Originally scheduled for 22-24 of January in Munich, Adidas Next Generation Tournament second qualifier had to be postponed due to Covid-19 restrictions in Germany at the time. After a few weeks of uncertainty, a highly anticipated event got a go-ahead to take place in Istanbul at Anadolu Efes facilities between 19-21 of March. Tournament line-up also saw a few changes. Bayern Munich had been replaced by a new host – Anadolu Efes, CFBB Paris had to pull out from the event due to Covid problems and at the last moment, Fenerbahce Beko replaced Promitheas Patras for a similar reason. Without further ado below is a list of the standouts from the event:
Aday Mara (’05), Casademont Zaragoza, 7’2”, C
8.3pts, 2FG-57.7%, 3FG-0%, FT-23.5%, 10.5reb, 0.3ast, 0.8stl, 3to, 3.5blk
(Written by Igor Chytrzynski)
One of the most intriguing prospects to emerge during this tournament. 2005-born Aday Mara stands at just under 7’2” (218cm), has fairly high, but not very wide shoulders, large hands, pretty good coordination and light feet. Offensively he showed some promising soft touches around the rim combined with nice footwork as well as some stronger finishes above the rim. Although, he does need to work on his vertical pop as he had moments where he barely managed to put the ball in the tin and his jump looked too short. Didn’t show much of his shooting ability in the game, but judging from his free throws he does have a repetitive form, but his left hand seems to be engaged too much in the shot, messing up his accuracy. On the other end, he read the game well, made regular timely rotations over from weakside and was aware of interior affairs resulting in 3.5 blocks per game, the highest number in the event. Also led the tournament in rebounds, grabbing on average 10.5 boards per game, impressive given he only spent 18 minutes per game on the court. Found himself in good spots and done a nice job of not bringing the ball down on his rebounds and extending his arms fully keeping it out of the reach of opponents.
Nicola Giordano (‘03), Stellazzura Rome, 6’2”, PG
16.5 pts, 2FG-52.0%, 3FG-0%, FT-82.4%, 2,6 rebs, 2.5 ast, 1.0 stl, 1.3 to, 0 blks
(Written by Marko Turk)
Giordano played a great tournament and finished in the All-Tournament five. A pesky defender that loves to make life hard for his opponents. Plays physical and not afraid of contact. In offense he can break the defender with his handles and get to the rim but also has a great mid range game. Needs to improve his three point shooting and start taking and making those shots in the future.
Matteo Visintin (‘04), Stellazzura Rome, 6’3”, G
14.3 pts, 2FG-40.8%, 3FG-25.0%, FT-61.5%, 5.3 rebs, 1.8 ast, 3.8 stl, 2.3 to, 0.5 blks
(Written by Marko Turk)
Visintin is a high IQ two-way guard that also loves to put pressure on the offensive player. Has quick hands and great anticipation for steals, slides his feet well and plays good and clean on-ball defense. Plays with effort and not giving up if the offensive player beats him. Aggressive penetrator in offense and knows how to get by defenders. Even though his assists numbers are not showing that, he has a good court vision and passing game too and can play as the pick & roll operator. Similar as Giordano, he also needs to improve his shot from distance.
Koralp Turk (’03), Anadolu Efes, 6’9”, F
15.5pts, 2FG-51.2%, 3FG-24%, FT-50%, 5.8reb, 1.8ast, 1.8stl, 0.5to, 0.5blk
(Written by Igor Chytrzynski)
A bit undersized big, but with a compact and strong body. Koralp was the centrepiece of his team’s offense literally and figuratively, operating very well from high post both in man to man as well as zone setting. Regularly utilized his killer mid-range jumper, but also pretty well distributed the ball from there making big to big passes or feeding shooters. In addition, he made nice dishes out of the low block when he saw paint getting too crowded. Solid screen setter, can nicely pop to the side and stretch the floor for his team and with time he will surely become more efficient. Decent looking shot but could stabilize his base a bit better.
Can make himself some room inside, has decent footwork, can finish with either hand, but lack of size and length hinders his ability to finish regularly inside. Didn’t get much to the free throw line. Always played with effort, pretty disruptive, knew how and where to position himself to help and contest inside. But with that said, due to an unimpressive vertical pop as well as lack of size and length he had a hard time trying to secure rebounds. Not very fast laterally, struggled sometimes to recover in time, especially after hard hedge.
Yigit Tekin (’04), Anadolu Efes, 6’0.5”, G
12pts, 2FG-54.3%, 3FG- 0%, FT-76.9%, 1.5reb, 3ast, 2stl, 2.5to, 0blk
(Written by Igor Chytrzynski)
Yigit is a high intensity, sneaky guard with a nice open court game. Has quick handles with the ability to change speeds very well helping him swiftly navigate in between opponents and utilize small gaps in the defense. Pretty explosive, both vertically as well as on his first step. Beats his man easily to take advantage of the lanes and gets to the rim for a confident finish. However, he didn’t show much of his left hand neither on drives nor on his finishes. Although, he had good moments moving along the perimeter trying to create better angles, he is not a threat outside the painted area. Doesn’t finish his follow through on the shot, 0/10 from deep in the tournament, mid-range also below par, but at the same time he shot 77% from the line which gives hope.
