Kymany Houinsou (G | 196 cm | ‘04) ~ France
10.4 pts, 2FG-40.0%, 3FG-26.7%, FT-61.5%, 7.2 rebs, 7.2 ast, 2.2 stl, 3.0 to, 0.6 blks
Kymany finished the tournament with averages of 10 points, 7 rebounds and 7 assists and we don’t see stat lines like this so often in FIBA competitions. He is a versatile guard with very good positional size and fluidity. At the moment more dangerous on open court and when he has more space to operate but has shown that he can sink shots if left open too. Not a consistent scorer but showing some improvements in this area and his development is, in my opinion, going in the right direction. Plays a lot with the ball in his hands as primary creator and not bringing much to the table as an off-ball player. With his athleticism and length Kymany has a lot to offer in defense too where he is capable of defending multiple positions and playing aggressive defense on perimeter. His ceiling will depend on his ability to be a consistent scoring threat in offense and how much he could contribute to the team when playing off-ball.
Sidy Cissoko (G/F | 198 cm | ‘04) ~ France
7.8 pts, 2FG-62.5%, 3FG-26.3%, FT-40.0%, 3.2 rebs, 3.0 ast, 2.4 stl, 0.4 to, 0.4 blks
Sidy hasn’t had the best numbers in the tournament and definitely capable of bringing better scoring numbers. Good scorer that can create a shot for himself or play as a catch & shoot shooter. With his strong and athletic body he has no problems finishing in traffic too where he leans on bodies and absorbs contact almost perfectly. Body looks well developed for his age and I’m not sure how much it can improve in the future. Versatile and good defender too and I think he has a high potential as a two-way guard in the future.
Henri Veesaar (PF/C | 208 cm | ‘04) ~ Estonia
16.2 pts, 2FG-53.5%, 3FG-27.8%, FT-71.4%, 11.6 rebs, 2.6 ast, 1.0 stl, 2.2 to, 3.8 blks
One of the standouts of the tournament. His body is still in development and can add a lot of muscle to his frame. A lanky body so far but uses his length very well in contesting shots on making some putback dunks. He had quite a lot of them and showed his great timing and feel. His usage rate was high and he was creating from the perimeter and even more from the low post and was showing some soft touch from all spots. He struggled with his catch & shoot shots, had a few really bad misses, but his release looks solid and I think his shooting should be fine over next years. Was active defensively too and was amongst the best rim protectors in the competition.
Berke Buyuktuncel (F | 202 cm | ‘04) ~ Turkey
16.5 pts, 2FG-51.9%, 3FG-63.4%, FT-40.0%, 5.8 rebs, 1.5 ast, 2.3 stl, 1.5 to, 1.0 blks
Berke had a really good tournament, especially in terms of three point shooting (12/19) since his shot wasn’t that good in some previous tournaments. Looks like he lost some weight and looks leaner but still has great size and body. A versatile forward that can play on- and off-ball. As mentioned before, he was very efficient behind the three point line and showed some progress in this area. Fluid in transition and it’s hard to stop him when he goes all the way and this could be a big strength of him on pro level in the future too. Not the best defender on perimeter, a little better when defending on post ups. Lack of athleticism/explosiveness could limit his upside but he can do a lot of things and be used in so many ways and still has room to improve in basically every aspect of his game.
Jakub Nečas (F | 203 cm | ‘04) ~ Czech Republic
13.6 pts, 2FG-58.1%, 3FG-31.6%, FT-66.7%, 7.6 rebs, 2.6 ast, 1.6 stl, 3.6 to, 0.6 blks
Versatile forward that played mostly as a PF but I think he has higher potential as a point forward playing on perimeter with the ball in his hands. Jakub has very good court vision and passing game for a wing and capable of playing some pick & rolls as a ball handler even though he hadn’t had many opportunities to show that in this tournament. On the other hand he was pretty efficient as a spot up shooter which in the past usually wasn’t the case. For my taste he made a little too many careless mistakes and needs to lower his turnover numbers. Good defender, versatile and can defend multiple positions.
