First of the four Euroleague Next Generation tournaments in 2023 is in the books! The tournament was played in Munich and probably the first favorite of the competition – Real Madrid – showed their supremacy right from the start. They were dominant from the first game and won their matches with 43, 30, 66 and 20 points differences and deservingly took away the ticket to the final tournament that will be played in Kaunas during the Euroleague Final4 tournament.
Final standings:
- Real Madrid
- Žalgiris Kaunas
- Next Generation Team Munich
- Alba Berlin
- Panathinaikos
- Ratiopharm Ulm
- Emporio Armani Milano
- Bayern Munich
The tournament was loaded with many interesting prospects and here are some of the names that stood out*:
Hugo Gonzalez (F | 199 cm | ‘06) ~ Real Madrid [Doruk Karaca]
Hugo Gonzalez (06’) kept showing why he is considered as one of the best European prospects in the game. Displayed his offensive skillset throughout the tournament and was named the MVP in Munich. Gonzalez averaged 19.2 points, 3 rebounds, 2 steals and 1.5 blocks per game. His athleticism and physicality changes the pace and momentum of the games in the blink of an eye which makes him a problem. He runs the floor on and off-the ball and always stays ready for transition plays and fastbreaks. Finished well through contact, created distance from his matchups with a sweet footwork and scored the ball comfortably with both of his hands. You also can’t leave him open behind the 3-point line, Gonzalez made 11 of his 17 3-point attempts in Munich! One of the things that I found most impressive about him was his off-ball movement on half court offense, he used every step that he took wisely and for his advantage. Spanish prospect can defend for sure, he is a decent shot blocker for his position and his timing on interceptions is on point but sometimes he tends to be too offensive minded, thinking about running to offense before the job is done on the defensive end and lose concentration. On offense, one thing that didn’t stand out much was his playmaking, I wasn’t the best fan of some of his decisions but it’s not strange for his age. Overall, his future seems really really bright, big things are coming for Gonzalez.
Jan Vide (G | 196 cm | ‘05) ~ Real Madrid [Doruk Karacq]
As the most experienced ANGT player of Real Madrid and former champion of the tournament, Jan Vide was in his bag in Munich. Vide averaged 17.3 points, 3.5 rebounds, 3.8 assists, 1.3 steals and 1 block and got himself a place in the Best Starting Five of the tournament. He showed how efficient he can play as a team player and improvement in terms of playmaking since he is known for having issues with shot selection and decision making from time to time. Not all the problems are gone in terms of decision making and his release behind the 3-point line is still a little bit concerning but his game has obviously matured a lot (57.4% FG). Vide is still a huge threat around the rim with a beautiful floater and his pace with the ball in his hands makes him a dangerous offensive weapon in transition. His aggressiveness on the defensive end was one of the most positive signs about Vide in Munich which is promising a possible two-way player upside for the Slovenian prospect.
Egor Demin (G | 203 cm | ‘06) ~ Real Madrid [Gaetano Gorgone]
Egor Demin has probably the cleanest shooting form you’ve ever seen in a 16-years-old. The most impressive thing is that his baggage is not limited to that. Together with Gonzalez, is reasonably the purest talent we’ve seen in Munich, despite he wasn’t so aggressive in terms of pretending his role in a roster loaded of stars. The Russian youngster is an oversized guard which really knows how to use his size advantages, on both ends of the floor. He worked for his team in different ways: opening the floor with his shooting (52.9% 3FG), assisting and stealing balls.
Mitar Bosnjakovic (F | 199 cm | ‘06) ~ Real Madrid [Gaetano Gorgone]
Underrated piece of the Real Madrid’s gear system, Bosnjakovic has the tools to make his case in the 2006 international class. If we consider the floor potential, the Serbian forward has nothing less than his teammates, indeed, his work isn’t noticed, but he’s an extremely polite, clever and useful player. Bosnjakovic is also really versatile, he does a bit of everything on the court: outside shooting, screen and cuts, rebounds, secondary handling and scoring. In Munich he registered decent numbers, while serving as the team glue guy (12.8 PPG + 4.5 RPG).
