Under the radar from European pool #1

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, Joan Plaza, Sarunas Jasikevicius, Derrick Williams. I write an article every day. I live in Turkey, I go to all the Euroleague and Youth League games. MY BIGGEST GOAL IS SCOUTING! Anyway, don’t forget to follow me on Twitter and feel free to DM!

Andrej Mitrevski — North Macedonia — 2003–6'4'’ height — Point Guard

At 6-foot-4, Andrej Mitrevski is slightly undersized for a typical elite level guard but AM has a high BBIQ, can change game, has a great scoring package (Here we go: He is not a consistent shooter but can create his shot around the perimeter, showed some flashes as a movement shooter, can finish above the rim thanks to his impressive athlectisim package, can finish both hands after the strong first step, very quick on transition, good handler after the pick, can finish cuts and creativity scorer), excels at staying in control under pressure and maintaining a live dribble in isolation or pick and roll games. In my opinion, his passing package is good: pocket, lob and kick out. He is not a drive and disher but knows anticipates opponent’s geometry to create spacing for his teammates. However, Mitrevski is not a reliable handler, should improve about it. As I said, he needs consistent on three-point shots. He is a high-motor defender who works pretty hard to fight over on ball screens. Usually, AM struggles in keeping up against quicker point guards.

Emilis Butkus — Lietuva- 2003–6'6'’ height, 6'7.5'’ wingspan — Shooting Guard

Standing 6-foot-6 with a strong upper body, Emilis Butkes play as a PG, SG and SF. Spending his time on and off the ball for a team Lietuva deep with backcourt talent, Emilis uses his body to attack the basket with floaters, short jumpers and dazzling rim layups thanks to his BBIQ, soft-touch and change direction ability both on court and air. Fluid athlete, EB can create his shooting but he doesn’t try too many three points. His game based on the attack to the basket. I mean, his shooting looks promising but his volume is not high. Yeah, end of the day, he can create average spacing for his team. He needs to work on transition offense, pick and roll operating and off-ball scoring. Clearly, he has to stronger. Playing with good intensity defensively and flashing very quick hands, Emilis Butkus has a great stance on-ball defense. He can run around the screen but lack of elite lateral movement hurt him here. Showed some flashes on switch defense but not consistent. However, end of the day, I think Butkus is a prospect who can showed the ability to play versatility. It is a very important thing.

Mikhail Vedishchev — Russia — 2004–5'11' height and 6'1'’ wingspan — Shooting Guard

Standing 5-foot-11 with a skinny and good length, Mikhail Vedishchev has nice size for a point guard and for a 15 y/o prospect but has significant room to fill out his frame. He is fluid athlete who can play around the rim effectively. Has a classical handling and passing package, MV shot the three at a high level and flashed a budding floor game. My favourite thing about his shooting is Vedishchev has an excellent shooting mentality. You know, most of 15 y/o prospects don’t like using shots every time but Vedishchev knows very well when and how to take shots. It is very worthy. Besides his shooting and transition quickness, MV needs weapons on his arsenal. Good hands on defense reaching to get deflections and steals but clearly, he is not the strongest part of team defense due to lack of elite athlectisim and size&frame.

Jacob Patrick — Germany — 2003–6'3'’ height — Shooting Guard

Standing 6-foot-3 with thin frame, definitely has to stronger, but good length for his age, Jacob Patrick was one of the best parts of Germany U16 team last summer with his ability to create for his teammates, put pressure on the defense with his shifty floor game, high BBIQ and run hot from beyond the arc. He is not a floor general but one of the two leaders in that Germany team. He can create separation and space thanks to his good ball-handling skills, showing a nice mid-range game and hot three-point game but he needs to pick and roll fundamental, off-ball cuts and creativity dribble package. For the defensive window, has quick feet and active hands (also good eye-hand coordination) allowing him to come up with steals and deflections. He sees things early to help but could improve his defensive intensity, not taking plays off.