Fierce rebounder after missed shots on offense. Interestingly all 6 boards he grabbed in the tournament were on this end of the floor. Showed some creative passes on drives, but he is more of a score first type of player rather than a genuine playmaker. His decision making on this end wasn’t always good enough. He was sometimes dribbling into too much traffic, clogging the lane with his cuts or going for very well and closely contested shots inside over a lot bigger opponents. Defensively he had decent moments mixed with very bad. From time to time done a good job pressing on the ball aggressively and putting to work his sticky fingers. But usually though, he often lost sight of his man, positioned himself poorly and recklessly hunted for steals compromising defensive cohesiveness. Also struggled with containing bigger guards.
Liutauras Lelevicius (‘03), Žalgiris Kaunas, 6’6”, F
18.8 pts, 2FG-66.7%, 3FG-61.1%, FT-90.9%, 6.0 rebs, 1.9 ast, 1.3 stl, 2.5 to, 0.5 blks
(Written by Marko Turk)
With Paulius Murauskas not playing for Žalgiris in this tournament, another wing stepped up for Žalgiris. Lelevicius played a great tournament and was the best scorer of the tournament with great shooting percentages. Versatile and agile wing with good length, capable of adding more muscle to his frame. Very good spot up shooter with a high release and high shot arc. Good on open court and handles the ball well in high speed situations in transition. Lelevicius moves fluidly and with his long strides and good footwork he can go around defenders on drives. Showing some good instincts for rebounds too.
Jakub Necas (‘04), Basket Brno, 6’7”, F
13.3 pts, 2FG-60.9%, 3FG-20%, FT-72.7%, 9.5 rebs, 4.3 ast, 1.0 stl, 3.5 to, 1.0 blks
(Written by Marko Turk)
Nečas was maybe the most versatile player in the tournament. He can fill all stats columns and do a lot of the things right on the court. With his athleticism and handles he can get to the rim pretty easily and finish with dunks at the rim. Has good court vision and passing game and can play as a pick & roll initiator/point forward. Not the most consistent as a shooter from distance. On the defensive end he can guard many positions on perimeter and help his team a lot in rebounding. Plays with energy and has a good motor.
Ondrej Hustak (‘03), Basket Brno, 6’11”, C
15.0 pts, 2FG-50%, 3FG-40%, FT-71.4%, 9.5 rebs, 1.8 ast, 0.5 stl, 2.8 to, 0.8 blks
(Written by Marko Turk)
Hustak is a modern big with inside and outside game. Pretty strong and mobile for a player his age and size. Technically sound with a good low post game and touch around the rim. His shooting motion is solid and can make some open threes already but can develop into a good stretch big in future. Good feel and instincts for rebounds. With his size I would expect him to be a better rim protector but I think he will develop in this area too when his body matures.
Juan Nunez (’04), Real Madrid, 6’3.5”, PG
10.8pts, 2FG-50%, 3FG-30%, FT-72.7%, 5.3reb, 6ast, 0.8stl, 3.8to, 0blk
(Written by Igor Chytrzynski)
Arguably the most promising true point guard in Europe right now under the age of 20. Juan is super fun to watch, plays with creativity and flare. Reads the game very well, was putting on a passing clinic throughout the whole event. Beautifully distributing the ball in fast attack with one-handed outlets, well-timing his deliveries to rollers but also founding bigs above the rim. Quite a showman, but sometimes had moments where he a bit unnecessarily overcomplicated his passes which resulted in turnovers.
Shooting numbers look better than last year, had a couple of nice moments, but still not consistent enough. Juan strangely positions his off-hand on the ball, almost on top of it, which could be a reason for his inaccuracy. Made some tough finishes inside with either hand, but still, in some situations, he avoids using his right hand and blows pretty easy close shots. Crafty, can be deceptive in the lane clearing opponents out of his way with pass fakes and hesitations. Active off the ball, looking for cuts. Usually aware on defense, done a good job 1 on 1 and regularly helped on the glass.
