Gael Bonilla Scouting Report
I’m Kuzey, 20. I’ve been writing about basketball since I was 9. I worked in Eurosport Turkey for two years. I have written on various sites and magazines before. I’ve been working as a freelance scout for three years. I worked as a consultant. Yeah, I’m looking for a job. I have interviewed dozens of prospects such as Theo Maledon, Deni Avdija, Henri Drell, Paul Eboua, Aleksej Pokusevski, Arturs Kurucs, Yves Pons, and dozens of notable basketball people such as Luis Scola, Xavi Pascual, Jonathan Givony, Dimitris Itoudis, Ekpe Udoh, Pero Antic, Maurizio Gherardini, Georgios Printezis, Sasa Obradovic, Joan Plaza, Sarunas Jasikevicius, Derrick Williams also some general athletes such as Lando Norris, Daniel Ricciardo, Ken Doherty, Alex Albon… I live in Turkey, I go to all the Euroleague and Youth League games. My main areas are all of age group in Africa and from U12 to U20 European and NCAA. And my biggest goal is to be a real basketball scout. Anyway, don’t forget to follow me on Twitter and feel free to DM!
Team: Barcelona II
Born: February 26, 2003
Position: Forward
Height: 6’8”
Wingspan: N/A
Best Skills: Team awareness, BBIQ, al defenses
Yahir Gael Bonilla Silva was born on February 26, 2003, in Mexico.
He shined at the ANGT Valencia last year. Averaged 10 points, 7.3 rebounds, 4.6 assists, 2.6 steals, 2.6 blocks while shooting 40% from the court. After Valencia, he shined at the U16 Americas Championship. In six games, he averaged 16.2 points, 14.3 rebounds, 4.7 assists, 1.7 steals and 4.5 blocks while shooting 38.5% from the court and 26.9% from the 3-point line.
Standing 6-foot-8 with an improved 210-pound frame, Gael Bonilla possesses good length, width on shoulders, long arms, pretty impressive leg length, wide chest and horizontal core muscles. From the strength window, things are not too good but also not too bad. Biceps and triceps are popping in his arms but wrists are thin. He has strong quadriceps.
He has fullness from shoulders to arms, chests are not very strong but not totally hollow either. Core muscles look good. In general, I think he needs to work on his lower body, length to fill. Because also Bonilla’s footwork is not quick. He can move laterally, linearly, and vertically but not quickly. Has a great second jump, can finish with one foot or two feet.
The best thing about Bonilla’s physical tools and athleticism is his ability to use these things. I mean, Bonilla is a hard-noised defender because he can use his length very well. He is a good finisher around the basket because he can jump on his island, absorb the contact, and finish over the rim protector. Despite average speed footwork, his ability to change direction and speed is pretty impressive. Especially when Bonilla attacks to the basket, his first step a little, not too wide, but second is wide and strong.
Offense
Gael Bonilla is a versatile offensive player in my opinion. He has not an elite shooting threat but he hit some 3-pointers last summer, especially against Canada and despite misses, he created his shots.
Bonilla’s shooting form is not unorthodox but it doesn’t look comfortable. While the ball leaves his hands, the balance hand looks good. He gives good momentum and holds the arc very well. However, his right (shooting) hand doesn’t look good and his shooting hand positioning is inconsistent.
Sometimes he holds the ball like he holds a tray. Sometimes he keeps his hand exactly as he should but cannot do it consistently. He pulls the ball out quickly, but interestingly, Bonilla pulls the balance hand from the ball before he shoots. As he does this, he gives the ball a lot of power, which is not good. Not a major above the minor problems on his footwork and elbow point. Load timing not too quick but average for his size and frame.
Versatility is the best thing in his shooting ability in my opinion. Bonilla can hit 3-pointers and mid-range jumpers as a spot-up shooter or self-creator. He can create mid-range shots after one or two dribbles and pump fakes. He can give screen and body fakes to create his shooting space, which is great.
Because Bonilla is already creating huge spacing thanks to his ability to stretch the floor, he also can hit the shots on DHO, floppy, elevator, drag, and elbow setup situations. For example, last year Mexico used some elbow series, like elbow weak, elbow strong, elbow shoulder to shoulder, elbow 51. And in these sets, Bonilla made a screen first, then popped to the top of the key, took the ball, and hit the shot. In DHO situations, he can comfortably play both roles. So his shooting versatility, self-confidence, and decent shooting form make him an average shooter in my opinion. But he has to improve on his upper body mechanism.
