Alberto Pelizzari | Scouting Report
Background
Alberto Pelizzari started playing basketball more or less at the age of 5, in a small town, then he went to play in Oxygen Bassano and then at DeLonghi Treviso. He is not yet decided that basketball is his profession, but he hopes it will become so.
His favorite players from NBA are Kevin Durant, LeBron James, Steph Curry, James Harden and Kawhi Leonard. He thinks for a European player who tries to get in NBA, should not go to play in the NCAA, he thinks that to improve more, must play against bigger and stronger players than the players of the team, as for example, Luka Dončic did who learned a lot at Real Madrid, and then landed in the NBA with incredible statistics.
Physically
In my opinion, AB has one of the best physical tools of born 2005 international prospects. 6–2 point forward has good upper base and power. His shoulder is wide and I think his shoulder muscles are good. I am not big fan of his core power but his arms are long and strong. This kid has impressive lower body tools. He doesn’t have the strongest or quickest lower body in the world, but for a player who is 15 years old, length and quickness in his lower body are good. I think his physical tools are good for his age. What he needs to do next is to gain muscle by age, continue growing and getting stronger.
Offense
Versatile player who can play from point guard to power forward. In my opinion, Pelizzari is a finisher who can take contact and finish with good body control & timing combination and soft touch. His athleticism tools are not explosive. Has good vertical pop and lateral quickness but not explosive; smooth. I mean, he is a fluid athlete who runs the floor well but cannot finish with a dunk or something yet. He can create and breaks down the defense off the dribble. I think Pelizzari has good changing direction, speed/burst and he knows how to shift his defender. Shortly, the Italian prospect can fit in tight zones and where he wants with the ball. He can finish in traffic quickly thanks to his footwork and strong first step. Also, can finish above the rim with good body control and aggression. I am not a big fan of his passing and handling. He can make simple passes, but looking to create for others in the half-court isn’t really part of his game I think Pelizzari’s handling is mechanical, nothing about creativity and I do not trust his handling because he panics when double-teamed or rushed. Not a good decision maker about passing. As I said, he has limited passing skills like pocket or sets. In my opinion, he can lose focus from time to time and look a little lethargic on the floor. Also, he does not have an elite burst which limits Pelizzari in ISO positions. I think the AB’s shot promises a future. He’s not the best shooter in his class, but his mechanism is good in terms of fluency by age. The alignment of his feet and his momentum when the ball comes out show that he is comfortable on the shot. I am a big fan of his mid-range jumpers and movement threes. However, I think, 6–2 point forward can work on shot selection, tends to settle for deep and contested shots at times. He can get more movement when playing off the ball. He can make simple passes, but looking to create for others in the half-court isn’t really part of his game. I think Pelizzari is not a good PnR player as a handler. However, I think his rolling is good with fluid athleticism and game reading.
Defense
Defense, that’s why I see Pelizzari as a special prospect. Pelizzari is not a very good rim protector or a dazzling stealer. But I think his motor/effort/energy and knowledge in defense are very impressive. He can defend PGs, SGs, SFs and PFs with high energy and IQ. He talks on defense, often directing teammates, I mean, he is defensive playmaker. I think AB is great help defender rotating around the perimeter keeping a shell and moving off his man to help on drives with good timing and active/quick hands. He does a pretty nice job being in the right place on the court. However, he is not someone who makes rotations on the baseline or protect the rim. He can get a bit too aggressive at times. He is a good PnR defender. AB does a good job using his physical tools to take away passing lanes and make the handler uncomfortable. Thanks to his arms and game reading skills, AB has the ability to contest from the side/from the back when he’s unable to get back in front. Pelizzari has the quickness to get over the top but can get lazy from time to time. He showed some flashes good footwork around the top with good stance and follow. He is a switchable defender thanks to his eye-body coordination and physical tools (as I said, for his age). I am not a big fan of his off ball defense. Needs work here. He is prone to losing his man off ball due to ball-watching. He is not someone who can through screens all the time. I think his ISO defense is pesky. He is quick and he knows how to make uncomfortable his opponents with pressure thanks to his footwork, average lateral movement and game reading. He does a pretty nice job getting downhill pretty quickly and changing directions. Sometimes, he can be caught resting on his heels. Also, Alberto can get a bit too close to the defender before makes his move. I would like to see him as a leader forward defender.
Summary
I think Alberto Pelizzari is one of the players with the highest knowledge and discipline among the players born in 2005. He works three hours a day in Italy. He loves the game. I think it’s important to have a good shooting mechanism among the things he can do on the offense. But as I said, it is very important that a 15-year-old player has discipline in defense. Of course, it is necessary to see if he can continue this steadily at the age of 17–18 and see if he can physically develop. I think he is a good NBA prospect due to the discipline and shooting, dribbling, and defense aggressiveness of a player born in 2005.