Eli Ndiaye (’04), Real Madrid, 6’8”, F
17pts, 2FG-59%, 3FG-30%, FT-72.2%, 9.3reb, 2.5ast, 2stl, 1.5to, 0.5blk
(Written by Igor Chytrzynski)
Eli played very consistently throughout the whole tournament, with the biggest performance in the Final for which he took MVP honours home. He is a fluid athlete, able to cover a lot of ground defensively and to switch ends very quickly. That, combined with so many capable passers on the team results in some easy points. Slithery finisher around the rim with very good balance. Managed to squeeze in some difficult shots around the rim, but still needs to further improve his non- dominant hand. Extended his game a little and started looking for shots from behind the arc. Mid- range game also looked a bit better and he even showed some well-coordinated one-legged fadeaways. Has pretty good, fluid handles and a fast first step thanks to which Eli can take on his man face up and challenge him 1 on 1. Aware defender with a very quick leap and nice reach. Number of blocks per game does not indicate how many shots he’s managed to alter around the rim. Not afraid to get himself in front of the opponent and the basket. Versatile defender effectively switching onto smaller guards.
Matteo Spagnolo (’03), Real Madrid, 6’4”, G
15.8pts, 2FG-50%, 3FG-42.9%, FT-57.1%, 6.5reb, 5.3ast, 0.5stl, 3.3to, 1blk
(Written by Igor Chytrzynski)
Italian guard is an equally dangerous shooter when creating his own opportunities 1 on 1 as well as when coming off of double screens for a catch and shoot. Matteo has very good handles and ball control, allowing him to take his opponent off balance in the lane, but if that’s not enough he can quickly step back, nicely set his feet and quickly pull up. Smooth looking shot, confident in his abilities, made some tough shots in the tournament and drained few important ones down the stretch with a hand in his face in the Final. Also, very good at penetrating inside, can go and finish with either hand with ease. Legit secondary playmaker, unselfish, makes right reads and delivers the ball accurately. Primarily known for his scoring and playmaking ability but Matteo can also make a difference on the defensive end. He is a very good stopper and although he is not very disruptive, he plays sound positional defense. Can keep his man in front, has a solid stance and feet, but could improve his footwork while getting over screens. Soon to be a legit contributor for the senior Real Madrid team.
Ismaila Diagne (’06), Real Madrid, 6’11.5”, C
7.3pts, 2FG-76.9%, 3FG-0%, FT-40%, 4.7reb, 0.3ast, 0.3stl, 0.3to, 1blk
(Written by Igor Chytrzynski)
Despite playing in a simple catch-and-finish type role, almost 7 foot, left-handed, 14-year-old Ismaila presented a lot of exciting attributes. One of them was agility, quickly rolling inside after screens and navigating inside to get to the best position for a rebound or a tip in. Fast, fluid and with a good motor for his size and age. Didn’t show much of his shooting ability but while it’s hard to judge from the video it seemed his right hand was affecting ball spin when he was at the charity stripe. Big defensive upside given his length, already nice instincts and solid second jump. Ismaila oozes with potential and is a definite must follow for years to come.
Urban Klavzar (’04), Real Madrid, 6’0.5”, G
11pts, 2FG-66.7%, 3FG-25%, FT-100%, 2.8reb, 1.8ast, 1stl, 1to, 0blk
(Written by Igor Chytrzynski)
Urban is a well-built Slovenian guard who despite being a year younger than most of the competition and coming off the bench could have taken over the games easily. Good and tough finisher around the rim, not afraid of contact. All that muscle especially in his shoulders gives him a cushion and helps absorb it. Smooth one motion shot with a pretty quick trigger. Wasn’t as efficient as he usually is from deep, but showed good range and moved along the perimeter well looking for passes from Juan or Matteo. Pesky on ball defender, managed to force a few turnovers with his pressing and poked a couple of balls out the dribble.
Ege Demir (‘04), Tofas Bursa, 6’9”, C
16.8 pts, 2FG-67.7%, 3FG- N/A, FT-53.3%, 9.7 rebs, 2.3 ast, 1.0 stl, 4.3 to, 3.3 blks
(Written by Marko Turk)
Demir is physically too dominant in comparison to his peers and other players in the tournament. Really strong and athletically gifted player that uses his tools well on both sides of the floor. In defense he is a great rim protector and with his great vertical leap he can block some shots really high and above the rim. Showing some good motor and hustle for rebounds on both sides of the floor. Offensively he is still a little raw, not having much feel for the game and relies mostly on his strength and athleticism and finishes around the rim.
Berke Büyüktuncel (‘04), Tofas Bursa, 6’7”, F
10.5 pts, 2FG-28.0%, 3FG- 22.2%, FT-66.7%, 5.5 rebs, 0.8 ast, 2.0 stl, 3.0 to, 2.0 blks
(Written by Marko Turk)
Buyuktuncel is a versatile forward that likes to play with the ball in his hands and create some points in different ways. Can play on low post against smaller players or on perimeter and attack slower bigs. He is not the most athletic player and can’t create much separation on half court sets but can be dangerous in transition and on open court. Not the most efficient shooter and can struggle with his shot from distance but I believe he can bring it up to a decent level in the future. His hips are stiff in defense and can have a hard time defending quicker players on perimeter.
