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 part 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 Three: The Next Generation
Maximilian Begue 6’2 178 ('01, SG, Frankfurt)
Maximilian Begue -at the pic- is a very strong guard with decent size at the combo guard position. Though his body already looks mature, he is merely 14 years old at this moment, so he is likely to still grow some more. Also he has good end to end speed, and seems to have some deceptive quickness in his step.
As of now Begue is not a shooter having only taken six shots from the perimeter in a total of nine games this season. Although his shooting motion looks quick and smooth, nonetheless it is apparent he does not have any confidence in his shot despite of a fairly promising shot. Also his shooting alignment seems to be off quite a bit, causing some problems in both his release and direction of the shot. Shooting 69.1% from the free throw line further show some inconsistencies.
Seemingly getting to the rim at will, Begue’s game is predicated on his ability to the get to the rim. He is great at changing speeds, often utilizing a hesitation move to get by. When getting to the rim he usually finishes off of two feet with great stability, showing the ability to finish through contact. Begue is equally deft at getting to the line, as he shoots a respectable 4.7 free throws per game.
Having the ability to create his own shot, he has yet shown ability to create for others. Often putting his head down and looking to score, he seemingly penetrates in tunnel vision. While he is not a particularly good passer on drives in the half court, he has consistently found people in transition for easy baskets. Often these passes come after pushing the ball in the break and penetrating to the basket. This displays an ability to find people on drives, which he has not done often in the half court. Lastly he is quite proficient at finding teammates on cuts.
Defensively he displays quite a few attributes to become a lockdown defender, but his main problem seems to be his focus. Possessing good lateral speed, Begue can stay in front of his man effortlessly. At times he loses concentration in one-on-one situations though, at which point his footwork becomes mediocre and he opens up. Similarly he is often passive off the ball and gets caught ball watching without the emphasis on helping. Also this leads to him reacting late to getting screened at times.
As passive as he can be as a weakside defender, as active he is on the glass. Averaging an outstanding 8.1 rebounds per game, Begue has a great nose for the ball, knowing where it will land. This helps him on the offensive end equally well as on the defensive side of the court, as he averages 2.0 boards per game. Begue usually pursues the ball hard, and then pushes it in transition himself.
Since it is very early in his development, it is tough to predict Begue’s trajectory. Though his defensive struggles are very glaring at this juncture in his development, he has all the physical tools to make an impact on that side of the floor. However, he has to show the will to improve on the defensive end through sheer focus and dedication. Being he is of the younger JBBL generation, he is quite intriguing and it will be interesting to see how he will fare next season.
STATS
Kay Bruhnke 6’3 167 ('01, SF, Regnitztal)
The youngest player selected to represent the Germany at the international under 16 tournament in Samsun, Turkey, Kay Bruhnke has a strong body for a 14 year old kid. Displaying good size for the age, it is very apparent he is not close to being done growing. Bruhnke displays is also a decent athlete, displaying good end to end speed using long strides to get up and down the court. He does not possess great lateral quickness though.
Bruhnke’s jump shot is still a work in progress. Nonetheless his shooting stroke looks quite promising. At this point of his development he is still a very inconsistent shooter. His technique looks sound though, and his shooting motion looks smooth. Be that as it may, his shoulders are very tense, which may be the main reason for the inconsistencies. While shooting 30.4% from three point territory is not exceptional, it does show early signs. Similarly he converts a decent 41.7% of his shots from the midrange.
Although he is merely an average ballhandler, Bruhnke is an outstanding driver, he usually finds seems to attack out of close out situations and out of ball movement. He has shown the ability to find teammates on his drives, usually for dump offs or cuts close to the basket. As most of his own scoring opportunities come off of drives and cuts, Bruhnke moves well without the ball, cutting extremely hard to put himself in a good scoring position. A high energy guy Bruhnke is always on the move making it tough for defenders to contain him over the whole game.
Bruhnke has exhibited a supreme ability to finish around the rim, utilizing good footwork to give him better angles often using a spin move to get around a defender cutting off the driving lane. Finishing an astounding 78.2% of his attempts close to the basket, Bruhnke shows very good touch from inside the painted area. At times he also posts up smaller defenders, as he knows to hold position in the post and then gets good looks by use of his footwork and body.
