The first of the four ANGT tournaments just finished in Belgrade last weekend and I would say that the tournament was quite interesting. Two of the best prospects that could play on this tournament – Victor Wembanyama (Asvel) and Nikola Djurišić (Mega) – weren’t playing, so the tournament wasn’t that strong as it could be but there were some other good players that jumped out plus we saw the coaching debut from Vassilis Spanoulis with his first Next Generation team – a team formed out of the best prospects in the region.
In my opinion there weren’t that many NBA prospects at this tournament but let’s see who were the players that stood out.
Killian Malwaya (SG | 192 cm | ‘05) ~ Asvel
20.0 pts, FG2-68.6%, FG3-28.6%, FT-77.8%, 5.5 reb, 0.8 ass, 1.3 st, 2.0 to, 0.8 blck
Killian was named as the MVP of the tournament after he stepped up in the last two games against Mega and Crvena zvezda. He was one of the best athletes at the tournament and used his athletic tools well on the defensive end and when going for offensive rebounds and he got quite a lot of offensive rebounds from the second plan. Killian still needs to put more work on his shot from distance and his shooting motion needs some fixes but due to his athleticism he has no problems with finishes in the vicinity of the rim and is not scared to rock the rim. He was one of the most talented players at this tournament and one of the few that could hear his name in some future NBA draft.
Zaccharie Risacher (F | 200 cm | ‘05) ~ Asvel
11.7 pts, FG2-48.3%, FG3-8.3%, FT-100.0%, 7.0 reb, 2.7 ass, 2.3 st, 1.3 to, 1.0 blck
Unfortunately missed the final game because of an injury but he managed to show some of his talents in the first three matches so scouts weren’t empty handed when it came to evaluating his game. He was struggling with his shot for three and was 1 for 12 at the tournament even though he is usually a good shooter. I don’t think there is a lot wrong with his release but just the shots weren’t falling in. His court awareness and basketball IQ are really high and all his off ball movements made sense and had a reason. He is versatile and can fit in many roles in any system and just get the job done on both ends. A modern versatile two-way forward that can find a place in most teams at the highest level.
Kymany Houinsou (PG |196 cm | ‘04) ~ Asvel
12.3 pts, FG2-76.0%, FG3-14.3%, FT-50.0%, 7.0 reb, 3.8 ass, 1.3 st, 2.3 to, 0.8 blck
The third Asvel player and another above average athlete that was dominant in athletic aspects over the competition. When he decided to go downhill there was no player at the tournament that could stop him. He had some brain freeze moments when he missed a layup or when he decided to stop and pass instead of going for a layup and in general made a few bad decisions during the tournament and needs to put more work on improving that part of his game. Also there is a lot to improve in the shooting part of his game too. He has the athletic tools but at the moment his playmaking, decision making and shooting raise a lot of question marks in my head.
Nikola Topić (PG | 195 cm | ‘05) ~ Crvena zvezda
10.3 pts, FG2-59.1%, FG3-42.9%, FT-85.7%, 3.3 reb, 6.0 ass, 0.5 st, 6.5 to, 0.0 blck
Luka Vudragović was the best scorer of Crvena zvezda at the tournament but I would say that their leader was Nikola Topić. He has the playmaking and leadership qualities to lead the team. He was connecting the dots in offense and finding open teammates and delivering them precise passes. He could take care of the ball a little better and was making a lot of unnecessary mistakes that he needs to limit for higher level. Even though he is not the best shooter he was very efficient in his attempts and is showing improvement in this area of his game. Due to his positional size he can play good defense on the perimeter and I think he was one of the players with the highest ceiling in the Crvena zvezda team.
Lazar Gagić (PF | 211 cm | ‘05) ~ Crvena zvezda
7.0 pts, FG2-72.7%, FG3-N/A%, FT-75.0%, 2.8 reb, 1.0 ass, 0.8 st, 1.8 to, 0.5 blck
And speaking of players with high ceilings from Crvena zvezda, we can’t overlook Lazar Gačić. Players with that skill set, fluidity and with that size don’t grow on trees. His role in the team wasn’t that big and I would love to see him get more touches in offense but Crvena zvezda bets a lot on their physical style of play while Lazar Gačić is more a late bloomer so not the best fit for Zvezda’s style of play. A really nice prospect with high upside and definitely a player to follow.
