Germany has always been an afterthought when determining where the best basketball prospects in Europe a produced, as Dirk Nowitzki, Dennis Schröder and even Maik Zirbes and Tibor Pleiß are more so regarded as outliers than the norm. Though the Beko BBL (the German Bundesliga of basketball) wants to turn into the best local championship of Europe by 2020, the German talent has not been regarded as particularly promising over the last few years until the 1998 generation burst on the scene, displaying quite a number of talented young players who have what it takes to make noise the basketball world.
This is a three chapter series outlining the players who are more or less known on the European basketball landscape in part one, while part two will introduce players who have flown under the radar for some reason or another. Part three will outline the next generation of players who are just now bursting on the German basketball scene.
Chapter Two: The Second Wave
Karim Jallow 6'6 198 ('97, SG, Bayern)
Having played in Freudenberg's shadow over the past year, Karim Jallow -at the pic- is an interesting prospect in his own right. While not as creative offensively as his uber-talented teammate, Jallow impacts the game by use of his athleticism and continuously active motor. His activeness and great use of length and speed allows him to affect the game at all times.
Comparatively his statistics are identical to those of the past season. However, the main difference between the two seasons is the caliber of his teammates. Given this season’s team does not seem to have the same potential as past year’s team, Jallow has been entrusted with more responsibilities on the offensive end. For instance, Jallow has been tasked with taking over at the point guard position over certain stretches of the game.
As of now his ability to shoot the ball is a work in progress, displaying flawed mechanics and great inconsistencies in his shooting motion. Specifically Jallow’s release is too high and his off-hand is on top of the ball, which leads to a low arching trajectory on his shot and a lack of rhythm. Setting his feet rather slow on his jump shots doesn't allow him to develop any rhythm on his shot either.
However, Jallow is a player who seems to understand how to play to his strengths, as he runs the floor well, and attacks the rim hard whenever he has the ball in a scoring position. Though showing improvement, he is still merely an average ballhandler. However, he is rather effective off of the bounce, utilizing a quick first step with the ability to get to the rim whenever he wants. In addition Jallow is a finisher, who tries to score aggressively above the rim, having produced numerous highlight plays in the few games early this season.
Usually Jallow is tasked with defending the opponent’s best offensive player, ranging from guards to both forward positions. While his lateral quickness allows him to ably defend perimeter players, his length and strength paired with his knowledge of body position allows Jallow to effectively handle power forwards on the defensive end.
Though he is still rather raw in terms of his skill set, Jallow has been able to perform very effectively on both the offensive and defensive ends. A player that seems to always play extremely hard, Jallow impacts the game through his motor alone. Given his skill set and development at this point he looks as though his future will be as a role player. However, taking account he possesses great versatility on both ends of the floor, he projects as a player producing effectively on a very high level.
STATS
Ferdinand Zylka 6'3 176 ('98, SG, ALBA)
If there is one thing Ferdinand Zylka is known for it is for being able to consistently put the ball in the basket. Though still rather an unknown, he made waves at the ANGT tournament in Belgrade in 2015 for exactly that. Up to this point of the season he has been able to display his scoring prowess yet again, all the while improving in all statistical categories across the board with a minimal increase in minutes per game
From a positional standpoint he is undersized at his current physical measurements and it seems he is finished in terms of his physical development. However, Zylka has nice length, as he possesses fairly long arms and very big hands. Also, he has a sturdy body, allowing him to absorb bumps when defending drives, as well as keep good control upon taking hits on drives to the basket. Zylka is a decent athlete with good lateral quickness and good footwork.
At this point the main aspect of Zylka's game is his ability to put the ball in the basket. Equipped with a smooth shooting motion and decent mechanics, he is an excellent scorer, with the ability to create his own shot with ease. He is proficient in, both, catch and shoot situations and on pull up jumpers, thus still efficient when being run off of the three-point line. Zylka takes the pull up jumper with great poise, never rushing, but also never too slow. He shows a capability to shoot against bigger defenders, as he has the ability to create space and separation in order to get a decent look whenever he wants. More of a jump shooter, although he is more than capable of attacking closeouts effectively, he still prefers shooting jump shots at this point, and does so with high efficiency, as he shoot 43.6% from the three point line. In addition, Zylka is very strong in the open court and a good finisher at the rim with an overall 50% conversion rate from the field.
