Nathan Soliman

PROFILE

U17 FIBA World Cup- July 2024
By Artau Pascual

Good athlete with solid positional size and core strength. Didn’t look like an underage player despite being two years younger than the competition. Used mainly as a stretch frontcourt player rather than as a go-to guy, and so has been for the last few events under the same coaching. His cadence off pump fake is great: he can get his shots off one or two dribbles attacking closeout. Sometimes he passes the outside shot when he could get it straight up. Shooting mechanics off the catch are OK, although he could speed them up. Smart player against zone defenses: he already feels comfortable from the mid-range and he has already stored some automatic, memory passes well-implemented in his game. Efficient cutter, although he didn’t get many paint touches with this team. On the defensive end, he’s switchable 3-5 and shows a solid level of engagement and awareness off-the-ball. Because of his length he can match up with guards in ball screens. Needs to keep working on his hip fluidity.


ANGT Berlin- May 2024
By Artau Pascual

Insane body and in-game maturity for a 2009-born player. Muscular, athletic and strong. Always under control of his efforts and doesn’t struggle to compete against older opponents. The ceiling is sky-high, but INSEP used him as a trouble-solver instead of building around his game: he was the go-to guy to attack zone defenses as a passer from the free-throw line and was used as a screener for Nolan Traore. Produced well with cuts and offensive boards and has excellent feel about where his space is. Touch around the rim is a work in progress, as well as self-creation when he can’t go straight line. OK spot-up shooter with translatable shooting mechanics. Made an impact at the 4 as a defender by rotating, anticipating and turning defense into offense. 

ANGT Paris- April 2024
By Pietro Cristofori

Soliman projects as a Top 5 pick in the 2028 Draft, and this event stated this. Despite being three years younger, he made the All-Tournament. Impressive size and poise for a guy of that age. Impressive ability to play over the rim. Shot looked ok. Quick finisher. Soft. Dominant: just too good for this level. All-around defender: the best defender in the competition. On defense, he will be a difference-maker in the NBA. Switched from 1 to 4. 

NBA Academy Games France- January 2024
By Pietro Cristofori

Soliman's mix of size and handles are extremely intriguing for a 14-year-old. Over the last months he has added a couple of centimeters: he's 6'8 now. His shoulders are wide, his hands and feet are big: he might grow up to 6'10 in the upcoming years. He had some on-ball reps in the game, not confident still, but he has playmaking upside. Impressive mobility and change of direction ability for his age and size. The shooting  mechanics look promising. Fluid execution. Extremely versatile on defense, he's already able to guard wings and forwards at the highest European youth level. My main concern with him now is his laziness. Looks soft when he finishes at the rim and makes some unforced turnovers. The motor looks low. His defensive game already projects to the NBA level, his overall strength suggests he might turn into a point forward at the NBA level in best-case scenario.

U16 European Championship- August 2023
By Artau Pascual

Outstanding frame and size. He’s naturally strong, although he still has to muscle up. Has a lot of margin to improve his athleticism, but he meets all the requirements to do so. Really lengthy: plays with long strides and covers an insane amount of ground. He played many minutes as a 5-man and did an impressive job filling the lanes and working from the baseline. He was also able to put the ball on the floor and attack closeouts and didn’t hesitate to shoot some spot-up threes. On the defensive end, he collected deflections and showed maturity rotating. Didn’t look like a 2-year younger player for most of the competition from a physical standpoint.

First impression- June 2023

Impressive athlete with outstanding tools for a player of his age. Long and aggressive first step, remarkable vertical leap and high-level contact absorption ability. He's able to put rim pressure both attacking off the dribble or cutting. If he keeps polishing his ball-handling ability he'll reach easily the next stages of his development. Needs to keep improving his outside shooting ability, but he meets the requirements to turn into a reliable spot up shooter and has the potential to create shots for himself. On the defensive end, as of right now, he's switchy on the ball and disruptive off the ball. Solid and committed defensive rebounder.