On the defensive side of the court Bruhnke has shown to have some difficulties, as he does not possess great lateral speed. This leads to struggling to stay in front of quicker players. Additionally he can be somewhat slow on rotations often reacting a moment too late as a weakside defender. However, he is a good rebounder, who boxes out more times than not and is able to reel in an impressive 6.8 rebounds per game.
Playing with high energy Bruhnke has been able to impact the game on the offensive end the floor without needing the ball in his hands much. Playing well off of his teammates, he excels in a system, as he knows where and when to pick his spots. While he has shown promise as a complementary player thus far, he is the youngest player on the under 16 national team and second youngest on his club team in Regnitztal, so it will be interesting to see how he will fare as the main guy next season.
STATS
Quirin Huber-Saffer 6‘6 165 ('00, PF, FC Bayern Munich)
Coming from a basketball family, Quirin Huber-Saffer is showing the most promise thus far. While he is listed at 6’6, he looks as though he has grown quite a bit over the course of the early part of the season. As of now he is still very skinny, but he does have strong legs allowing him to keep his position on the block. Huber-Saffer does look as though he will be able to put on quite the amount of muscle in the future. Also, Huber-Saffer has displayed decent mobility with very good lateral speed.
Displaying a smooth shooting motion the Bayern Munich product has shown he is a respectable shooter from both the midrange and even three point line. He has good shooting alignment and good arch on his shot in catch and shoot situations. Interestingly, he displays a rather low arching shot on his pull up jumper. Nonetheless, at a 53.8% he is quite effective from the midrange even though he does not take many shots from that area.
Huber-Saffer does not have the ball in his hands that often, usually finding scoring opportunities on the block or cutting hard from the high post spot. His coach often has him coming off of screens to get him in position on the block. He has a good sense in terms of using the screens effectively, cutting hard to the basket almost ducking in. Once he establishes position Huber-Saffer displays good footwork and balance, as well as an ability to finish equally well with both hands. His preferred move is the right hook shot though.
An underrated aspect of Huber-Saffer’s game is his ability to find players in high low situations, as he throws hard precise passes to his frontcourt mate ducking in. Where he struggles in terms of passing, however, is finding cutters and also while he is running the break. Sometimes he tries to fit the ball through bad passing angles and at other times he assesses the situations poorly.
Defensively Huber-Saffer is willing to give up his body in one-on-one situations, as he plays a physical brand of basketball on the block. Though he is not much of a shot blocker, he is very sound in his approach he does not give up much near the basket. Also he possesses good lateral speed, as he is capable of stopping guards from penetrating in Pick and Roll situations. Against ICE situations he does find himself in a peculiar position where he lags behind his man and is not in position to stop the ball. This seemed to be a defensive scheme though.
All in all he does have good court awareness though, as he is usually in position on rotations, as well as never loses his man in those situations. Displaying a keen understanding in terms of where he is supposed to be in the defensive scheme, Huber-Saffer is quite an asset on the defensive end, as he plays good one-on-one and team defense. Additionally he boxes out very well, looking for his man first before he lays his body on him if he has to. Averaging 2.1 offensive boards per game Huber-Saffer is a good offensive rebounder as well.
With his length and mobility Huber-Saffer is quite interesting. He displays a keen understanding for the game on both sides of the floor, making him quite an impactful two way player. Should he further progress in terms of his shooting, as well as his ability to operate with the ball in his hands, he could become quite an asset in the future.
STATS
Tim Köpple 5‘10 127 ('00, PG, Ulm)
While he displays a slight and rather small frame, Tim Köpple has been able to effectively navigate through the early portion of the JBBL season with great efficiency. He is a small, but quick and savvy guard with good lateral speed.
Köpple is not a shooter at this juncture as he has only taken six three point in the 26 games he has played this season and last season combined. Interestingly he converted on four of the attempted three pointers. He does show great promise in terms of his shooting, but he seems to lack the confidence in taking shots from behind the three point line. Shooting 86.8% from the charity stripe and 56.5% from the midrange area, he seems on the right path.
It is peculiar he does not take more shots from the perimeter given his shooting numbers are very good. Additionally his form looks promising, as he displays a smooth shooting motion, with proper body alignment and balance. He seems somewhat tense in his shoulders, though. Overall, Köpple’s reluctance to shoot three point shot seem to stem more so from the mental side than his capability to shoot the basketball.
