In the latest edition of ‘P.I. Pulse’, Pro Insight’s Jason Filippi compiles his scouting notes after spending multiple days evaluating the top prospects playing in ANGT Belgrade:
Once again, like in past seasons, I will be following closely all of the adidas Next Generation Tournament (ANGT) games. The annual Belgrade leg of the ANGT has become another staple in the international scouting circuit — it provided the opportunity to get updated evaluations on aspiring college and pro players and write up detailed reports for the Pro Insight database. I’ve included a distilled version of those reports below for the purposes of this article. For more detailed scouting reports — and intel — on these players, as well as reports on some of the other younger prospects I cover all over Europe, subscribe to our database, here. With any questions or comments, shoot us an email: info@prospectiveinsight.com.
With that, here is a list and analysis of the top performers who stood out with their play in the Serbian capital:
Neoklis Avdalas (Greece) | 6-7 Guard | 2006 | Next Generation Team Belgrade
Avdalas was one of the marquee prospects at this event but he was very inconsistent. He played mostly as a primary ball-handler but he also seemed to be looking to score more than usual, resulting in a lot of forced plays, instead. He can create off-the-dribble both for himself and for others and can get to the rim well and is a crafty finisher in the paint. He leverages his physical strength and change of speed/direction to get by his man. He notably struggled with his three-point shot in this event — his shot mechanics actually look more fluid than in the past, but he simply did not shoot it well in this tournament. Moving forward, he will need to improve his pull-up game (slower release on his shot). He does show a nifty mid-range game and has added a nice step-back to his repertoire. I really like his size/length for the position as well as his versatility — he can basically play positions 1-2-3 on the offensive end. He moves well now that he has grown into his body. He may not be as versatile on the defensive end, though. He does a nice job defending bigger players but can struggle to contain smaller, quicker guards (still plays a bit stiff/erect). He’s a good shot-blocker for a perimeter player. Avdalas is a legit NBA prospect and I am curious to see how he continues to develop his game.
Denis Badalau (Romania) | 6-7 Forward | 2006 | AJ Milan
Badalau was a pleasant surprise! I had seen him play before but never this well: he was among the tournament leaders in scoring, rebounding and statistical evaluation. He’a combo forward who is at his best playing as a small-ball 4-man. He has just average size/length for the position and looks to be no taller than 6-7 in shoes — but he compensates with his hustle and intensity. He’s a decent athlete and quick off his feet and a good one-on-one player who does a great job at taking advantage of favorable mismatches: he can post-up smaller forwards and will drive past bigger, slower guys. Badalau is a good finisher in the paint and routinely scores amidst contact. His three-point shot is very inconsistent and is definitely an area where he needs to improve to take his game to the next level. He’s a good open court player and an athletic finisher in transition. He crashes the offensive glass hard and scores on tip-ins. He plays with a high motor and really brings it on both sides of the court. He plays bigger than his listed height and doesn’t shy away from physical contact. He can defend the low post well for his size, but he can also effectively cover a smaller player out on the perimeter, offering some real versatility on this end. I think Badalau would make a good small-ball 4-man at college level.
Aleksa Dimitrijevic (Serbia) | 6-11 Big | 2006 | Partizan Belgrade
Dimitrijevic is an up-and-coming prospect who quietly impressed me with his solid play in this tournament. He brings decent size — a long body — but he needs to get stronger (appears to have a very narrow frame). He’s mobile, runs the floor well for size and is a decent athlete. He is a versatile and skilled big man who can play both in the high and low post. He’s also a good pick-and-roll player who has a good feel as a finisher as an off-ball mover and cutter. In the low post, he can turn and face to knock down baseline shots. He does a good job at earning post position and sealing his man off. He creates separation well, but needs to prove that he can finish as well inside at the pro level. He is comfortable shooting it from the high post and will pop out for occasional 3, showing some interesting potential as a stretch big. He’s a good passer from both the high and low post and plays with a nice overall feel for the game. He runs the court hard to finish plays in transition, draws a lot of fouls and gets to the free throw line often. On the defensive end, he shows good timing for blocked shots despite not being much of an intimidating physical presence. He rebounds his area well, too. Dimitrijevic needs to work on his body, but he is an intriguing prospect who could benefit from playing college ball.