Though more of a scorer than anything else, Zylka possesses good vision. Making major improvements in his decision making, he even takes over at the point guard position over short stretches of the game. The 2.6 assists per game he is averaging per game this season, is a career high for Zylka, showing a willingness to let go of the ball more often than he has been in the past. Although, he wants to shoot it, he shows a continued improvement in finding teammates on drives, as well as playing within the offense.
The main aspect of his game he is still in need of improvement is his ballhandling ability. While Zylka’s ability to bring the ball up the court under pressure has improved immensely, he needs to further his development in PnR situations, although he has shown progress in his PnR game. In his current development he is more efficient off the ball or on closeout situations.
Zylka is a good positional rebounder and has been able to contain aggressive offensive rebounders, which was an area he struggled with in the past. Showing more focus on covering his box out assignments, he often swoops in and rips the ball off the boards. Defensively, he has good lateral quickness, giving him the ability to essentially keep his opponents in front of him. Given his physical tools, he has the ability to be a very good defender. However, at this point in his development he does not show the will and focus to stop his opponent on a consistent basis, as he gets beaten of the dribble at times, as well as off the ball due to a lack of focus and lack of sense of urgency. When engaged he is one of the better defenders on a good defensive team.
A very talented scorer, Zylka needs to show he can stay engaged defensively in order to have a greater impact on the game. It is important for him to display a defensive effort consistently. Offensively he has recently shown he does not get rattled as he often did in the past, especially when the game hasn’t gone his way. While undersized Zylka is a player with a large amount of talent. How effective he can be in the future will all be directly correlated with his ability to score.
STATS
Akim Jonah 6'10 227 ('98, PF, AB Baskets)
Considering he is merely in his third year of playing basketball, Akim Jonah is an immensely interesting prospect. From of a physical standpoint, Jonah is very imposing, as he combines size with a long reach. Born very late in 1998, Jonah also looks as though he is not done growing as of yet. Though Jonah has improved in his strength, currently he still gets pushed off of his position at times at times. Nevertheless his build suggests the ability to add a great amount of strength to both his upper and lower body. It's essential he strengthens his body to absorb and play through the contact that will inevitably await him against strong players. However, Jonah is an athlete, who has the ability to run the floor and finish above the rim.
His shooting mechanics look smooth and promising. Though his shooting motion is rather slow, he possesses a soft touch and consistently follows through, while flicking his wrists superbly. At this moment Jonah is not much of a shooter, but he shows some signs that point towards him developing a consistent mid-range shot, which could be vital in his growth as a player. His free throw shooting percentage of 55.6% displays that he still has some ways to go to gain consistency on his shooting stroke. Jonah does display a good foundation, although shooting 4 of 21 from midrange, he struggles with his shot altogether.
Offensively Jonah is still raw, mostly scoring off of dump offs and offensive rebounds, but doing so at a very effective clip. Starting to display good footwork, it’s apparent his post game is expanding. Every now and then he shows flashes of brilliance by using an array of shot fakes and step-throughs to get his opponents in the air. Overall his post game repertoire is still somewhat slim at this point, though.
Jonah has been able to make strides in terms of finishing around the basket. Where he struggled before due to core and leg strength, he now consistently finishes through contact, using his left and right hook equally well. Areas he has improved in, yet still needs work on include duck ins and carving out space underneath, as he more so goes to spots rather than cutting hard to them. Good defenders wouldn't allow him to establish position. Also, having improved in his movement without the ball, he still needs become better away from the ball, as he is still learning the nuances of the game.
Jonah has shown major strides as a low post one-on-one defender. He still somewhat struggles to find a balance, as he has often been too physical or not physical enough when defending on the block. However, he is a very good weak side defender. Interestingly, his timing as a shot blocker from a weak side position is not great, but he still manages to change a lot of shots in the paint as a weak side defender on opponent’s drives and low post of moves due to his length. At times he loses his man ball watching though, allowing his opponent to cut to scoring positions.
