NCAA fit international prospects #2
I’m Kuzey, 19. I’ve been writing about basketball since I was 9. I have been working in Eurosport Turkey for the last 1,5 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. I have interviewed dozens of prospects such as Theo Maledon, Deni Avdija, Henri Drell, Aleksej Pokusevski, Arturs Kurucs, Yves Pons, and dozens of notable basketball people such as Luis Scola, Xavi Pascual, Jonathan Givony, Dimitris Itoudis, Sasa Obradovic, Orhun Ene, Joan Plaza, Sarunas Jasikevicius, Derrick Williams, Ekpe Udoh… I write an article every day. I live in Turkey, I go to all the Euroleague and Youth League games. My main areas: All of the age groups from Africa and Europe. MY BIGGEST GOAL IS SCOUTING! Anyway, don’t forget to follow me on Twitter and feel free to DM!
I am preparing a lot of video and writing stuff about international prospects but now I have to make clear category things. I will write NCAA fit prospects in this series; like a group or separate.
Sotiros Oikonomopoulos
Born: August 29, 2003
Nationality: Greece
Height: 6-foot-4
Weight: —
Position: Shooting Guard
Team: Olympiacos BC
Shooting creator, promising interior on the offensive end, high-level motor defender
Standing 6-foot-3 with 6-foot-5.5 wingspan and quick lower body, Sotiros Oikonomopoulos has good size for a 17 years-old point guard in my opinion. From the athleticism window, he has a lot of room to get better but his ability to little bit everything on the offensive end makes him a valuable prospect in my opinion. I think Oikonomopoulos moves exceptionally well off the ball motions, finding the gaps in his opponent’s defense. Sotiros is a sharpshooter from distance, his shooting form looks smooth and consistent. His volume is not great but not too bad. Thanks to his combination of good range, quick release, refined footwork, good shoulder size, average set point, and nice elevation, Sotiros Oikonomopoulos can hit both spot-ups and deep 3-pointers. Lack of elite vertical pop hurt his shooting sometimes, for the higher level, he has to improve on this issue in my opinion. He has a nice floater package. Has soft-touch, knows how to change direction on the ground, can read his opponent’s defensive actions, and reacts well. Lack of vertical pop, elite size, and two-foot ability hurt him here. As a passer, has room to work on it. Sotiros Oikonomopoulos is a capable driver with either hand, good on half-court, showed some flashes as an advanced ballhandler, so can does shifty moves but at the end of the day, he is a classical read-and-reacts dribbler and handler. On the defensive end, he is pesky on the ball defense. His lateral quickness, quick hip turns, high-level motor, and great eye-hand coordination. Lack of elite size and athlectisim hurt his stock here again. He can stand his ground against quicker and smart players thanks to his BBIQ. Anticipates and reads his opponent’s moves well. On the other hand, he has to improve on off the ball defense, closeout, switching, and pick-and-roll sliding. He showed some flashes on his ability to switch but not consistent. He is a high-level motor defender in my opinion but on off the ball defenses, he does some rotation mistakes, also, does unnecessary help. Summary, I think that Sotiros Oikonomopoulos is an NBA fit prospect as a rotation player thanks to his shooting ability, effort on the defensive end, and BBIQ.
Matus Hronsky
Born: June 30, 2003
Nationality: Slovakia
Height: 6-foot-8
Weight: 205 lbs
Position: Forward
Team: Wasatch Academy
Versatility offensive and defensive player
Standing 6-foot-8 with near 6-foot-11 wingspan and well-developing frame, Matus Hronsky is a modern-era forward in my opinion. He can hit 3-pointers off the catch, also, has put the ball on the floor and finish above the rim skill-set. So, he can create spacing for himself and others very well in my opinion. His a high, fluid, and good arc combine with his good shooting selection BBIQ and all these things make him a consistent, reliable shooter from long distance. As a pull-up jumper player, he showed some flashes thanks to his driving ability and one dribble pull-up rhythm. I men he can drop with a good shot pocket. So he is like a freeze jumper shooter but hasn’t the elite skill-set on here for now. He can finish around the basket with bumb and fade. Can create his channel with the ball and his soft-touch, quick hip turns, and average vertical pop makes him an above the rim finisher. Not a gifted athlete or something just has a good smoothness potential in my opinion. He has pick-and-pop skills, also can roll or flare to the corner. Runing the lanes well, Hronsky is not good off the ball player, has room to learn it. As a passer and handler, he hasn’t any crafty or shifty things, reliable ballhandler but has to improve on his handling skill-set because while he driving, sometimes make simple mistakes. I think Hronsky has a good court vision, knows kick-out passes for others. So he can create spacing and find others. Defensively, he is capable of defending multiple positions in my opinion. The Slovakian prospect has good body control, mobility, game reading, and reacts timing. He is a decent on the ball and help-side defender. His good length and wingspan helps him play passing lanes well, trap, and protect the team’s shield. Not a fan of his off the ball defense, has a lot of room on it and transition defenses. But his quick hands allow him a bunch of steals, more important after steal the ball, he can dribble all the court, and can finish well. Has learn to switch. Also, needs improving his rim protection in my opinion. Summary, he has a great potential to be good three-and-d NBA player in my opinion.
Hasan Efe Uzun
Born: June 30, 2003
Nationality: Turkey
Height: 6-foot-4
Weight: 185
Position: Shooting guard
Team: Darüşşafaka Tekfen
Secondary scorer, smart player
Standing 6-foot-4 with an improving 180-pound frame and near 6-foot-6 wingspan, Hasan Efe Uzun has good size and frame for his age and position in my opinion. I think his upper body strong, strong arms, stiff core muscles, and wide shoulders. From his lower body window, quick footwork, average vertical pop, good linear and lateral movements stand out in my opinion. He is not a good athlete. Showing some flashes on smooth athlectisim package but not consistent, also, I can say that clearly he is not an explosive athlete. Lack of elite vertical pop and feeling for the game hurt his stock here. A well-rounded lead guard, HEU is a primary handler and passer, secondary scorer in my opinion. His great defensive ballhandling ability makes him quick and his skill-set to rise and fire exactly out of a variety of situations helped him keep the intensity on opposing defender for a team that thrived under his leadership. He excels at maintaining a live dribble in isolation or pick and roll situations. Hasan has a good passing package — sees things early and reacts well, also, showing some crafty moves like drive-and-dish, kick out, no look, and long lobs. HEU’s refined footwork allows him to create his jumper, also, helps him in the paint and he can maneuver up and under to finish around the basket. As a shooter, he is not a great creator for himself but an average spot-up shooter in my opinion. Has to learn play as a cutter. Lack of killer-scoring instincts and high feelings for the game hurt him on the offensive end in my opinion. Also, lack of elite physical tools hurt his floaters and finishes. I think Hasan is a high-motor defender who works hard to fight over on ball screens. At times, Uzun struggles in keeping up against quicker point guards. I would like to see him more around the perimeter. Because his BBIQ, reacts timing, and eye-hand coordination may make him a good shield protector. As an off-ball defender, Hasan runs around the screen well but needs balance. Sometimes, he does unnecessary help defenses. I think he has a good ceiling around the EuroCup but after playing the NCAA, works may change.