Savo Drezgić (Serbia) | 6-5 Guard | 2006 | Partizan Belgrade
The DME Academy (FL) standout returned home to participate in the tournament with his former team and really put on a show! He was among the tournament leaders in points, assists, steals, rebounds (!), and statistical evaluation. Drezgić possesses nice size for the PG position and is quite strong for his age. He’a decent athlete/leaper, too. He is playing with a lot of confidence right now and is very assertive as a scoring point guard who is really more of a combo guard than a true point, but he is definitely at his best with the ball in his hands. He shows advanced shot-making ability and he is a triple-threat who can drive, shoot and pass. He’s also a good slasher who can score one-on-one and is a shifty, crafty finisher at the rim. He can post-up smaller guards and is a good pick-and-roll player both as a passer and as a shooter. He can drive-and-kick well and does a nice job finding big men inside. He shows a nice mid-range game and can score comfortably by getting to his pull-up jumper. He also gets to the free throw line often. He’s a tough kid who competes on both sides of the court. He can defend both guard spots well enough for higher levels of competition, displaying quick hands and an ability to pressure the ball effectively. He’s also a very good rebounder for a guard. He was outplayed by fellow prospect Kasparas Jakucionis in head-to-head matchup between the top lead guards in the tournament, but regardless, Drezgić is going to be a nice college player and should have a bright future in Euroleague, too.
Kasparas Jakucionis (Lithuania) | 6-4 Guard | 2006 | Barcelona
Jakucionis was pretty quiet in the opening game but then really ramped things up after that and led undefeated Barcelona to the Championship, earning tournament MVP in the process. Along with teammate Dame Sarr, he helped form the best one-two punch in the tournament. Although Sarr may have more potential from an NBA perspective, Jakucionis is much more consistent and is clearly the alpha male leader on this Barcelona team. He’s a mature player with an advanced feel for the game. He still tends to hold on to the ball too much at times, but overall, I think his decision-making has improved a lot and he has cut down on his turnovers. He functions as a combo guard who is playing mostly as the primary ball-handler these days. He’s a good pick-and-roll player who can drive/kick well, too. He can also score when needed. He is a good slasher who can get to the rim with relative ease, thanks to his positional size — on top fo all this, he’s also a crafty finisher who draws a lot of fouls and gets to the free throw line at a solid rate. His three-point shot is very streaky but he seems to always make them when the game is on the line. On the defensive end, he is better against size than speed and will have to prove that he can defend smaller, quicker ball-handlers at the pro level. He outplayed Savo Drezgić in a clash between the two top lead guards in the tournament. Jakucionis would be a great college player, too, but the Barcelona program is grooming him to join the pro team sooner than later.
Sayon Keita (Mali) | 6-11 Big | 2008 | Barcelona
Keita had some impressive moments in the tournament (including a dominant performance in the Championship game vs. Milan) but I have to say he was badly outplayed by Abdramane Siby in a head-to-head matchup between the two top centers in the field. Ultimately, he led the tournament in rebounding and blocked shots, showing improvements in his overall game. Keita has a very long body with a clear plus-wingspan, but he's’ still quite thin and will need to get stronger. He is mobile and is a good athlete, too. On the offensive end, he is mostly a screen/dive guy who is an athletic finisher at the rim. He can score off lobs and threw down a couple nice alley oop dunks, throughout the weekend. In the low post he can go one-on-one to finish with jump hooks. He doesn’t show much shooting range at this stage. He’s also a good offensive rebounder who can score on tip-ins. On the defensive end, he shows some legit shot-blocking ability. He doesn’t have the best court sense, but he can switch well thanks to his length and mobility. His game is still pretty raw, but he is only 16 years old and has plenty of upside left. Keita needs time to work on his body and add to his offensive repertoire: I think he would benefit from going to the USA to play college ball.
Andrej Kostić (Serbia) | 6-5 Guard | 2006 | Red Star Belgrade
Kostić led the tournament in scoring but once again was kind of the only bright spot on an otherwise underachieving team. Kostić is a combo guard with good size/length and a strong build for his age. He’s a decent athlete/leaper, who played more off the ball as a scorer compared to when I saw him a couple months ago — and without the responsibility of being the primary ball-handler, he forced fewer plays and made better decisions with the ball. Kostić is a good slasher who can score out of isos/vs. one-on-one coverage. He has a quick first step and he elevates well to make tough contested shots. He draws a lot of fouls and gets to the free throw line at a healthy rate. He can score with pull-up jumpers from out to three-point range, but his perimeter shooting is currently very streaky. He’s capable of making plays for others via pick-and-roll, but he tends to look for his own shot first and can be a bit selfish, at times. He’s a good open court player both as a handler and as a finisher. Kostić has the legs to defend both guard spots. He plays with quick hands, he can pressure the ball well and he plays the passing lanes well, too. He’s also a very good rebounder for a guard. His game would definitely translate well to college level.
