence was felt on both ends and had a good tournament overall.  Played only a few minutes for Antibes in ProB this season and I can imagine that he will get more minutes on pro level next season, although he could also draw the interest from some high/mid major programs. 

(Written by Marko Turk)

17.7 pts, FG2-62.4%, FG3-17.6%, FT-42.6%, 10.7 reb, 1.3 ast, 0.7 st, 2.7 to, 0.7 blck

The MVP of the tournament in Varese. He was just too strong and too dominant for most of the other players that played on his position. A player very mobile for his size with tremendous court awareness and was offering himself at the dunker spot or running pick & rolls all tournament long. His hands are very good and he was able to catch most of the passes and didn’t have much trouble finishing plays when he was close to the rim. He tried some shots from distance too but wasn’t very efficient and he hasn’t completely bought me yet as a stretch option. Runs the floor well for his size and scored a lot of points in transition. Zacharie is a dominant rebounder on both ends and has the determination to go for every ball. He brings energy to the floor and makes the game winning plays and there is a lot to like in his playing style. I would say that shooting from distance will be the swing skill that will determine his ceiling but even if he doesn’t bring the shooting numbers to a great level, he still has the tools and skill set for the top level in Europe.  

(Written by Marko Turk)