Jonah is very good rebounder grabbing 11.4 boards a game in limited minutes. He uses his length well when snagging balls of the glass and has good anticipation, often knowing where the ball will fall. He needs to get in the habit of grabbing the ball though, as he often tips the ball around in an attempt to control it, giving opponents the opportunity to swoop in and grab the ball from him. He does have good techniques boxing out though, gaining position early. He is also an extremely good offensive rebounder, averaging an eye-popping five offensive boards per game. Jonah aggressively attacks the glass and seems to have great anticipation as to where the ball will fall to. Thus, he forces numerous second chances for his team, as a lot of his scoring comes off of putbacks.
Jonah is still more of an unknown in the German basketball landscape, but a player marked as an intriguing prospect with great potential. Having only played basketball for two years now, Jonah seems a quick study, who has the ability to quickly understand new schemes and techniques. This ability to learn rather quickly paired with his physical nature make him all the more intriguing. His work ethic and eagerness to learn may just allow him to reach his potential, though at this point is it hard to gouge where his ceiling is exactly.
STATS
Luis Zerban 6'11 209 ('99, C, Bayern)
A very interesting player, Luis Zerban is more potential than production at this point of his development. Physically he shows a lot of promise. Currently standing at 6’11, Zerban displays great length, but is rather skinny at this point of his development. Though his body does need a lot of filling out, his build suggests he can add a lot of muscle over time. Given he has very long legs, his center of gravity is fairly high, leading to him getting pushed off the block at times.
Though Zerban can get pushed off his position at times, he shows promise in the post. He constantly looks to get position on his man by doing his work early and always staying ready off the ball. Zerban is very adept at ducking in around the basket, as he finds small seems to get into his man to get position on him. Similarly he shows himself and gives his teammates a big target after setting screens. However, as of now he does not get the ball much upon getting good position and often passes the ball back out quickly without looking to score.
Scoring mainly off of dump offs Zerban knows how to move without the ball and find positions upon teammate’s drives. In addition he runs the floor well, and usually looks to post up swiftly in order to get quick baskets. While he does run the floor well, he understands a high tempo game would not be in his favor and therefore knows to pick his spots.
Zerban’s shooting motion looks fairly smooth and very promising. However, his shooting mechanics do need some refinement because at this point of his development he is not much of a shooter. Zerban’s release is fairly low at this point, leading to a too low arching shot. As of now Zerban does not shoot a high percentage from the free throw line, however he should be able to raise those percentages fairly quickly.
Defensively Zerban is very help oriented and knows when to be where. While he is not a much of a shot blocker at this point, his defensive awareness allows him to be in position and bother opponents upon finishes. Zerban is not great laterally, but does a great job at using his length to recover. However, it is important to note teams have not tried to exploit him in PnR situations much thus far, as he hardly gets attacked after the pick.
While he does use his lower body fairly well in order to get position to rebound, Zerban is not very aggressive pursuing the ball, mainly relying on his length to grab rebounds. Still needing to improve on his box out technique, Zerban has to increase his defensive rebounding numbers. Interestingly his offensive rebounding numbers are great at 2.3 per game in mere 19 minutes every contest.
While he still has a long way to go, yet there is still a lot to like. Displaying a promising shooting form, paired with great length, good instincts on the block and offensive awareness and defensive awareness, Zerban’s progress should gauge his development over the next few years.
STATS
Bjarne Kraushaar 6‘1 154 (’99, PG, Gießen)
Completely flying under the radar over the course of the 2014/2015 season although he produced very good statistics in the JBBL (the German under 16), Bjarne Kraushaar has been able to open some eyes nationally, nearly matching his previous numbers against older competition in the NBBL. Interestingly he won the JBBL’s rookie of the year award in 2013. Undersized and fairly thin at this point, Kraushaar is also not an über-athlete. Nevertheless he is able to offset those limitations with a quick first step, good shiftiness, and a great basketball IQ.
At this point of his development it is interesting to see with how much confidence and swagger Kraushaar plays. A good ballhandler, he never seems to be bothered by ball pressure and controls the speed of the quite game effectively, as he seems to be in control of the game at all times. This understanding of the game flow is a knowledge usually obtained through experience, he seems to understand and master this at an early age nonetheless. Furthermore his ability and knowledge of when to change speeds allow him to release pressure or attack whenever he wants.