Dame Sarr (Italy) | 6-6 Guard | 2006 | Barcelona
Sarr had a nice tournament and was pretty consistent despite not having that many dominant stretches. Along with teammate Kasparas Jakucionis, he formed the best one-two punch in the tournament, although I was a little surprised to see him defer so much to Jakucionis. Sarr has the requisite physical tools for the position, with plenty of size, length and athleticism. He shows advanced shot creating/making ability and can score both via driving or with his jumper. He moves well without the ball and is a good finisher off cuts to the basket. Throughout the event, he hit some nice catch-and-shoot treys, showing a quick, scalable release. Generally speaking, he finishes stronger in the paint now compared to the past. Despite playing mostly as an offensive terminal, he quietly does a nice job acting as a secondary ball-handler and is a fancy passer. He can drive-and-kick well and feeds the post well, too. He’s a very good open court player as a passer, handler and as a finisher. Sarr is a versatile defender both on/off the ball and can basically guard positions 1-2-3 but I feel that he needs to be more aggressive rather than just relying on his length/athleticism to bail him out. If his development continues at this pace, I think he will be a legit first round candidate for the 2025 NBA draft.
Abdramane Siby (Mali) | 7-1 Big | 2006 | Mega Belgrade
Siby is a very improved player. This was his official coming out party. Last year, at this same event, he could barely even stay on the court…but now he has blossomed into a real stud! He was among the tournament’s leaders in scoring, rebounding, blocked shots, and statistical evaluation. He boasts impressive physical tools (nice size, huge wingspan, mobile, fluid athlete, etc.), along with ever-improving skills and feel for the game. He still has plenty of upside left, too, as a reported 2006-born prospect. He showed an improved offensive game in Belgrade as he can now put the ball on the deck in the low post a bit (and likes to spin toward the baseline) and he’s a good finisher off lobs, too. He plays mostly inside, but he also surprised evaluators by popping out for a couple above-the-break three-point shots. He’s a slow finisher — often needing extra time to gather himself, which can lead to the ball being tipped away. He runs the court hard to finish plays in transition. Siby was a major factor on the defensive end throughout the tournament, too, aggressively contesting shots and offering plenty of rim protection. Thanks to his length and mobility, he can cover a lot of space and is able to switch and stay on smaller players in a pinch. He doesn’t box out well all the time and relies on his athleticism too much to get rebounds. He badly outplayed fellow prospect Sayon Keita in their head-to-head matchup of the two top centers in the tournament. With his performance here, Siby has established himself as a legit NBA prospect.
Aleksa Stanojević (Serbia) | 6-9 Big | 2006 | Next Generation Team Belgrade
Surprise player! He doesn’t have much of a pedigree yet (plays for a small club, KK Joker Sombor, and has not had much international exposure) but he definitely stood out at this tournament and looks like a guy to keep close track of, moving forward. Stanojević is a skilled big man who plays both the 4 and 5 spots. He has pretty average size and length, but he is strong for his age and quite mobile — especially dynamic and quick off his feet. He can both post-up and face-up and he looked comfortable playing in the low post. He’s capable of scoring in the low post in one-on-one situations. He draws a lot of fouls with his aggressive style of play and gets to the free throw line often, too. Stanojević can pop out for range shots and shows some legit potential as a stretch big man for the pro level. He’s active on the offensive glass, follows his own shots well and scores on put-backs. He consistently runs the floor hard to finish plays in transition. On the defensive end, he shows the ability to defend the low post and he appears to have the necessary mobility to defend more athletic forwards away from the basket, as well. Stanojević is an underrated prospect and high major D1 teams should be lining up for his services now before it is too late.
Honorable Mentions
Arturas Butajevas (Lithuania) | 6-9 Forward | 2007 | Barcelona
Diego Garavaglia (Italy) | 6-7 Forward | 2007 | AJ Milan
Mathieu Grujicic (Germany) | 6-5 Guard | 2007 | Barcelona
Andrija Josovic (Montenegro) | 6-7 Forward | 2006 | AJ Milan
Joul Karram (Israel) | 6-10 Big | 2006 | Hapoel Tel-Aviv
Achille Lonati (Italy) | 6-5 Guard | 2007 | AJ Milan
Omer Mayer (Israel) | 6-3 Guard | 2006 | Maccabi Tel-Aviv
Samuele Miccoli (Italy) | 6-3 Guard | 2006 | AJ Milan
Ognjen Nikolic (Serbia) | 6-10 Big | 2006 | Mega Belgrade
Ognjen Srzentic (Serbia) | 6-7 Guard | 2007 | Mega Belgrade
Tymoteusz Sternicki (Poland) | 6-8 Forward | 2006 Next Generation Team Belgrade
Aleksandar Vojinovic (Serbia) | 6-6 Guard | 2006 | Mega Belgrade