Gael Bonilla is a right-handed basketball player. But here is a fun fact. Last year at the ANGT and U16 Americas Championship, he used his left hand 112 times in all dribble situations. Funny, right? This makes him a versatile finisher around the basket. When he attacks closeouts, he wants to read the defensive line first. After analyzing, he dribbles with left, but when he takes the first step, he changes his hands quickly, protects the ball, jumps, and can finish both hands. Of course, right better than left but his left hand is really good.
Solid finisher overall, has good tricks here like reverse, eye fake, little pumps, baby jumps, etc. Can give pass, body, burst, and eye fakes before attacking the rim. So, yes, he is 6-foot-8 and can manipulate the defense. Despite Bonilla’s upper body strength, he is not a good finisher in tight spaces due to lack of elite lower body athleticism and soft touch. He is not a player who forces the game but sometimes, he goes to the traffic and loses the ball.
He always talks with his teammates, he is an offensive playmaker, active in off the ball motions with cuts like flare, fake 51, floppy, curl, and screen. While cutting, he uses the big’s screen very well. Bonilla is also an effective scorer on BLOB.
He can increase the offensive tempo. His face-up offense is not too good in post-up but he’s good at back-to-the-basket situations. He turns his left shoulder better than his right. Doesn’t have an elite drop step or hip mobility but his BBIQ, balance, and consistent scoring weapons make him a good scorer here again.
He is not a good pick-and-roll scorer and I think this is the major thing which he has to work on. Because he already has the potential to be a pick-and-pop threat. He can also finish in transition very well.
Gael Bonilla is an elite passer for his position and size. He has abilities on drive-and-dish, sees the open man on post-up, coast-to-coast after grabbing the defensive rebound, operate wing plays like 1–4 zipper, etc. So I have no doubt about his passing ability. The handling side is more complicated. Solid handler but sometimes he holds the ball too open. He is also prone to lose the ball when he attacks against bigger players or lateral defenders. So I would like to see him calmer as a handler.
Defense
Gael Bonilla is one of the best defenders in all prospect classes in my opinion. He can guard multiple positions, can protect the rim amazingly, energetic on the passing lanes and has a gravity effect under the basket. However, there is one thing which I have a question mark: Quickness.
Bonilla is a smart and quick reaction defender but quickness in terms of body movement is my question. I mean, against the quicker or shifty ballhandlers, he stays behind them. The lack of elite quickness and lower body tools hurt him here. However, if the ballhandler doesn’t have any bump-and-fade, advanced or in front of the defender finishing abilities, Bonilla shifts his body, uses his arm length and makes block with PERFECT timing. He knows how to avoid the foul in block situations. He just makes blocks using his upper body, timing, and BBIQ. Bonilla can block his opponent from the back, front, or side. He’s not a freakish blocker like Yannick Nzosa or Adem Bona, but he’s a smart and technical blocker rather than a flash or quick blocker.
Bonilla is a defensive playmaker. His head is looking for surprise cuts, off the ball screens, and weak side games but while doing it, Bonilla also manages his man. He always talks with his teammates directs them.
He is pesky on ISO situations. When the offensive player is attacking against him, Bonilla’s right-hand goes up and left-hand pushes the attacker’s chest without an illegal move. He has a low and hard stance making it difficult to pass him. He doesn’t bite on pump fakes but sometimes reacts slowly on closeouts.
Bonilla is good in PnR situations. He slides very well on handlers if his team does not use drop or ICE. After sliding, he uses his pesky tools. If his team covers PnR with ICE, Bonilla uses his mini-steps very well, showing his anticipation. He’s aggressive on post-up but not good against post-up scorers with excellent drop step or explosive athleticism. He’s energetic on passing lanes, active on the glass and a versatile defender overall.
On the rebounding side, almost excellent. Bonilla has great game instincts both on the offensive end and on the defensive end. He has grab-and-go and coast-to-coast abilities.
Overall
Gael Bonilla is an elite defensive anchor. He is just 17 years old but already shows his BBIQ, timing and agility to protecting the basket against all offensive weapons. Offensively, Gael Bonilla has the potential to be a good player because he can grab a lot of rebounds, see the court, has an impressive passing package, can finish inside, and has gravity effect. But his improvement curve as a shooter will be critical. Today’s basketball needs a power forward who can stretch the floor. I think if he can add a consistent shooting threat to his arsenal, Bonilla will be a player who every NBA team wants to have. Otherwise, the sharpness in PnR and post-up weapons will determine his projection.