Köpple’s game is based on his ability to get to the rim, as he converts on 65.4% of his shots near the rim. A great use of changes of speed allow him to get to the rim at will where he is decent at drawing fouls as well, as he goes to the line a decent 4.8 times per game. Quite effective with the ball in his hands, and breaking defenders down off the dribble, Köpple also plays off the ball, showing an understanding of spacing and a patience to let the ball come back to him.
Though at 21.1 points per game he has shown the ability as a scorer, Köpple is a true point guard who knows to control the speed of the game pretty well for his young age. Additionally he is a good passer, consistently setting up teammates on drives, as he finds them for dump offs and kick outs to open players on the three point line. Köpple is not hesitant to let go of the ball, often finding teammates in transition with full court passes or when having numbers.
Defensive Köpple is a hassle, as he displays good lateral speed, which allows him to keep his opponent in front of him. As good a one-on-one defender as he is, he does get sloppy in his foot work and opens up when attacked. This happens very scarcely though. Interestingly Köpple is a very good rebounder, as he boxes out well. Oftentimes he swoops in from the outside though and grabs the rebound before starting the break himself. On the offensive glass he does this equally well, running in hard from the outside, and corralling a whooping 2.5 offensive rebounds per game.
Köpple’s ability to play on a high professional level may have a very close correlation to how much he will grow in the future. While he is able to operate very effectively on the youth level, it will be interesting to see if how teams will attack him on the defensive end on the international scene and in the future. However, he does show great promise as a scorer and facilitator making him quite a threat on the offensive end at all times.
STATS
Joshua Lübken 6‘9 180 ('00, PF, ALBA)
After looking overmatched his first year in the JBBL, Joshua Lübken has made major strides to become one of the premier big men of Germany’s 2000 generation. While he is extremely skinny, he seems to have gained in strength throughout the past year. Additionally he may not be done grow just yet, as he also displays good size and length. Furthermore Lübken has good mobility and lateral quickness allowing him to make quite an impact both offensively and defensively.
Although the lanky forward has had good shooting numbers the past two years, his shooting technique is rather mediocre at this point. His form cannot be described as picture perfect, as it is more of a push shot. However, shooting 30% from three point territory over the course of last season and hitting 44.4% this year, Lübken has shown the ability to knock down shots at a high percentage. At 47.1% his free throw percentage leaves a lot to be desired, though.
Lübken stands out due to his versatility. He knows how to play with his back to the basket as well as facing up. Though he needs to improve in his ballhandling ability, he is quite effective with his drives. He often uses ball movement and close out situations to attack off the dribble, as he is best at straight line drives. Similarly he is quite effective in the open court, pushing the ball in the break or running the lanes hard.
He also understands how to fight for position on the block, although he usually starts working for position late, giving up a few inches from his position. Though he does not have a very developed left hand in terms, Lübken has an effective hook shot over both shoulders, although he is better at converting over his left shoulder at this point. Lübken does struggle against strength at times though.
One aspect he seems to grasp fairly well is the concept of moving without the ball. Lübken often finds himself in positions to score, as he knows to find seems to get him open looks. Interestingly he often looks confused when a teammate drives straight at him. While he manages to move out the way, more often than not he does not find himself in scoring position upon moving.
Defensively he is quite intriguing, as displays good timing as a shotblocker. However, he is foul prone, as well, due to him swiping at the ball a lot. Averaging 2.44 blocks per game and 3.3 fouls per game, he needs to figure out how to protect the rim without getting in foul trouble. Nonetheless, he shows great promise as a rim protector.
In terms of his one-on one defense Lübken often starts working for position late, allowing his opponent to get to his spot before he starts fighting back. Additionally he defends with almost straight legs a lot, which leads to him getting backed down quite a bit. At this point his length still helps challenge shots although he is out of position. Also Lübken possesses good lateral speed allowing him to stay in front of guards in PnR situations and even in one-on-one situations.
Lübken is quite an interesting prospect, as he has shown quite the progress in terms of his skill set and physical development. While his habits in terms of post defense are not great yet, he does show some promise as a player overall. Exhibiting the ability to learn quickly and make major strides from season to season, it will be quite interesting to see his further development.