Abramo Pene — Italy — 2002–6’6’’ height — 6’8’’ wingspan — Shooting Guard (Honorable mention from 2018)

Has the ability to score off the dribble, but can also finish in the lane smoothly off the glass, Abramo Pene is one of the best prospects in the 2002 class. Standing 6-foot-6 with a 6-foot-8 wingspan, Pene can finish above the rim with taking contact. He knows how to use his body to get the basket. Competing with good energy, Pene is not a hot shooter but showed some flashes both on CnS and movement shooting. I think he can plays pick and roll very effectively thanks to his solid handle, good court vision and game instincts. Needs to consistent on his shots and should stronger. He has good rebounding instincts, being a plus rebounder given his size and position. Playing with good intensity defensively, Italian guard’s BBIQ and motor helped him hold his own in most matchups. Also, he can stay in his position well against PGs, SGs and SFs. He is not a great rim protector but very well in getting passing lines.

Matus Hronsky — Slovakia — 2003–6'7'’ height — 6'9'’ wingspan — Small Forward

Hronsky possesses good size for his position and age standing at 6-foot-7 to go along with a combination of shooting, quickness, rim finishing and dribble but lacks elite athleticism. He is definitely my favourite player on all these lists. He can shot very well all around the court. His volume is high and also smooth shooting mechanism makes him a good CnS shooter, so, he can create spacing for himself and others. MH has the skillset and versatility to play multiple positions on both ends of the floor, as he gains more experience and adds strength. Hronsky has not very food court vision but showed some flashes on game reading. Not a great passer, just reads and react passer but reliable handler thanks to his game instincts. MH cannot finish in traffic but thanks to his smooth steps and reverse/spin/crossovers he can finish around the basket after the cut. Not a great athlete. For the defensive window, BBIQ, quick hands and competitiveness often make up for his lack of elite lateral quickness and athleticism in man-on-man defensive plays. Also, he is very good rim protector. Very good! Cannot switch against PF and C but does everything what can he do.

Lefteris Mantzoukas — Greece — 2003–6'9'’ height — Power Forward

A lanky 6-foot-9 height with an average upper body frame and a near 7-foot wingspan, Lefteris Mantzoukas has a good smooth high arc on his jump shot, not very athletic, but uses his length and basketball smarts to finish. He plays as a power forward but I think his game skillset will allow him to effective three&D forward. Can stretch the court with his catch and shoot game and moves well without the ball. Has great size for his age but has to be stronger. He can finish around the rim thanks to his strong first step and ability of change direction. He is not an explosive athlete but knows very well how to use his body for dunks. He makes good decisions under pressure. He knows how to dribble and a reliable handler. End of the day, his lack of elite athlectisim and questionable motor are my biggest concerns on his offense package. For the defense window, not a shot blocker but uses his length and BBIQ to his advantage. Good rebounder at 6-foot-9 and has good hands to collect steals and deflections.

Konstantin Kostadinov — Bulgaria — 2003–6'8'’ height — 6'10'’ wingspan — Small Forward

Has good size and frame for 17 y/o wing forward, 6-foot-8, Konstantin Kostadinov is a good athlete with a fluid release with a good arc. He is not a hot shooter showed potential spacing winger last summer. Thanks to his upper body strength, KK can finish in traffic against SFs, PFs and Cs. His court vision is very wide for a wing forward. I think he runs the lanes well. Can roll or flare to the corner with quickness, Kostadinov’s offensive game mostly around layup, floater and short jumper. A decent rebounding wing with quick lateral footwork and good hands. He can defend SFs, PFs and Cs. Kostadinov has really good eye-hand coordination and body control with quick mobility. A decent on-ball and help-side defender. Konstantin’s good length and wingspan help him play passing lanes aggressively, alter shots, and trap.

Henri Veesaar — Estonia — 2004–6'10'’ height — 7'0'’ wingspan — Center

Possessing dimensions, Henri Veesaar has good size at 6-foot-10 with great wingspan for his age. A dominant presence inside, he is a smooth and explosive athlete. He can finish with highlight and also can finish with fluidity thanks to his lateral quickness, vertical pop, hip turns, upper body, BBIQ, first step and court vision. Showing the skills to use his frame and energy to create some in the post zone and knocking down mid-range jumpers with some consistency, Veesaar is not a spacing shooter. Has not decent things on that. He is a good roller and reads the game, reacts to the game and finishes position with cuts or rolls. Showing good mobility stepping out to slide on the perimeter, fighting for position in the paint, Henri’s energy is a plus on the defensive end. He is a great rim protector also thanks to his eye-hand coordination, he can defend SFs with a quickness. Not a switchable. Bad rebounder for his position.