Papa Bartolome Miller (F | 208 cm | ‘04) ~ Spain
11.8 pts, 2FG-63.6%, 3FG-50.0%, FT-66.7%, 4.4 rebs, 1.0 ast, 1.4 stl, 2.4 to, 0.8 blks
Miller amazes me with his length and mobility. Really agile for a player his size and moves fluidly in transition. Of course, he still needs to bulk up so that he will be able to compete with the physicality on the pro level. In this tournament he showed some solid touch at the rim and also from distance. With his long strides he has not many problems getting to the rim but still more dangerous on open court than in half court sets. He can do a lot of good stuff in defense too and covers much ground and uses his length wisely. Still pretty raw as a prospect and I’m not sure if he can become a player that will take the scoring burden on his shoulders and carry the team in offense but he has the tools to become a great player at the highest level.
Guillermo Diaz Graham (PF | 210 cm | ‘03) ~ Spain
11.0 pts, 2FG-70.8%, 3FG-25.0%, FT-63.2%, 5.6 rebs, 0.4 ast, 1.2 stl, 1.2 to, 3.0 blks
Mobile big with solid handles and usually too mobile for other bigs. Similar to Bartolome Miller, he has not completely developed his body and has space to add more muscle. Very good rim runner and outrunning other bigs most of the time. In half court sets he can operate outside or inside and has the potential to become a stretch big in the future. Lack of strength is his biggest weakness in defense and can’t really hold his stance on post up but tries to contest the shots with his length and showing great instincts for blocks and a very good rim protector. His legs are more on the slower side and has a hard time switching on smaller players. Not an NBA prospect but could have a nice career in Europe.
Ron Zipper (SG | 190 cm | ‘03) ~ Israel
25.2 pts, 2FG-52.0%, 3FG-50.9%, FT-95.0%, 3.6 rebs, 1.0 ast, 2.2 stl, 1.6 to, 0.6 blks
Probably the biggest surprise in the tournament. Ron was shooting the lights off day after day. I have never seen so many great shooting performances from a player in a tournament in every game. He finished as the best scorer in the tournament with 25.2 points per game and was shooting 27/53 (50.9 %) for three in the five game. Left hander with a quick and repeatable shooting motion. His shooting arc is high and most shots are precise and barely touching the rim. He was very efficient in spot up situations but showed that he can create separation from the defender with his handles too. His offensive game is kinda similar to James Harden just on a way lower level. Outside of scoring, he has shown some quick hands when going for steals and solid perimeter defense but scoring is the thing that is going to pay him the bills in the future.
Ilija Milijašević (G | 185 cm | ‘04) ~ Serbia
14.2 pts, 2FG-52.4%, 3FG-34.6%, FT-81.5%, 2.8 rebs, 2.0 ast, 2.0 stl, 1.8 to, 0.0 blks
Milijašević has advanced handles and scoring game for his age. With his shiftines and great ball control he likes to break the defender and get to the rim or take a shot. His shot selection is sometimes a little questionable and he could make better decisions when to take a shot or go to the rim. Mostly playing with the ball in his hands and wasn’t that effective when playing off-ball. Even though his assists numbers weren’t that high he has a good eye for team mates too but overall more scoring oriented than a true playmaker. When locked in, he can play aggressive on ball defense and go for steals with his quick hands. Doesn’t have the best size and at the moment I’m not completely sure how his game will translate to pro level but the talent is there.
Dragos Lungu (G/F | 196 cm | ‘04) ~ Romania
17.8 pts, 2FG-51.2%, 3FG-35.3%, FT-81.8%, 8.5 rebs, 1.8 ast, 1.0 stl, 2.8 to, 0.5 blks
Played against “worse” teams in the Challenger 19-25 Phase but his game and talents can’t be skipped. Will join the NBA Global Academy in Canberra next year. Technically really gifted player with great fluidity with the ball in his hands. So smooth on drives and can get to the rim almost effortlessly. Even more fluid on open court and has high potential as a player on open court. Plays hard and his engine is always running and can make an impact in defense too. Definitely a player to follow his development because he has the tools and skill set that is needed from a swingman in modern basketball.