Quite the adept penetrator, Kraushaar seems to get in the paint with ease and finishes well at the rim. Knowing how to finish through contact, he converts 59.4% of his attempt around the basket, although he only finishes with the right hand. He is uses an array of different techniques to finish including floaters and runners. In addition he has a keen understanding of drawing fouls, as he takes 6.6 free throw attempts per game.
His conversion rate at the free throw line is a very respectable 84.9%. However his jump shooting numbers from the field are abysmal. While Kraushaar only shoots 28.6% (4/14) from the three point line and a mere 33.3% (3/9) from the mid range area, as it seems only minor adjustments have to be made in order for him to become a viable shooter. Interestingly his stance on jump shots differs from what he does at the free throw line, leading to a very stiff and mechanical shot.
A good and willing passer, Kraushaar constantly creates for others on the court averaging an impressive 6.2 assists per contest. Extremely effective out of the PnR, he not only has the ability to find seems to attack, he constantly finds open men against different defenses against the PnR actions. While able to dissect defenses in an array of ways, Kraushaar is very turnover prone all at the same time, as he likes to take risks and throws ill-advised passes at times. His 5.4 turnovers per game is a very high number that needs to be taken into account and tracked during his further development.
Kraushaar is a very ball oriented player, who is quick to help his teammates, but he can lose his man at times. In terms of team defense he is a great asset though, as he seems to always be in place on the weak side in different situations. Very different from most teams in the NBBL, Kraushaar is hardly standing in passing lanes, and rather plays drives lanes. Using his quick hands, he is very disruptive on opponent’s drives, as he often comes up with steals and deflections.
Defensively he has been able to control his opponents in one-on-one, however he struggles getting over ball screens often trailing the play upon getting screened. Hardly seen boxing out, his direct opponents hardly ever go to the offensive board, so it hasn’t hurt him as of yet. Averaging a respectable 4.4 rebounds per game, he often swoops in a reels in rebounds when all of his teammates boxed out well.
Kraushaar has a few aspects of his game that need work, however he has some intangibles that cannot be taught. A great leader, he seems to have the game and his teammates in control at all times. He is very vocal on the court at a very young age already and is in constant exchange with his coach, actively trying to be the extended arm of the coach on the court.
STATS
Photo: Migle Kaselyte
This is a three chapter series outlining the players who are more or less known on the European basketball landscape in part one, while part two will introduce players who have flown under the radar for some reason or another. Part three will outline the next generation of players who are just now bursting on the German basketball scene.
Chapter Two: The Second Wave
Karim Jallow 6'6 198 ('97, SG, Bayern)
Having played in Freudenberg's shadow over the past year, Karim Jallow -at the pic- is an interesting prospect in his own right. While not as creative offensively as his uber-talented teammate, Jallow impacts the game by use of his athleticism and continuously active motor. His activeness and great use of length and speed allows him to affect the game at all times.
Comparatively his statistics are identical to those of the past season. However, the main difference between the two seasons is the caliber of his teammates. Given this season’s team does not seem to have the same potential as past year’s team, Jallow has been entrusted with more responsibilities on the offensive end. For instance, Jallow has been tasked with taking over at the point guard position over certain stretches of the game.
As of now his ability to shoot the ball is a work in progress, displaying flawed mechanics and great inconsistencies in his shooting motion. Specifically Jallow’s release is too high and his off-hand is on top of the ball, which leads to a low arching trajectory on his shot and a lack of rhythm. Setting his feet rather slow on his jump shots doesn't allow him to develop any rhythm on his shot either.
However, Jallow is a player who seems to understand how to play to his strengths, as he runs the floor well, and attacks the rim hard whenever he has the ball in a scoring position. Though showing improvement, he is still merely an average ballhandler. However, he is rather effective off of the bounce, utilizing a quick first step with the ability to get to the rim whenever he wants. In addition Jallow is a finisher, who tries to score aggressively above the rim, having produced numerous highlight plays in the few games early this season.
Usually Jallow is tasked with defending the opponent’s best offensive player, ranging from guards to both forward positions. While his lateral quickness allows him to ably defend perimeter players, his length and strength paired with his knowledge of body position allows Jallow to effectively handle power forwards on the defensive end.
