2014 adidas EuroCamp: a final recap from Treviso

Vasa Micic (PG) - By far the best player in Treviso, Micic played only in the first two days: he started trying to force the issue with unnecessary difficult passes which ended up in some turnovers, but quickly became more focused and committed, taking the control of the game and showing his impressive playmaking skills. He also showed good defensive effort and had good measurements tests.

Nemanja Dangubic (SG) - The other player from Mega Vizura was the one who most improved his draft stock in Treviso, and was named MVP of the Camp. He has to improve his court vision, but as a shooting guard with really good physique and athleticism, able to create with ease off the dribble, he was closely watched by NBA scouts and will likely be picked in the second round if he chooses to stay in.

Axel Toupane (SF/SG) - One of best athletes and defenders in attendance, Toupane helped himself a lot in Treviso thanks to his high basketball IQ and his ability to guard almost every player on the perimeter. He has to improve his shooting off the catch, but he could be a good role-player swingman in the NBA.

Ioannis Papapetrou (SF) - Despite only playing in the first day of action, he's another player who particularly stood out and drew NBA scouts' attention because of his extremely good physique, aggressiveness in attacking the rim, defensive tools and high basketball IQ.

Lucas Mariano (PF/C) - Mariano showed up in excellent shape, with a really improved frame compared to last year's one. He seemed at his best when facing the basket, constantly hitting the spot-up jumper and being able to attack opposing big men off the dribble. He lacks an elite athletic profile, but being still one year away from being auto-eligible he could develop in a legit NBA big man.

Cristiano Felicio (C/PF) - The other Brazilian big man is surely more of an inside player, even though he showed to be very comfortable in hit the three point shot from the top of the key. Thanks to his strong physique he was able to often overpower opposing big men and racked up many rebounds, but he has to improve his mid-range game and he has the tendency to travel when attacking the basket off the dribble.

Moussa Diagne (C) - The big man from Fuenlabrada looked really raw on the offensive end but was everywhere on defense, moving really quickly and changing an impressive amount of shots. He needs to add weight and improve his screening ability, but thanks to his huge potential he's in the mix for a second round pick.

David Michineau (PG) - A second day addition, Michineau showed impressive first step and explosiveness. Being really quick with the ball and having a really good physique for the point guard position, he needs to fill his light frame and improve his shooting mechanic, but still with two more years of eligibility he can surely evolve in an NBA prospect.

Guillem Vives (PG) - Coming from a breakout season with Badalona, Vives played smart and fundamentally sound basketball. Lacking an elite athletic profile, nonetheless he showed to be able to take advantage from his above average size and showed excellent playmaking skills, always keeping the dribble alive and controlling the tempo of the game.

Ojars Silins (SF/PF) - Unlike what we've seen in Reggio Emilia, Silins played mostly at the small forward position, showing impressive defensive tools and shooting really well from three point range with his feet set, particularly in the third day. A full season playing at the 3 will surely help his already good draft stock.

Rokas Giedraitis (SF) - One of the most overlooked players in attendance, having played his very first season in Lithuanian first division. A really smart player with impressive IQ and understanding of the game, Giedraitis was also really quick in transition and had a good showing in athletic tests. His three point shot was a bit streaky in Treviso, but he surely could become a huge all-around player in Europe.

Paolo Marinelli (PG) - The Croatian point guard was really impressive despite being only 19 years old. He measured impressively on both physical and athletic tests, and showed high-level maturity and skills despite his young age. He's maybe not that much talented on the offensive end and has to improve a bit his shooting mechanic since he has a low release, but he could for sure become at least a first class player in Europe.

Johannes Voigtmann (C) - The enormous German big man was a bit overlooked too, but while lacking good athletic tools he impressed thanks to his understanding of the game and shooting touch: he scored with ease in the paint, showed some good back to the basket move and also regularly hit the mid-range jumper.

Jaime Fernandez (PG) - The smallest player in attendance, Fernandez showed good maturity and rarely got in trouble, surely thanks to his wide experience with Estudiantes in Spanish Liga Endesa. Sometimes he was looking too much for his own shot, but nonetheless it's impressive how much he can be effective on both ends of the court despite his light frame.

Mikhail Kulagin (PG/SG) - The Kulagin brothers looked as two of the best players in attendance. Mikhail, the younger one, playing at the point guard spot, sometimes made some mistake because of his little experience but overall looked really good on both ends of the court, creating with ease off the dribble, showing pretty solid decision making and using well his excellent physical tools on defense.

Dmitry Kulagin (SG) - The older brother is a big swingman who can help at the point guard spot. In Treviso he was one of the best one on one players on the offensive end, creating off the dribble with ridiculous ease and showing a high-level competitiveness. Sometimes he went out of control, taking questionable decisions, but for sure he helped himself a lot at the Eurocamp.

Victor Arteaga (C) - Probably the player with the softest touch in Treviso. He made a name for himself thanks to his good hands and ability to score in the paint, but he was often too passive on the court and sometimes had the tendency to just stand around instead of moving without the ball. Anyway he has all the tools to be a first class player in Europe.