Ege Demir (C | 207 cm | ‘04) ~ Tofas
12.5 pts, FG2-58.3%, FG3-0.0%, FT-44.4%, 6.8 reb, 2.0 ass, 1.3 st, 2.8 to, 3.3 blck
Even though Ege Demir was amongst the best bigs at this tournament, I must admit that I expected more from him. In some instances it looked like he is a man playing with kids but overall I didn’t get the impression that he is way above the competition. He was physically too dominant and had some attractive dunks, blocked a few shots high above the rim plus grabbed most of available rebounds. He was playing with good energy and with a lot of contact and needed to leave the court every few minutes to catch some breath.
Luka Krajnović (PG | 196 cm | ‘04) ~ Next Generation Team
13.8 pts, FG2-44.4%, FG3-21.1%, FT-70.0%, 3.8 reb, 4.0 ass, 0.0 st, 2.8 to, 0.3 blck
Luka was playing better and better in every game as the tournament progressed. After the loss against Mega in the first match he then took matters into his hands and became the leader of the team. He took the ball in his hands and created points when the team needed it. He wasn’t making a lot of shots from distance but was great at bringing the ball to the rim and running pick & rolls. For my taste he was sometimes forcing too much and could make better decisions but the team was new and they weren’t together for a long time so maybe that was one of the reasons for more isolation plays. An all around guard that can do everything on a decent level.
Samet Yigitoglu (C | 216 cm | ‘04) ~ Next Generation Team
9.0 pts, FG2-58.5%, FG3-N/A, FT-39.5%, 11.8 reb, 0.8 ass, 0.5 st, 2.0 to, 1.5 blck
Samet played a good tournament. He is mobile for his size and runs the floor well while also uses his mobility well on post ups and pick & rolls. He showed soft touch at the rim even though he missed some easy layups and jump hooks at this tournament. His shooting motion also looks fine and I’m sure that sooner or later he will start knocking free throws and mid-range shots with better percentages. He has a good feel for rebounds and was in a good position to get the rebound a lot of times.
Lucas Mari (PG | 196 cm | ‘05) ~ Valencia
11.3 pts, FG2-66.7%, FG3-30.8%, FT-69.2%, 3.0 reb, 7.3 ass, 3.0 st, 1.8 to, 1.0 blck
In my opinion the best and most creative passer at this tournament. Some of his passess were elite level stuff and it was great to see how he was able to deliver accurate live dribble passes all over the court. He has great positional size and plus athleticism for his position and is able to create advantages and see the court over the defense while it also helps him to play very good on-ball defense. He makes decisions instantly and those decisions are usually correct which is a sign of great playmakers and assist to turnover ratio supports this thesis. Needs to make a step forward in his shooting to become a bigger scoring threat.
Sergio de Larrea (SG | 197 cm | ‘05) ~ Valencia
17.5 pts, FG2-63.2%, FG3-26.7%, FT-66.7%, 8.5 reb, 5.5 ass, 2.0 st, 6.5 to, 1.0 blck
A fluid swingman that was creating a lot with the ball in his hands. He was one of the best scorers and could score points almost out of any situation but showed good court vision and playmaking ability too with finding and delivering some tough passes. His shooting motion is smooth and has the potential to be an impactful scorer on any level. Even though he was playing a lot with the ball he didn’t look the most confident as a ball handler under pressure and made some sloppy mistakes when the defense pressured him.
Rokas Jocys (G | 195 cm | ‘04) ~ Lietkabelis
25.5 pts, FG2-58.1%, FG3-36.8%, FT-83.3%, 4.5 reb, 5.3 ass, 1.3 st, 3.0 to, 0.8 blck
Jocys had a great tournament and was good in all four matches played. He was highly efficient and was making most of his shots even though some of them were tough and well contested. His game is polished, plays at his own pace and manages to be effective that way. Could find a spot in many NCAA programs but I’m not completely sure yet how his game will translate to the professional level.