STATS
Photo: talente-mit-perspektive.de
This is a three part 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 Three: The Next Generation
Maximilian Begue 6’2 178 ('01, SG, Frankfurt)
Maximilian Begue -at the pic- is a very strong guard with decent size at the combo guard position. Though his body already looks mature, he is merely 14 years old at this moment, so he is likely to still grow some more. Also he has good end to end speed, and seems to have some deceptive quickness in his step.
As of now Begue is not a shooter having only taken six shots from the perimeter in a total of nine games this season. Although his shooting motion looks quick and smooth, nonetheless it is apparent he does not have any confidence in his shot despite of a fairly promising shot. Also his shooting alignment seems to be off quite a bit, causing some problems in both his release and direction of the shot. Shooting 69.1% from the free throw line further show some inconsistencies.
Seemingly getting to the rim at will, Begue’s game is predicated on his ability to the get to the rim. He is great at changing speeds, often utilizing a hesitation move to get by. When getting to the rim he usually finishes off of two feet with great stability, showing the ability to finish through contact. Begue is equally deft at getting to the line, as he shoots a respectable 4.7 free throws per game.
Having the ability to create his own shot, he has yet shown ability to create for others. Often putting his head down and looking to score, he seemingly penetrates in tunnel vision. While he is not a particularly good passer on drives in the half court, he has consistently found people in transition for easy baskets. Often these passes come after pushing the ball in the break and penetrating to the basket. This displays an ability to find people on drives, which he has not done often in the half court. Lastly he is quite proficient at finding teammates on cuts.
Defensively he displays quite a few attributes to become a lockdown defender, but his main problem seems to be his focus. Possessing good lateral speed, Begue can stay in front of his man effortlessly. At times he loses concentration in one-on-one situations though, at which point his footwork becomes mediocre and he opens up. Similarly he is often passive off the ball and gets caught ball watching without the emphasis on helping. Also this leads to him reacting late to getting screened at times.
As passive as he can be as a weakside defender, as active he is on the glass. Averaging an outstanding 8.1 rebounds per game, Begue has a great nose for the ball, knowing where it will land. This helps him on the offensive end equally well as on the defensive side of the court, as he averages 2.0 boards per game. Begue usually pursues the ball hard, and then pushes it in transition himself.
Since it is very early in his development, it is tough to predict Begue’s trajectory. Though his defensive struggles are very glaring at this juncture in his development, he has all the physical tools to make an impact on that side of the floor. However, he has to show the will to improve on the defensive end through sheer focus and dedication. Being he is of the younger JBBL generation, he is quite intriguing and it will be interesting to see how he will fare next season.
STATS
Kay Bruhnke 6’3 167 ('01, SF, Regnitztal)
The youngest player selected to represent the Germany at the international under 16 tournament in Samsun, Turkey, Kay Bruhnke has a strong body for a 14 year old kid. Displaying good size for the age, it is very apparent he is not close to being done growing. Bruhnke displays is also a decent athlete, displaying good end to end speed using long strides to get up and down the court. He does not possess great lateral quickness though.
Bruhnke’s jump shot is still a work in progress. Nonetheless his shooting stroke looks quite promising. At this point of his development he is still a very inconsistent shooter. His technique looks sound though, and his shooting motion looks smooth. Be that as it may, his shoulders are very tense, which may be the main reason for the inconsistencies. While shooting 30.4% from three point territory is not exceptional, it does show early signs. Similarly he converts a decent 41.7% of his shots from the midrange.
Although he is merely an average ballhandler, Bruhnke is an outstanding driver, he usually finds seems to attack out of close out situations and out of ball movement. He has shown the ability to find teammates on his drives, usually for dump offs or cuts close to the basket. As most of his own scoring opportunities come off of drives and cuts, Bruhnke moves well without the ball, cutting extremely hard to put himself in a good scoring position. A high energy guy Bruhnke is always on the move making it tough for defenders to contain him over the whole game.
Bruhnke has exhibited a supreme ability to finish around the rim, utilizing good footwork to give him better angles often using a spin move to get around a defender cutting off the driving lane. Finishing an astounding 78.2% of his attempts close to the basket, Bruhnke shows very good touch from inside the painted area. At times he also posts up smaller defenders, as he knows to hold position in the post and then gets good looks by use of his footwork and body.