Justas Stonkus (G | 201 cm | ’05) ~ Žalgiris Kaunas [Marko Turk]
The leader of the Žalgiris squad that led the team to a 2nd place finish and got a place in the All-Tournament team. His offensive load was big and the percentages were not that great but he showed glimpses of what he can offer and I liked what I saw. He is born on the last day of December so he is almost a 2006-born player but his body is well developed for his age. Strong in upper and lower body and he used his size well in the finishes in the paint but lacked finishing touch in most of them. The shooting motion is on the slowed side but release is high and soft and I don’t have any doubts that percentages will only get better and better over years. Was mostly rim-oriented and did not show much playmaking upside. Has intriguing tools and size, has the 1vs1 skills to create advantages and once he starts making the shots with better percentages, he could become a player that is really hard to stop.
Illan Pietrus (G | 192 cm | ‘05) ~ Next Generation Team Munich [Gaetano Gorgone]
While having a solid season in the Espoirs U21, Pietrus has been hosted in the ANGT team, accumulating an in decreasing trend, starting hot with 23 points and finishing with a DNP in the last game and a 7 point effort in the game before. After all, it seems fair to judge Illan Pietrus as one of the best players in the tournament but not as one of the best prospects. He’s a good scorer, an elite foul drawer with quick feet and a rapid motor, but his lack of size keeps being a huge concern. The French guard looked a bit stronger in Munich, but he’s still listed at 192 cm, being the second shortest player in the Next Gen roster: only Zhao was smaller.
Frederik Erichsen (G | 205 cm | ‘06) ~ Next Generation Team Munich [Doruk Karaca]
2006-born Danish prospect was not one of the best performers overall but the games against Panathinaikos and Bayern were really intriguing. Erichsen did not shy away from attacking to the rim and either finished well or got fouled. He also showed that he has all the tools to become an efficient 3-point shooter in his pro career. He is not a true playmaker but operated well as the secondary ball-handler and facilitator, his ball handling skills and court vision are just fine. He might be an underrated rebounder too in the future, showed some glimpses of it during his time in Munich. Erichsen averaged 8.3 points, 3 rebounds and 1 assist and in the 2 games that he got more than 20 minutes, he scored 15 and 16 points efficiently which is promising for the Danish prospect’s future.
Jakub Szumert (F | 205 cm | ’05) ~ Next Generation Team Munich [Marko Turk]
It was not easy to evaluate players from Next Generation Team because most of them played in a role they were not used to and the team assembled just a few days before the tournament and it is hard to create an amazing team chemistry in such a short period. Jakub managed to get a role that he is familiar with and he had a very good tournament in my opinion. He showed his fluidity on open court, had some good finishes in transition or out of drives. He was too mobile and quick for other forwards and he used that well when attacking the closeouts. Mostly he played off-ball and he showed good court awareness where he should stay or when it is time to cut to the rim. With his length and energy he also made quite a few very good plays on the defensive end and glued the team together. Probably won’t be a leader in the future but he has the tools to be a great role player that teams need on forward positions.
Jack Kayil (G | 190 cm | ’06) ~ Alba Berlin [Marko Turk]
Probably one of the biggest surprises of the tournament and deservingly he got the spot in the all-tournament team even though not many people expected that before the tournament. He was the best Alba’s player and played an important role in their fast-paced system. He played his role on both ends and showed aggressiveness and played pesky perimeter defense, used his athleticism and quickness well to get steals (led the competition with 3.8 steals per game) and initiate the transition plays. Jack could score on all three levels in offense and showed upside in that regard too. Definitely a player worth following since he can make impact on both ends and play on both guard positions.