Moustapha Fall (C) - Fall came from an average season in French Pro B with Poitiers but had a really good weekend in Treviso. A really big guy, the Frenchman was able to effectively use his size in the paint, showing aggressiveness and competitiveness: he's really raw on the offensive end and has poor shooting mechanic, but he often overpowered opposing big men and changed a lot of shots on defense.

Dragan Bender (PF) - The youngest player in attendance, Bender had a good Eurocamp: he never forced the issue, looking even a bit shy on the court, and sometimes struggled on defense, but showed really good passing ability and shooting touch. Still five months away to be 17 years old, he also impressed in measurements tests.

Ludvig Hakanson (PG/SG) - Only 18 years old, the Swedish point guard has to further improve his playmaking skills, as he had the tendency to overdribble and took bad shots early in the shot-clock, but yet he showed a better decision making than expected. His best tools though are his aggressive attitude, scoring instincts and shooting ability, and not being eligible for the NBA draft until next year he has all the time he needs to improve.

THE ITALIAN GROUP

Eric Lombardi was the best player in the Italian group: one of the most athletic players in Treviso, he made some huge plays above the rim and had one of the highlights of the weekend by blocking Thon Maker in transition. Not a polished player on the offensive end, he had to play almost exclusively at the 4 because of his lack of shooting ability, but had a nice showing on defense and in battling for rebounds against bigger players.

Also Awudu Abass played well enough, spending more time at the small forward position than Lombardi, while also playing as a power forward. He himself had strong athletic plays and was able to defend on bigger players, and on the third day he sank a couple of threes with ease, something that would be good to see more from him.

Amedeo Della Valle on Saturday struggled badly at the point guard position, often overdribbling, giving the ball away with bad timing and not being able to handle the aggressiveness of opposing defender. He improved as he moved at the shooting guard position during the weekend, serving well as a secondary ball-handler and being able to look more for his own shot. Anyway he had some trouble on defense, lacking the appropriate physical and athletic profile to defend the most part of Eurocamp guards.

FRANCE U20 TEAM

Mouhammadou Jaiteh had mixed showing: he struggled a lot against the physical defense of Carleton University, losing his focus and quickly becoming a non-factor in the game. On the other end, he was dominant against the skinny USA kids and also had a good game on Monday, being able to mentally stay in the game despite a couple of mistakes. He's a player with an impressive physical profile and good fundamentals, and it seems like his main lack is always his ability to stay focused on plays.

Axel Bouteille looked as the best player in this France team thanks to his offensive talent, which allowed him to easily score off isolations. Probably he should have used more possessions on offense, as he was often out of the play and we don't know if it was because of coaching choice or because of his lack of leadership; what we could see was that he was not always eager to have the ball.

An impressive showing was the one from Arthur Rozenfeld. The backup point guard of this team is a small player, but he's really tough and explosive, always fighting on defense and aggressive on offense. He displayed huge playmaking and passing tools, while also shooting really well.

CARLETON UNIVERSITY

A pleasing surprise was the Canadian team, Carleton University. While not featuring a lot of talented players, they played good team-oriented basketball and showed an impressive physical defense.

The leader of this team was Philip Scrubb: an explosive combo-guard with high-level physical tools, nice touch and body control, he also showed good shooting range and the ability to easily hit the pull-up three, even though he struggled a bit on Sunday against Team France. While not being a selfish player, in his last year of CIS he should further improve his point guard skills, as he has the tendency to overdribble, but overall he's surely a player to keep an eye on.

While Philip was the most talented player in the roster, his brother Thomas Scrubb also looked pretty impressive. An all-around small forward who can play also at the power forward position while not being that much tall, he was one of the most versatile and smart players we saw in Treviso: he played defense on three or four spots and was a centerpiece in team defense thanks to his understanding of rotations and movements, he shot well from three point range even though with a little strange shooting mechanic, he was able to score in the post and was a rebounding force despite often matched up against bigger players.

Other good players in this team were Connor Wood, a shooter who had an impressive game on Monday against Team USA, Kevin Churchill, a little undersized big man who showed toughness, nice touch around the rim and good footwork in the post, and Tyson Hinz, an undersized power forward with impressive toughness in the paint and good face-up game.

TEAM USA

Finally, Team USA looked impressive from a physical and athletic perspective, but was really raw in terms of team plays and understanding of the game, something that we expected given their young age and little experience.

Thon Maker, the most awaited player of this team, showed an incredibly smooth jumper to go along with his unique physical tools: being able to connect with ease both from mid-range and from beyond the arc, both off the catch or in isolation sets, he has an impressive quick, clean and high release. Anyway he struggled badly in the paint because of his light frame and poor fundamentals, being pushed around all the time by tougher players, struggling to finish trough contacts and lacking a reliable post move.

Brandon Ingram was another player who stood out: a big swingman with huge wingspan, quick first step, nice shooting touch on the pull-up and the ability to beat the defender off the dribble, even though he was not always assertive on the court he could surely become an high-level player once he'll improve his ball-handling and his defensive fundamentals.

Jaylen Brown, a swingman, did not play on Monday, but during the first two days he was probably the most athletic player in Treviso, always aggressive on both ends of the court and always trying to get to the rim. He has to improve his jump shot, but he had no problem at all in beating his defender, finishing trough contacts and playing defense on different types of players.

Di P. Villa