Though he is still rather raw in terms of his skill set, Jallow has been able to perform very effectively on both the offensive and defensive ends. A player that seems to always play extremely hard, Jallow impacts the game through his motor alone. Given his skill set and development at this point he looks as though his future will be as a role player. However, taking account he possesses great versatility on both ends of the floor, he projects as a player producing effectively on a very high level.
STATS
Ferdinand Zylka 6'3 176 ('98, SG, ALBA)
If there is one thing Ferdinand Zylka is known for it is for being able to consistently put the ball in the basket. Though still rather an unknown, he made waves at the ANGT tournament in Belgrade in 2015 for exactly that. Up to this point of the season he has been able to display his scoring prowess yet again, all the while improving in all statistical categories across the board with a minimal increase in minutes per game
From a positional standpoint he is undersized at his current physical measurements and it seems he is finished in terms of his physical development. However, Zylka has nice length, as he possesses fairly long arms and very big hands. Also, he has a sturdy body, allowing him to absorb bumps when defending drives, as well as keep good control upon taking hits on drives to the basket. Zylka is a decent athlete with good lateral quickness and good footwork.
At this point the main aspect of Zylka's game is his ability to put the ball in the basket. Equipped with a smooth shooting motion and decent mechanics, he is an excellent scorer, with the ability to create his own shot with ease. He is proficient in, both, catch and shoot situations and on pull up jumpers, thus still efficient when being run off of the three-point line. Zylka takes the pull up jumper with great poise, never rushing, but also never too slow. He shows a capability to shoot against bigger defenders, as he has the ability to create space and separation in order to get a decent look whenever he wants. More of a jump shooter, although he is more than capable of attacking closeouts effectively, he still prefers shooting jump shots at this point, and does so with high efficiency, as he shoot 43.6% from the three point line. In addition, Zylka is very strong in the open court and a good finisher at the rim with an overall 50% conversion rate from the field.
Though more of a scorer than anything else, Zylka possesses good vision. Making major improvements in his decision making, he even takes over at the point guard position over short stretches of the game. The 2.6 assists per game he is averaging per game this season, is a career high for Zylka, showing a willingness to let go of the ball more often than he has been in the past. Although, he wants to shoot it, he shows a continued improvement in finding teammates on drives, as well as playing within the offense.
The main aspect of his game he is still in need of improvement is his ballhandling ability. While Zylka’s ability to bring the ball up the court under pressure has improved immensely, he needs to further his development in PnR situations, although he has shown progress in his PnR game. In his current development he is more efficient off the ball or on closeout situations.
Zylka is a good positional rebounder and has been able to contain aggressive offensive rebounders, which was an area he struggled with in the past. Showing more focus on covering his box out assignments, he often swoops in and rips the ball off the boards. Defensively, he has good lateral quickness, giving him the ability to essentially keep his opponents in front of him. Given his physical tools, he has the ability to be a very good defender. However, at this point in his development he does not show the will and focus to stop his opponent on a consistent basis, as he gets beaten of the dribble at times, as well as off the ball due to a lack of focus and lack of sense of urgency. When engaged he is one of the better defenders on a good defensive team.
A very talented scorer, Zylka needs to show he can stay engaged defensively in order to have a greater impact on the game. It is important for him to display a defensive effort consistently. Offensively he has recently shown he does not get rattled as he often did in the past, especially when the game hasn’t gone his way. While undersized Zylka is a player with a large amount of talent. How effective he can be in the future will all be directly correlated with his ability to score.
STATS
Akim Jonah 6'10 227 ('98, PF, AB Baskets)
Considering he is merely in his third year of playing basketball, Akim Jonah is an immensely interesting prospect. From of a physical standpoint, Jonah is very imposing, as he combines size with a long reach. Born very late in 1998, Jonah also looks as though he is not done growing as of yet. Though Jonah has improved in his strength, currently he still gets pushed off of his position at times at times. Nevertheless his build suggests the ability to add a great amount of strength to both his upper and lower body. It's essential he strengthens his body to absorb and play through the contact that will inevitably await him against strong players. However, Jonah is an athlete, who has the ability to run the floor and finish above the rim.