On the defensive side of the court Bruhnke has shown to have some difficulties, as he does not possess great lateral speed. This leads to struggling to stay in front of quicker players. Additionally he can be somewhat slow on rotations often reacting a moment too late as a weakside defender. However, he is a good rebounder, who boxes out more times than not and is able to reel in an impressive 6.8 rebounds per game.
Playing with high energy Bruhnke has been able to impact the game on the offensive end the floor without needing the ball in his hands much. Playing well off of his teammates, he excels in a system, as he knows where and when to pick his spots. While he has shown promise as a complementary player thus far, he is the youngest player on the under 16 national team and second youngest on his club team in Regnitztal, so it will be interesting to see how he will fare as the main guy next season.
STATS
Quirin Huber-Saffer 6‘6 165 ('00, PF, FC Bayern Munich)
Coming from a basketball family, Quirin Huber-Saffer is showing the most promise thus far. While he is listed at 6’6, he looks as though he has grown quite a bit over the course of the early part of the season. As of now he is still very skinny, but he does have strong legs allowing him to keep his position on the block. Huber-Saffer does look as though he will be able to put on quite the amount of muscle in the future. Also, Huber-Saffer has displayed decent mobility with very good lateral speed.
Displaying a smooth shooting motion the Bayern Munich product has shown he is a respectable shooter from both the midrange and even three point line. He has good shooting alignment and good arch on his shot in catch and shoot situations. Interestingly, he displays a rather low arching shot on his pull up jumper. Nonetheless, at a 53.8% he is quite effective from the midrange even though he does not take many shots from that area.
Huber-Saffer does not have the ball in his hands that often, usually finding scoring opportunities on the block or cutting hard from the high post spot. His coach often has him coming off of screens to get him in position on the block. He has a good sense in terms of using the screens effectively, cutting hard to the basket almost ducking in. Once he establishes position Huber-Saffer displays good footwork and balance, as well as an ability to finish equally well with both hands. His preferred move is the right hook shot though.
An underrated aspect of Huber-Saffer’s game is his ability to find players in high low situations, as he throws hard precise passes to his frontcourt mate ducking in. Where he struggles in terms of passing, however, is finding cutters and also while he is running the break. Sometimes he tries to fit the ball through bad passing angles and at other times he assesses the situations poorly.
Defensively Huber-Saffer is willing to give up his body in one-on-one situations, as he plays a physical brand of basketball on the block. Though he is not much of a shot blocker, he is very sound in his approach he does not give up much near the basket. Also he possesses good lateral speed, as he is capable of stopping guards from penetrating in Pick and Roll situations. Against ICE situations he does find himself in a peculiar position where he lags behind his man and is not in position to stop the ball. This seemed to be a defensive scheme though.
All in all he does have good court awareness though, as he is usually in position on rotations, as well as never loses his man in those situations. Displaying a keen understanding in terms of where he is supposed to be in the defensive scheme, Huber-Saffer is quite an asset on the defensive end, as he plays good one-on-one and team defense. Additionally he boxes out very well, looking for his man first before he lays his body on him if he has to. Averaging 2.1 offensive boards per game Huber-Saffer is a good offensive rebounder as well.
With his length and mobility Huber-Saffer is quite interesting. He displays a keen understanding for the game on both sides of the floor, making him quite an impactful two way player. Should he further progress in terms of his shooting, as well as his ability to operate with the ball in his hands, he could become quite an asset in the future.
STATS
Tim Köpple 5‘10 127 ('00, PG, Ulm)
While he displays a slight and rather small frame, Tim Köpple has been able to effectively navigate through the early portion of the JBBL season with great efficiency. He is a small, but quick and savvy guard with good lateral speed.
Köpple is not a shooter at this juncture as he has only taken six three point in the 26 games he has played this season and last season combined. Interestingly he converted on four of the attempted three pointers. He does show great promise in terms of his shooting, but he seems to lack the confidence in taking shots from behind the three point line. Shooting 86.8% from the charity stripe and 56.5% from the midrange area, he seems on the right path.
It is peculiar he does not take more shots from the perimeter given his shooting numbers are very good. Additionally his form looks promising, as he displays a smooth shooting motion, with proper body alignment and balance. He seems somewhat tense in his shoulders, though. Overall, Köpple’s reluctance to shoot three point shot seem to stem more so from the mental side than his capability to shoot the basketball.
