Five young players to watch: Pongò, Nikolov, Bouteille, Wheatle and Grolla

Marcell Pongò (’97):Marcell is the most interesting Hungarian prospect. He has a good size for a point-guard and long arms. Concerning the offense, he is a good ball-handler who can attack the basket easily, even if he has to learn how to collect more drawn-fouls. Now he can already see the floor quite well but he has to improve his playmaking skills. Technically he has a good shot even so it is occasional, specially from the three-point line. Furthermore he is a potential good defensive player, because of his shape and his feet mobility, anyway these qualities are still in work in progress.

Kristijan Nikolov (’96): This young Macedonian player has showed many qualities insomuch as an important team like Galatasaray has decided to count on his talent for the future. He has a fast first step and a good ball-handling but above all he is an amazing shot-creator. Unfortunately he hasn’t the size or the athletics skills to defend permanently on opponent guards. He has to work on his shooting percentage and on his playmaking abilities to be a better offensive player. Furthermore should improve footwork and defensive intensity.

Axel Bouteille (’95): Smart and efficient forward who every coach would have in his team. He has a great technique, a good body-control and a three-point shot at very high percentage. He is always in the right position on the floor. Moreover he is a respectable rebounder for his role. Unfortunately he isn’t neither athletic nor very fast but he can give a good contribution defensively thanks to excellent use of his hands and basketball QI.

Carl Wheatle (’98): The English talented forward is playing from few months for Pallacanestro Biella, an important Italian team where a lot of famous players, like Jerebko and Sefolosha, have grown up. He is an athletic and explosive guy who can play very well in transition. He can run fast and jump high to gram many rebounds. He has to work on his technique because now his shooting percentage are often very low. He has also to mature into small-forward to use better his skills against opponents.

Facundo Grolla (’97): Interesting pivot who is making the difference at youth level. He is an aggressive player, physically strong who can defend on many kind of opponents. His technique isn’t where it would need to be yet, but he is a great rebounder. Even if he makes too mistakes he often scores with second-chance shots. The real big problem is his height, less than 2 meters, but he is also fast and intelligent and he will probably try to change role in next years.