His shooting mechanics look smooth and promising. Though his shooting motion is rather slow, he possesses a soft touch and consistently follows through, while flicking his wrists superbly. At this moment Jonah is not much of a shooter, but he shows some signs that point towards him developing a consistent mid-range shot, which could be vital in his growth as a player. His free throw shooting percentage of 55.6% displays that he still has some ways to go to gain consistency on his shooting stroke. Jonah does display a good foundation, although shooting 4 of 21 from midrange, he struggles with his shot altogether.
Offensively Jonah is still raw, mostly scoring off of dump offs and offensive rebounds, but doing so at a very effective clip. Starting to display good footwork, it’s apparent his post game is expanding. Every now and then he shows flashes of brilliance by using an array of shot fakes and step-throughs to get his opponents in the air. Overall his post game repertoire is still somewhat slim at this point, though.
Jonah has been able to make strides in terms of finishing around the basket. Where he struggled before due to core and leg strength, he now consistently finishes through contact, using his left and right hook equally well. Areas he has improved in, yet still needs work on include duck ins and carving out space underneath, as he more so goes to spots rather than cutting hard to them. Good defenders wouldn't allow him to establish position. Also, having improved in his movement without the ball, he still needs become better away from the ball, as he is still learning the nuances of the game.
Jonah has shown major strides as a low post one-on-one defender. He still somewhat struggles to find a balance, as he has often been too physical or not physical enough when defending on the block. However, he is a very good weak side defender. Interestingly, his timing as a shot blocker from a weak side position is not great, but he still manages to change a lot of shots in the paint as a weak side defender on opponent’s drives and low post of moves due to his length. At times he loses his man ball watching though, allowing his opponent to cut to scoring positions.
Jonah is very good rebounder grabbing 11.4 boards a game in limited minutes. He uses his length well when snagging balls of the glass and has good anticipation, often knowing where the ball will fall. He needs to get in the habit of grabbing the ball though, as he often tips the ball around in an attempt to control it, giving opponents the opportunity to swoop in and grab the ball from him. He does have good techniques boxing out though, gaining position early. He is also an extremely good offensive rebounder, averaging an eye-popping five offensive boards per game. Jonah aggressively attacks the glass and seems to have great anticipation as to where the ball will fall to. Thus, he forces numerous second chances for his team, as a lot of his scoring comes off of putbacks.
Jonah is still more of an unknown in the German basketball landscape, but a player marked as an intriguing prospect with great potential. Having only played basketball for two years now, Jonah seems a quick study, who has the ability to quickly understand new schemes and techniques. This ability to learn rather quickly paired with his physical nature make him all the more intriguing. His work ethic and eagerness to learn may just allow him to reach his potential, though at this point is it hard to gouge where his ceiling is exactly.
STATS
Luis Zerban 6'11 209 ('99, C, Bayern)
A very interesting player, Luis Zerban is more potential than production at this point of his development. Physically he shows a lot of promise. Currently standing at 6’11, Zerban displays great length, but is rather skinny at this point of his development. Though his body does need a lot of filling out, his build suggests he can add a lot of muscle over time. Given he has very long legs, his center of gravity is fairly high, leading to him getting pushed off the block at times.
Though Zerban can get pushed off his position at times, he shows promise in the post. He constantly looks to get position on his man by doing his work early and always staying ready off the ball. Zerban is very adept at ducking in around the basket, as he finds small seems to get into his man to get position on him. Similarly he shows himself and gives his teammates a big target after setting screens. However, as of now he does not get the ball much upon getting good position and often passes the ball back out quickly without looking to score.
Scoring mainly off of dump offs Zerban knows how to move without the ball and find positions upon teammate’s drives. In addition he runs the floor well, and usually looks to post up swiftly in order to get quick baskets. While he does run the floor well, he understands a high tempo game would not be in his favor and therefore knows to pick his spots.
Zerban’s shooting motion looks fairly smooth and very promising. However, his shooting mechanics do need some refinement because at this point of his development he is not much of a shooter. Zerban’s release is fairly low at this point, leading to a too low arching shot. As of now Zerban does not shoot a high percentage from the free throw line, however he should be able to raise those percentages fairly quickly.