Köpple’s game is based on his ability to get to the rim, as he converts on 65.4% of his shots near the rim. A great use of changes of speed allow him to get to the rim at will where he is decent at drawing fouls as well, as he goes to the line a decent 4.8 times per game. Quite effective with the ball in his hands, and breaking defenders down off the dribble, Köpple also plays off the ball, showing an understanding of spacing and a patience to let the ball come back to him.
Though at 21.1 points per game he has shown the ability as a scorer, Köpple is a true point guard who knows to control the speed of the game pretty well for his young age. Additionally he is a good passer, consistently setting up teammates on drives, as he finds them for dump offs and kick outs to open players on the three point line. Köpple is not hesitant to let go of the ball, often finding teammates in transition with full court passes or when having numbers.
Defensive Köpple is a hassle, as he displays good lateral speed, which allows him to keep his opponent in front of him. As good a one-on-one defender as he is, he does get sloppy in his foot work and opens up when attacked. This happens very scarcely though. Interestingly Köpple is a very good rebounder, as he boxes out well. Oftentimes he swoops in from the outside though and grabs the rebound before starting the break himself. On the offensive glass he does this equally well, running in hard from the outside, and corralling a whooping 2.5 offensive rebounds per game.
Köpple’s ability to play on a high professional level may have a very close correlation to how much he will grow in the future. While he is able to operate very effectively on the youth level, it will be interesting to see if how teams will attack him on the defensive end on the international scene and in the future. However, he does show great promise as a scorer and facilitator making him quite a threat on the offensive end at all times.
STATS
Joshua Lübken 6‘9 180 ('00, PF, ALBA)
After looking overmatched his first year in the JBBL, Joshua Lübken has made major strides to become one of the premier big men of Germany’s 2000 generation. While he is extremely skinny, he seems to have gained in strength throughout the past year. Additionally he may not be done grow just yet, as he also displays good size and length. Furthermore Lübken has good mobility and lateral quickness allowing him to make quite an impact both offensively and defensively.
Although the lanky forward has had good shooting numbers the past two years, his shooting technique is rather mediocre at this point. His form cannot be described as picture perfect, as it is more of a push shot. However, shooting 30% from three point territory over the course of last season and hitting 44.4% this year, Lübken has shown the ability to knock down shots at a high percentage. At 47.1% his free throw percentage leaves a lot to be desired, though.
Lübken stands out due to his versatility. He knows how to play with his back to the basket as well as facing up. Though he needs to improve in his ballhandling ability, he is quite effective with his drives. He often uses ball movement and close out situations to attack off the dribble, as he is best at straight line drives. Similarly he is quite effective in the open court, pushing the ball in the break or running the lanes hard.
He also understands how to fight for position on the block, although he usually starts working for position late, giving up a few inches from his position. Though he does not have a very developed left hand in terms, Lübken has an effective hook shot over both shoulders, although he is better at converting over his left shoulder at this point. Lübken does struggle against strength at times though.
One aspect he seems to grasp fairly well is the concept of moving without the ball. Lübken often finds himself in positions to score, as he knows to find seems to get him open looks. Interestingly he often looks confused when a teammate drives straight at him. While he manages to move out the way, more often than not he does not find himself in scoring position upon moving.
Defensively he is quite intriguing, as displays good timing as a shotblocker. However, he is foul prone, as well, due to him swiping at the ball a lot. Averaging 2.44 blocks per game and 3.3 fouls per game, he needs to figure out how to protect the rim without getting in foul trouble. Nonetheless, he shows great promise as a rim protector.
In terms of his one-on one defense Lübken often starts working for position late, allowing his opponent to get to his spot before he starts fighting back. Additionally he defends with almost straight legs a lot, which leads to him getting backed down quite a bit. At this point his length still helps challenge shots although he is out of position. Also Lübken possesses good lateral speed allowing him to stay in front of guards in PnR situations and even in one-on-one situations.
Lübken is quite an interesting prospect, as he has shown quite the progress in terms of his skill set and physical development. While his habits in terms of post defense are not great yet, he does show some promise as a player overall. Exhibiting the ability to learn quickly and make major strides from season to season, it will be quite interesting to see his further development.
STATS
Photo: talente-mit-perspektive.de
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