By Kostas Psimoulis
Polish Maciej Bender is a versatile and fluid 6’10 power forward who rarely plays hard. He has nice physical tools and coordination, changes ends really well for a big guy but struggles to keep up the same level of competence for long stretches. 2016 class Bender showed that he’s a high major college player capable of playing both inside (mostly as a face up threat) and outside (he possesses a good stroke extending to the three point line), however it’s his mentality that raises some questions regarding his potential. As many people who know him have stated, Bender hasn’t shown any love and hunger for the game at this stage of his career. Additionally, he’s shown signs of immaturity both on and off the floor. The Polish plays high school basketball in the US for Mountain Mission school whereas he signed a 1-year deal with WKK Wroclaw in Poland. Last month he took part in Polish u18 finals (WKK Wroclaw finish in the second place) and was one of the best players of the tournament. Bender has been one of the most talented players here in Rome showing solid fundamentals and versatility , nevertheless it remains to be seen if he manages to capitalize on his talent going forward.
Vasilis Charalampopoulos put on a show during the third day of the event showing why he’s a considered a potentially high level pro basketball player. It’s not just the basketball skills ; nobody showed this kind of professionalism, understanding of tactics and love for his teammates. Charalampopoulos is the type of guy who would cheer a teammate when he makes a basket or a solid play, sprint to give a hand to the teammate who’s on the ground, and communicate the plays to everybody else. Charalampopoulos is an intangibles player who’s also pretty skilled and possesses very high hoops IQ. Of course helps that’s he’s been practicing with a Euroleague team for two years while the majority of the kids in Rome have not had the opportunity to do the same at this juncture of their careers.
The other Polish player, Marcel Ponitka, has shown flashes of good talent as well during the first three days of Basketball Without Borders, however his upside doesn’t seem as high as Bender’s. Ponitka is a 6’3 strong and aggressive guard who lives at the rim and the free throw line. Already developed and strong for his age, Ponitka keeps pushing the pace and attacking the basket. He plays hard and it’s difficult to find a guy who plays as much in contact as he does. However, the Polish isn’t a true point guard (average passing skills) and does possess a shaky jumper. As a result, if you combine those two with an average size two questions are raised regarding his potential : can he keep getting at the rim and the free throw line against taller, longer and better athletes? Can he improve his perimeter skills to the point he won’t need to rely on his strong body in order to be effective?
The second guy from CAI Zaragoza present in Rome is Simon Pursl, a 6-foot-9, 235 pound, power forward from Czech Republic. Pursl is very strong and possesses some interesting athletic tools. He has the skills of a power forward and doesn’t have a problem to bang inside against same sized opponents. However, during the third day of BWB he lived on the perimeter where he attempted a fair amount of threes without making anyone. Faking and driving seems like a good alternative when you’re cold, but Pursl insisted on taking every open shot he had. Pursl isn’t a high upside guy but he could be an ACB player in a couple of years if he keeps adding to his game.
Santiago Yusta is well known thanks to his appearances with Spain’s U16 team last summer and Real Madrid’s u18 team this fall and spring. He’s versatile, athletic and smart. At this time he’s not great at anything, however looks like a future complementary player who could play lots of roles depending on the game situation. Yusta attacks in straight lines, shoots well from the three distances and shows pretty good athletic tools for a European player. If he can take one of his skills to another level he’d have the chance to be an even better player down the road.
Photo: NBA
Twitter of the author: @Gus_bball
