In seguito agli Europei U16 e U18, Eric Guilleminault di NBADraft.net, uno dei principali portali al mondo sul Draft NBA, ha scritto sui migliori prospetti presenti alle due competizioni, inserendo ben quattro ragazzi italiani.
Per il FIBA U16 A European Championship 2023 di Skopje, Macedonia, i classe 2007 Diego Garavaglia e Maikcol Perez sono stati inseriti nella lista dei 10 migliori prospetti; mentre per quanto riguarda il FIBA U18 A European Championship 2023 di Nis, Serbia, il classe 2006 Dame Sarr è stato inserito anch’egli tra gli “ones to watch”, invece il classe 2005 Francesco Ferrari tra i 5 giocatori più sottovalutati. Inoltre Sarr è presente alla posizione numero 5 nel loro early Mock Draft del 2025.
Di seguito le parole scritte da Guilleminault nei due articoli pubblicati su NBADraft.net:
Diego Garavglia “Garavaglia, at 6’6 has ideal size as a shooting guard, averaging 15 points per game while going 49% FG (39/80), 38% (14/37) from three and 72% (13/18) from the free throw line. He showed some flashes of creating off the strength of his jumper and getting to the hole with some panache, finishing strong with flushes. He’s well coached and disciplined and has a good plan on his moves with counter moves. Can play well in either the half court or fast break set. He has some good vertical ability demonstrated by his flushes, but statistically in his strong rebound (5.4) and block (1.6) numbers as a guard. A smart player on the defensive end and anticipates well passes getting him 1.3 steals per game. Lacks great speed but is solid in every other category as he has ideal height, shooting, and handles for a professional wing.”
Maikcol Perez “Perez was one of the more dynamic players for the tournament and helped lead Italy to a finals appearance. He showed good length and agility with his wiry frame. Averaging 12.7 points and 9 rebounds per game, he was best on the fast break, finishing plays off. He is dangerous in the corners, in particular in the right corner from three as he scored most of his outside points from the baseline all the way into the corner three (7/12 from downtown). Has a long, quick first step but does not shift well north and south nor have a crossover, or behind the back move, which makes his dribble movement pattern very linear and predictable for a secondary defender. Has good energy and movement without the ball helping him average 1.7 steals per game. Was voted in the all tournament Top 5, but the question becomes, as a 6’7 power forward how will can he adapt as players his age catch up physically.”
Dame Sarr “Sarr is another high potential prospect for the 2025 NBA Draft. Unlike with Hugo Gonzalez, the depth and strength of the Italian team is not on par with Spain’s forcing him into more of a playmaking role. In the group play in the tournament he had a huge dunk on top of 7’2 Aday Mara, an example of his strong athleticism and length. He can finish strong with either left or right hand and is a true menace on the fast break and on par with the more athletic wings in the NBA. He shot the ball well from 3 going 18/44 (41%) and showed a developing floater. There is some concern for him as a creator in half court sets. Both for Barcelona and here for Italy, he has shot the ball poorly from inside the three point line. Some of that is due to taking late bailout shots for the team but also due to his lack of consistency as a mid range jump shooter. Even from long distance, he is much better as a shooter on a set shot then off the dribble. In addition, while he has great ability to get to the foul line, he is routinely shooting in the mid 60/low 70s% at various events. Given those two factors, some scouts are going to question how well his 3 point shooting will translate to the NBA. On defense, he has a huge wingspan that allows him to get steals and block shots at a high rate. He has potential as a wing defender and if his shooting holds, he becomes a 3 and D wing that the NBA clearly covets and therefore a likely lotto pick for the 2025 NBA Draft. 17.3 ppg 1.3 stl 1.4 blk 41% from 3 on 6.3 shots per game.”
Francesco Ferrari “6’6 Forward from 2005 class. Italy-born. 16.9 ppg and 9.3 rebs (led event in rebounds) with 40.1% from 3. Had 5 double doubles in 7 games played.”