Amon Doerries (PF | 210 cm | ’06) ~ Alba Berlin [Marko Turk]
Doerries improved his game a lot in comparison to the tournament in Ljubljana in last season or in comparison to the FIBA U18 tournament in the summer when Germany played in Sofia in Division B. He looks much more confident and aggressive now and also starting to grow into his body and adding some muscle mass. He still has a lot of space on his frame to add a few ounces of meat to his bones though and still not fully developed from that perspective. He is very mobile and agile for his size and he used his length well in defense. Has inside & outside game, showed soft touch at the rim but the sample size on his outside shots was too small for a better conclusion. The release is not textbook perfect but it is improving and it should be better when he gets stronger. He is a late bloomer that offers a lot of flexibility in offense and is making improvements in the right direction and in my opinion, he could be one of the sleepers in the 2006 generation.
Alexandros Samontourov (F | 210 cm | ‘05) ~ Panathinaikos [Gaetano Gorgone]
A well-sized forward with an intriguing combination of skills and physical tools, Samontourov created a solid dynamic duo with Avdalas, which didn’t bring Pana further than the 5th place, but put on an enjoyable show in Munich. The big wing ended the stage as the top scorer of the tournament at 22.3 PPG, showing notable passing and shooting skills for a player of his size, even if his 3pt shooting wasn’t so consistent (1/14 3FG), actually the outside shooting was the main struggle of the entire Panathinaikos team. He exploded in the placement game, posting a 42 PIR performance: 29 points, 11 rebounds, 8 assists, 4 steals, 2 blocks, 5 turnovers and 100% inside the arc. His body language was concerning during some games which is something he should work on in the future.
Neoklis Avdalas (G | 196 cm | ‘06) ~ Panathinaikos [Gaetano Gorgone]
As previously said, also Avdalas contributed in letting the Greek team become a must-watch in terms of scouting. He has been a stat leader too, in the assists category, dishing 5.8 assists per game. Avdalas brought physicality in Pana’s backcourt, while granting a solid playmaking and various solutions to get buckets, finding solutions both from mid range and near the basket (11.3 PPG). The kid followed his team’s trend from downtown, 3-pointers were an issue for him too (2/18 3FG). What stood out the most was his awareness and maturity in the game, while being a year younger.
Pacome Dadiet (G | 200 cm | ‘05) ~ ratiopharm Ulm [Gaetano Gorgone]
The French rising star played just around 34 minutes in total (2 games). The reason for that was that he rolled his ankle in the first match and in the second match he was in the foul trouble and later it made no sense to over-force him and worsen the injury that he suffered in the first game. Nevertheless, he needs a mention due to the flashes he showed and to the great effort he had against Real Madrid. In that game, he scored 21 out of the only 60 points that Ulm had in the blow-out loss against the Spanish powerhouse. It was the actual full game he played in the tournament, since he played 10 minutes against ALBA and sat out until the end of the competition. He’s probably one of the quickest and most explosive players in his year.
Joel Cwik (SG | 194 cm | ’06) ~ ratiopharm Ulm [Marko Turk]
Good tournament for Joel Cwik who needed to step up when Pacome Dadiet was out. Joel had to take a bigger offensive load and he was quite successful with that. His shooting percentages were not that good and he made some mistakes down the line but he wasn’t scared to take the responsibility on his shoulders. He was aggressive in his drives, showed advanced finishing ability at the rim, and could finish through contact but with a fair amount of touch as well. His release from distance was a little too slow and did not look that fluid but I believe that if he will put enough effort on that part of his game that he can become a good shooter too. Has the size that a guard/swingman needs, is not scared to make plays and plays with energy on both ends and usually players like this find a spot in top level pro teams.
Eric Reibe (C | 209 cm | ’06) ~ ratiopharm Ulm [Marko Turk]
Eric Reibe was Ulm’s best frontcourt played and he was dominant in the matches against Alba and Milano when he scored 20+ points. His touch at the rim is really soft and with his great footwork he is capable of creating good looks for himself. The left-handed big man showed some stretching potential too and he can become a versatile scoring threat in future. Played a little too soft in defense and because of that he made some unnecessary fouls but also lacks the athleticism to be an above average defensive player. Anyway, his offensive game is polished and he can offer a lot on the offensive side of the floor.
*Players are listed in order of their teams placement and not ordered by talent/upside.
