After four days of competition, the U19 World Cup stopped again today before the final rush. So, we've decided to recap the first days of competition through your questions to our Director of Scouting, Albert Robledillo, who is attending the event, at our e-mail at info@eurohopes.com and our social media accounts.
Ognjen: Serbia struggled a lot to beat Japan, which is a low-level team. Do you think this team has any chance to win the tournament?
Tomorrow will be the first time I will see Serbia live, but I know them pretty well as all their players have been in international competition during the season. I think that the US and Canada are one step ahead of everyone else, but they will face each other in the semifinals if they both win Senegal and Spain. So, I can see Serbia beating Argentina, and then, you just don't bet against Serbian when they play for a medal, so I wouldn't be surprised if they end up playing the final.
Dave: Wembanyama or Holmgren?
That's why I came to Latvia, Dave. I wanted to answer this question. And I am looking forward to a matchup between those two players, but Victor is ahead of Chet from what we've seen. Don't get me wrong. I love Holmgren ('02); I think those types of players are the ones who will be running the NBA down the road. He is a fantastic rim protector who can't be hunted (as it's happening with rim protectors nowadays) on drop coverages or switches because he covers a lot of ground. In offense, he is going to kill people with his shot and skillset. But Wembanyama ('04) is unique. I saw this kid -who is two years younger than Chet, by the way- knocking down a three from the logo, passing the ball at a high level, dunking over people, and being a tremendous rim protector. I think he is going to dominate at a Euroleague level before going to the NBA in 2023.
Müge: Are you disappointed by Turkish prospects?
It was a tough loss against Argentina, I will give you that, but those uncomfortable games against historically supercompetitive teams can happen. I liked the progression during the tournament of San Jose State's Tibet Gorener ('02), but I am a bit afraid that he sticks to shooting and stops doing what we saw in the 2018 FIBA U16, where he was a more versatile scorer. I wanted to see more of Prolific Prep's Adem Bona ('03); I think he had pretty solid moments rebounding and protecting the rim, but Furkan Haltali ('02) was very good setting the tone in the paint. He might not be an NBA prospect, but those kinds of bigs are always very useful in Europe.
Xavi: Can you see any Spanish player getting to the NBA?
We have to consider that Garuba was born in 2002, and instead of being with this generation, he is with the senior NT preparing for the Olympics. That's pretty impressive for a 19-year old kid, especially seeing the roster that Sergio Scariolo has put together. So going back to the U19 roster, Real Madrid's Juan Nuñez ('04) is the closest one because his creativity and passing skills are exceptional for a young prospect. Other than that, I see solid players for Euroleague and ACB level. Estudiantes' Ruben Domínguez ('03) is a strong candidate as he is a prolific scorer as a secondary-ball handler; he also sees the court well. Valencia's Millan Jiménez ('02) and Guillem Ferrando ('02) will be solid players for the next level. And I liked Marc Peñarroya ('02), too.
Ognjen: Serbia struggled a lot to beat Japan, which is a low-level team. Do you think this team has any chance to win the tournament?
Tomorrow will be the first time I will see Serbia live, but I know them pretty well as all their players have been in international competition during the season. I think that the US and Canada are one step ahead of everyone else, but they will face each other in the semifinals if they both win Senegal and Spain. So, I can see Serbia beating Argentina, and then, you just don't bet against Serbian when they play for a medal, so I wouldn't be surprised if they end up playing the final.
Dave: Wembanyama or Holmgren?
That's why I came to Latvia, Dave. I wanted to answer this question. And I am looking forward to a matchup between those two players, but Victor is ahead of Chet from what we've seen. Don't get me wrong. I love Holmgren ('02); I think those types of players are the ones who will be running the NBA down the road. He is a fantastic rim protector who can't be hunted (as it's happening with rim protectors nowadays) on drop coverages or switches because he covers a lot of ground. In offense, he is going to kill people with his shot and skillset. But Wembanyama ('04) is unique. I saw this kid -who is two years younger than Chet, by the way- knocking down a three from the logo, passing the ball at a high level, dunking over people, and being a tremendous rim protector. I think he is going to dominate at a Euroleague level before going to the NBA in 2023.
Müge: Are you disappointed by Turkish prospects?
It was a tough loss against Argentina, I will give you that, but those uncomfortable games against historically supercompetitive teams can happen. I liked the progression during the tournament of San Jose State's Tibet Gorener ('02), but I am a bit afraid that he sticks to shooting and stops doing what we saw in the 2018 FIBA U16, where he was a more versatile scorer. I wanted to see more of Prolific Prep's Adem Bona ('03); I think he had pretty solid moments rebounding and protecting the rim, but Furkan Haltali ('02) was very good setting the tone in the paint. He might not be an NBA prospect, but those kinds of bigs are always very useful in Europe.
Xavi: Can you see any Spanish player getting to the NBA?
We have to consider that Garuba was born in 2002, and instead of being with this generation, he is with the senior NT preparing for the Olympics. That's pretty impressive for a 19-year old kid, especially seeing the roster that Sergio Scariolo has put together. So going back to the U19 roster, Real Madrid's Juan Nuñez ('04) is the closest one because his creativity and passing skills are exceptional for a young prospect. Other than that, I see solid players for Euroleague and ACB level. Estudiantes' Ruben Domínguez ('03) is a strong candidate as he is a prolific scorer as a secondary-ball handler; he also sees the court well. Valencia's Millan Jiménez ('02) and Guillem Ferrando ('02) will be solid players for the next level. And I liked Marc Peñarroya ('02), too.
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