By Artau Pascual
It’s FIBA U20 European Championship time right now in Europe. Pitesti is holding the Division B edition, and at the same time the Division A event is taking place in Gydnia, Poland. Our Director of Scouting, Artau Pascual was in Pitesti for the group stage, and tells us more about some players who stood out.
Villiam García-Adsten
The former UCAM Murcia player has established himself as a go-to option for the Swedish NT. García-Adsten, still in the transfer portal, has made an impact as a play-finisher in different registers. Playing alongside a facilitator as Max Andersson has allowed the former Pacific player to thrive as an off-ball scorer through cuts, open three-point and fastbreaks. Shooting has gone through some ups and downs during the event, but he has been able to raise the volume compared to his previous outings, but he has looked confident at doing so and the shooting mechanics looked consistent. He has also used the increased offensive freedom he’s enjoying to attack closeouts and, when attacking forwards with similar attributes, he has been able to drive and get to the paint. His handles are functional, and he can drive in a straight line.
On the defensive end, García-Adsten has provided size and has checked all the basics contribution boxes for his team. Because of his lateral quickness and length, he has been able to match up with different types of forwards, and his anticipation ability has been useful off-the-ball. Adsten has been a Swiss-army knife so far for the Swedish NT.
Max Pikaar
Pikaar was one of the most intriguing guys to watch in the event. The St. Louis commit is a skilled, still skinny forward with plenty of margin to fill his frame who plays more physical than he is and uses to make the right choice. Even if he’s one of the main players for the Netherlands team, he hasn’t been anxious at all to get involved in the game and his off-ball habits have excelled all over the tournament.
Pikaar has a really smooth outside shot, can put the ball on the floor with great rhythm, and is certainly unpredictable at attacking because of his coordination and above-average craftiness for his size. He even has shown remarkable willingness as an offensive rebounder and has done a solid task at understanding how to make simple plays and swing the ball to the free man. Pikaar’s game perception is a highly valuable attribute.
Daniil Sypalo
Sypalo was one of the biggest standouts among all the 2023 Summer events, and it didn’t take much time for him to demonstrate once again why he’s one of the best frontcourt prospects in the 2005-born European generation. Sypalo, who still has some ways to go in areas such as motor consistency and overall body strength, has displayed an uncommon skillset for a player of his size. Even though he’s been used mostly as a screener for a team loaded of scoring-minded guards and his outside shooting volume has been limited, he has displayed in a very consistent all the things he can do on the offensive end. Sypalo is mobile, creative, and fluid at putting the ball on the floor and has a really encouraging touch at different levels.
Sypalo’s room for improvement right now sits mainly on the defensive end. Alongside the motor and body related question marks, he still has margin to work on his awareness and communication skills at the five spot. He has a natural talent to be disruptive, jumping passing lanes and deflecting shots, but he has some ways to go as a team-defender still.
Dragos Lungu
It’s been a strong and encouraging display from Dragos Lungu so far. Lungu, one of the local heroes in the event, has shown up as a player with an elite lower-body who can create his own looks going downhill and finish well both through contact or with extensions. The 6’6 Guard has embraced a primary role for the Romanian NT and has made a wonderful use of his scoring gravity to boost his team on the offensive end. The key skill for him will be working on his outside shot: Lungu is better at shooting off the dribble than off the catch, but his results are still not consistent enough in any of these areas. If he’s able to find consistency as a perimeter threat, the next leap in his game will come naturally.
Denis Badalau
One of the youngest players in the event. Badalau is already well-known in the youth circuit because of his development in Italy over the last years: he plays with relentless motor, can fill the forward spot with energy and versatility and has great levels of activity on the defensive end, as well as at providing second chances for his team.
That’s basically what Badalau has done for Romania so far in the event. In addition, we have also seen him putting more than usual the ball on the floor in halfcourt offense, mainly to get to the rim attacking his matchup. Badalau is not a ball-handler who can consistently create from a standstill, and his playmaking skills are limited, but he has shown some upside to keep working on his drive and dish ability off closeouts, and he finds well the path to the restricted area. This and the spot-up shooting efficiency will be key, swing attributes for him.
Manie Joses
The Davidson commit has one of the best -if not the best- bodies in the entire event. He’s really long, his frame is wide, and he will be able to muscle up well. If we add to the mix that he has shown some encouraging flashes of touch and finishing tools, the result is a really appealing prospect who can make a difference at the forward spot. More of the same on the defensive end: at the current stage, given his physical and athletic gifts, he’s an excellent event-creator who almost effortlessly makes life way easier for his team.
The main thing with Manie is aggressiveness. Sometimes it can feel like he could be more willing to get involved in the game, either by following the actions or trying to be the one who starts them. When he stays aggressive and engaged, good things happen.
