Second big European tournament in the books, probably the most important one in this summer since the top placed teams received a ticket to the U19 World Championship that will take place next year in Debrecen, Hungary.
Three powerhouses in youth tournaments (Spain, Turkey, Serbia) finished on the podium of this tournament, the biggest surprise was Slovenia that has beaten France in the quarterfinals and managed to finish 4th while France finished in the 5th place with 6 double digits wins and with one loss (the aforementioned one point loss against Slovenia). And those five teams got the ticket to the U19 World Championship and congratulations to all of them!
Here are the standout players of the tournament:
Berke Büyüktuncel (F | 206 cm | ‘04) ~ Turkey
12.3 pts, FG2-48.3%, FG3-42.1%, FT-60.0%, 7.4 reb, 2.1 ast, 2.1 st, 2.4 to, 0.3 blck
Berke had a good tournament and was undoubtedly the leader of the Turkish team. A versatile forward that can offer a lot of flexibility. We have seen him attacking from post ups, running off screens, slashing to the rim, making spot up shots, pushing in transition… he has done it all. Even showed good passing skills in transition or out of post up actions. Offered a lot of versatility in defense too where he was able to adequately defend all five positions. He read the offense well and with his long hands he was able to make a lot of deflections or even steals. Played with a lot of fire and energy in him and was going for every ball. Buyuktuncel can offer a lot to any team, especially if he will consistently make three point shots and teams usually value those types of guys. I can imagine him having a long lasting career on the European top level.
Izan Almansa (C | 207 cm | ‘05) ~ Spain
15.7 pts, FG2-61.7%, FG3-N/A, FT-50.0%, 10.7 reb, 0.9 ast, 1.6 st, 1.6 to, 1.1 blck
Almansa continued where he finished at the U17 World Cup and took home another medal and another MVP of the tournament reward. I think there is nothing more to add to the report from a few weeks ago since he played his game again and dominated both paints because of his physicality and mobility. A big man that is doing his job and excels in the PnR role so there should always be a place for players like him at the highest level but as said a few weeks ago, offering no stretching could be an issue for the NBA or he needs to be extremely good in the other stuff to fit in a Clint Capela role.
Noam Yaacov (PG | 186 cm | ‘04) ~ Israel
19.3 pts, FG2-50.0%, FG3-39.3%, FT-65.1%, 6.0 reb, 6.0 ast, 1.7 st, 2.6 to, 0.0 blck
Noam was a little in the shadows of French prospects when playing for Asvel but here for the Israeli national team he had more opportunities and freedom to shine and he used it very well. He was one of the best point guards in the competition, easily beating the first line of defense and creating advantages. He showed good decision making when to shoot or pass the ball and was the leader the Israeli team needed. Filled all stat lines and was on the edge of a triple double in one match. There is a lot to like in Noam Yaacov and I can’t wait to see what the future holds for him.
Andrija Jelavić (PF | 207 cm | ‘04) ~ Croatia
11.3 pts, FG2-45.8%, FG3-33.3%, FT-70.0%, 11.0 reb, 2.4 ast, 0.9 st, 1.9 to, 2.9 blck
Croatia underperformed here as a team even though they have a few good prospects and Andrija Jelavić is in my opinion their most interesting one. An inside & outside PF that can play face up or with the back to the basket, offers some stretching and can score from any spot on the floor. The shooting motion isn’t perfect yet but it should be fine over years when the body fills out. Showed good rebounding and shot blocking instincts too and in general possesses a good feel for the game. He signed a multi-year contract with Mega Basket a few months ago and history taught us that they know how to develop big guys, so another prospect that needs to be followed in the next few years but more for the European than NBA executives.
Paulius Murauskas (F | 204 cm | ‘04) ~ Lithuania
20.7 pts, FG2-55.1%, FG3-29.0%, FT-86.5%, 6.0 reb, 2.7 ast, 1.4 st, 3.3 to, 0.9 blck
The scoring champion of this tournament. Murauskas showed his scoring capabilities and towards the end of the tournament he gave me the feeling that he is going for this title and he took every opportunity to score. Offers a lot of flexibility as a forward that can create shots for himself, handles the ball well while also knows how to move without the ball and run the floor. Still needs to put more work on his three point shooting but hard very good numbers from the FT line which is a promising sign. Can play physically and with a lot of contact too and is an adequate defender but the tools are there to be even better on that side of the floor.
Bilal Coulibaly (SF | 199 cm | ‘04) ~ France
7.7 pts, FG2-76.9%, FG3-30.0%, FT-71.4%, 3.9 reb, 1.0 ast, 1.4 st, 0.7 to, 0.7 blck
Bilal Coulibaly got the attention in the group phase of the tournament. He played very well in the first three matches but later his productivity dropped. Truth be told, the first matches were against worse opponents and France won them easily. Actually France won all games in this tournament in double digits except the QF game vs Slovenia when they lost by a point. Bilal showed that he has the tools for a great perimeter defender. He has long limbs, is athletic and slides his feet very well. He was making problems for opponents and they didn’t have an easy task beating him. Offensively a little raw at the moment and scored most points in transition but didn’t get that many touches in half court offense. Intriguing potential as a defender but still needs to put more work into his offensive game.