Defensively Zerban is very help oriented and knows when to be where. While he is not a much of a shot blocker at this point, his defensive awareness allows him to be in position and bother opponents upon finishes. Zerban is not great laterally, but does a great job at using his length to recover. However, it is important to note teams have not tried to exploit him in PnR situations much thus far, as he hardly gets attacked after the pick.
While he does use his lower body fairly well in order to get position to rebound, Zerban is not very aggressive pursuing the ball, mainly relying on his length to grab rebounds. Still needing to improve on his box out technique, Zerban has to increase his defensive rebounding numbers. Interestingly his offensive rebounding numbers are great at 2.3 per game in mere 19 minutes every contest.
While he still has a long way to go, yet there is still a lot to like. Displaying a promising shooting form, paired with great length, good instincts on the block and offensive awareness and defensive awareness, Zerban’s progress should gauge his development over the next few years.
STATS
Bjarne Kraushaar 6‘1 154 (’99, PG, Gießen)
Completely flying under the radar over the course of the 2014/2015 season although he produced very good statistics in the JBBL (the German under 16), Bjarne Kraushaar has been able to open some eyes nationally, nearly matching his previous numbers against older competition in the NBBL. Interestingly he won the JBBL’s rookie of the year award in 2013. Undersized and fairly thin at this point, Kraushaar is also not an über-athlete. Nevertheless he is able to offset those limitations with a quick first step, good shiftiness, and a great basketball IQ.
At this point of his development it is interesting to see with how much confidence and swagger Kraushaar plays. A good ballhandler, he never seems to be bothered by ball pressure and controls the speed of the quite game effectively, as he seems to be in control of the game at all times. This understanding of the game flow is a knowledge usually obtained through experience, he seems to understand and master this at an early age nonetheless. Furthermore his ability and knowledge of when to change speeds allow him to release pressure or attack whenever he wants.
Quite the adept penetrator, Kraushaar seems to get in the paint with ease and finishes well at the rim. Knowing how to finish through contact, he converts 59.4% of his attempt around the basket, although he only finishes with the right hand. He is uses an array of different techniques to finish including floaters and runners. In addition he has a keen understanding of drawing fouls, as he takes 6.6 free throw attempts per game.
His conversion rate at the free throw line is a very respectable 84.9%. However his jump shooting numbers from the field are abysmal. While Kraushaar only shoots 28.6% (4/14) from the three point line and a mere 33.3% (3/9) from the mid range area, as it seems only minor adjustments have to be made in order for him to become a viable shooter. Interestingly his stance on jump shots differs from what he does at the free throw line, leading to a very stiff and mechanical shot.
A good and willing passer, Kraushaar constantly creates for others on the court averaging an impressive 6.2 assists per contest. Extremely effective out of the PnR, he not only has the ability to find seems to attack, he constantly finds open men against different defenses against the PnR actions. While able to dissect defenses in an array of ways, Kraushaar is very turnover prone all at the same time, as he likes to take risks and throws ill-advised passes at times. His 5.4 turnovers per game is a very high number that needs to be taken into account and tracked during his further development.
Kraushaar is a very ball oriented player, who is quick to help his teammates, but he can lose his man at times. In terms of team defense he is a great asset though, as he seems to always be in place on the weak side in different situations. Very different from most teams in the NBBL, Kraushaar is hardly standing in passing lanes, and rather plays drives lanes. Using his quick hands, he is very disruptive on opponent’s drives, as he often comes up with steals and deflections.
Defensively he has been able to control his opponents in one-on-one, however he struggles getting over ball screens often trailing the play upon getting screened. Hardly seen boxing out, his direct opponents hardly ever go to the offensive board, so it hasn’t hurt him as of yet. Averaging a respectable 4.4 rebounds per game, he often swoops in a reels in rebounds when all of his teammates boxed out well.
Kraushaar has a few aspects of his game that need work, however he has some intangibles that cannot be taught. A great leader, he seems to have the game and his teammates in control at all times. He is very vocal on the court at a very young age already and is in constant exchange with his coach, actively trying to be the extended arm of the coach on the court.
STATS
Photo: Migle Kaselyte
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