It’s FIBA U20 European Championship time right now in Europe. Pitesti is holding the Division B edition, and at the same time the Division A event is taking place in Gydnia, Poland. Our Director of Scouting, Artau Pascual was in Pitesti for the group stage, and tells us more about some players who stood out.
Villiam García-Adsten
The former UCAM Murcia player has established himself as a go-to option for the Swedish NT. García-Adsten, still in the transfer portal, has made an impact as a play-finisher in different registers. Playing alongside a facilitator as Max Andersson has allowed the former Pacific player to thrive as an off-ball scorer through cuts, open three-point and fastbreaks. Shooting has gone through some ups and downs during the event, but he has been able to raise the volume compared to his previous outings, but he has looked confident at doing so and the shooting mechanics looked consistent. He has also used the increased offensive freedom he’s enjoying to attack closeouts and, when attacking forwards with similar attributes, he has been able to drive and get to the paint. His handles are functional, and he can drive in a straight line.
On the defensive end, García-Adsten has provided size and has checked all the basics contribution boxes for his team. Because of his lateral quickness and length, he has been able to match up with different types of forwards, and his anticipation ability has been useful off-the-ball. Adsten has been a Swiss-army knife so far for the Swedish NT.
Max Pikaar
Pikaar was one of the most intriguing guys to watch in the event. The St. Louis commit is a skilled, still skinny forward with plenty of margin to fill his frame who plays more physical than he is and uses to make the right choice. Even if he’s one of the main players for the Netherlands team, he hasn’t been anxious at all to get involved in the game and his off-ball habits have excelled all over the tournament.
Pikaar has a really smooth outside shot, can put the ball on the floor with great rhythm, and is certainly unpredictable at attacking because of his coordination and above-average craftiness for his size. He even has shown remarkable willingness as an offensive rebounder and has done a solid task at understanding how to make simple plays and swing the ball to the free man. Pikaar’s game perception is a highly valuable attribute.
Daniil Sypalo
Sypalo was one of the biggest standouts among all the 2023 Summer events, and it didn’t take much time for him to demonstrate once again why he’s one of the best frontcourt prospects in the 2005-born European generation. Sypalo, who still has some ways to go in areas such as motor consistency and overall body strength, has displayed an uncommon skillset for a player of his size. Even though he’s been used mostly as a screener for a team loaded of scoring-minded guards and his outside shooting volume has been limited, he has displayed in a very consistent all the things he can do on the offensive end. Sypalo is mobile, creative, and fluid at putting the ball on the floor and has a really encouraging touch at different levels.
Sypalo’s room for improvement right now sits mainly on the defensive end. Alongside the motor and body related question marks, he still has margin to work on his awareness and communication skills at the five spot. He has a natural talent to be disruptive, jumping passing lanes and deflecting shots, but he has some ways to go as a team-defender still.
Dragos Lungu
It’s been a strong and encouraging display from Dragos Lungu so far. Lungu, one of the local heroes in the event, has shown up as a player with an elite lower-body who can create his own looks going downhill and finish well both through contact or with extensions. The 6’6 Guard has embraced a primary role for the Romanian NT and has made a wonderful use of his scoring gravity to boost his team on the offensive end. The key skill for him will be working on his outside shot: Lungu is better at shooting off the dribble than off the catch, but his results are still not consistent enough in any of these areas. If he’s able to find consistency as a perimeter threat, the next leap in his game will come naturally.
Denis Badalau
One of the youngest players in the event. Badalau is already well-known in the youth circuit because of his development in Italy over the last years: he plays with relentless motor, can fill the forward spot with energy and versatility and has great levels of activity on the defensive end, as well as at providing second chances for his team.
That’s basically what Badalau has done for Romania so far in the event. In addition, we have also seen him putting more than usual the ball on the floor in halfcourt offense, mainly to get to the rim attacking his matchup. Badalau is not a ball-handler who can consistently create from a standstill, and his playmaking skills are limited, but he has shown some upside to keep working on his drive and dish ability off closeouts, and he finds well the path to the restricted area. This and the spot-up shooting efficiency will be key, swing attributes for him.
Manie Joses
The Davidson commit has one of the best -if not the best- bodies in the entire event. He’s really long, his frame is wide, and he will be able to muscle up well. If we add to the mix that he has shown some encouraging flashes of touch and finishing tools, the result is a really appealing prospect who can make a difference at the forward spot. More of the same on the defensive end: at the current stage, given his physical and athletic gifts, he’s an excellent event-creator who almost effortlessly makes life way easier for his team.
The main thing with Manie is aggressiveness. Sometimes it can feel like he could be more willing to get involved in the game, either by following the actions or trying to be the one who starts them. When he stays aggressive and engaged, good things happen.
ADVERTISING