Rayan Rupert (G | 199 cm | ‘04) ~ France
8.0 pts, FG2-53.7%, FG3-15.0%, FT-42.9%, 3.7 reb, 2.0 ast, 2.4 st, 1.6 to, 0.4 blck
French prospects mostly underperformed here and most of them needed to be played in a role that they are not used to so tough to make any better evaluations just based on this tournament. Rupert struggled with his offensive performances. The reason for that could be that he played mostly off-ball while in INSEP he had a more ball dominant role. The shots weren’t falling in at this tournament and he had bad shooting percentages and this definitely is something he will need to work on in next season in Australia. But Rupert showed amazing performances on the defensive end. There were countless possessions when he terrorized the ball handlers and stole the ball away of them. His eye-hand coordination is great, his reflexes also really quick and he made a big impact on the defensive end. The offensive game will determine his ceiling but it is still tough to say what would be the best role for him on that side of the floor but one thing is clear – as a guard he will need to start making his three point shots more consistently.
Sidy Cissoko (G | 198 cm | ’04) ~ France
11.3 pts, FG2-52.9%, FG3-25.0%, FT-78.1%, 4.9 reb, 3.1 ast, 2.4 st, 2.0 to, 0.7 blck
Cissoko is capable of better performances as well. He showed good motor and effort and made some really good defensive plays where he showed his defensive upside. In offense there are still a lot of things to polish. Decision making and reads were bad a few times, shot is also still in the developing phase but he is already a very good finisher at the rim where he can finish through contact. Made a few good passes and showed his passing arsenal. A lot to like in his game/upside but some important parts are still missing. G League Ignite is his next step and he could profit a lot in the up&down game played there but time will tell how much he will be able to improve his draft stock there next year.
Motiejus Krivas (C | 212 cm | ‘04) ~ Lithuania
13.6 pts, FG2-58.2%, FG3-16.7%, FT-73.7%, 13.4 reb, 1.7 ast, 0.7 st, 3.4 to, 1.7 blck
Probably the most skilled big at the tournament. Krivas was a dominant inside force in most of the matches. He is mobile for a player his size and is able to move fluidly around the floor. Had some good post up possessions where he showed good technique and later on soft touch at the rim. Has good touch from distance too and could become a stretch big in future. His feel for rebounds is elite, has great hands and is a dominant rebounder. Played good defense around the rim too but got lost in space a few times and not really a player that could switch a lot. Very talented but I would say his tools and game fit better to the highest level in Europe than to the NBA.
Jordi Rodriguez (SG | 199 cm | ‘04) ~ Spain
9.0 pts, FG2-43.5%, FG3-26.2%, FT-66.7%, 3.1 reb, 4.4 ast, 0.7 st, 3.3 to, 0.0 blck
Jordi had a decent tournament even though his shooting percentages were bad for his standards. He moved fluidly around screens and had a few shots with quick release when coming off screen. Great at attacking off the catch too and when the defense gravitated towards him he dished an assist to the big man. Has a wide arsenal of scoring tools but doesn’t force shots, loves to pass the ball forward too. Has good hips and lateral movements on the defensive end but his hands could be more active and he should get more deflections and steals with his length.
Lazar Djoković (PF | 203 cm | ‘04) ~ Serbia
10.0 pts, FG2-59.3%, FG3-22.6%, FT-58.3%, 6.3 reb, 0.5 ast, 0.7 st, 2.0 to, 2.2 blck
One of the interesting long-term prospects. Raw offensively but his athletic tools are intriguing and he uses them very well on the defensive end. He was able to switch on smaller players and stay in front of them while also showing good instincts as a rim protector. Played with energy and had some statement plays. Improving as a shooter and adding some range so there is some versatility. The decision making was sometimes off and he made some unnecessary fouls but I think he should be fine with more experience. I would say that he could still grow for a few inches and if he stays so mobile and agile and offers so much on the defensive end that he could become an interesting player to follow.
Alexandros Samodurov (PF | 211 cm | ‘05) ~ Greece
11.0 pts, FG2-60.0%, FG3-20.0%, FT-63.2%, 6.0 reb, 0.7 ast, 1.0 st, 0.7 to, 1.7 blck
Played just the first two games and then unfortunately got injured and missed the rest of the tournament but he showed some of his potential in the first two matches and in my opinion he was one of the most talented players in Izmir. The upside is really high and he can offer a lot on both ends. Very agile for his size, drew a lot of fouls because of that and was making problems for other bigs with his inside & outside game. Body is not developed yet and he has room to add more muscle to his frame. In the first match against Czech Republic he showed a lot of his defensive upside as well and managed to block 5 shots at the rim while he was also able to follow smaller players with his feet on the perimeter. Samodurov has high upside on both ends and his name needs to be mentioned in this report even though he played just two games here.
