I will be doing a five part series on 10 international prospects that are 20 years old and under. I feel that they’re legit prospects to make it to the NBA in the next few years. I have left off Nicolas Batum and Danilo Gallinari, because I have already written reviews about them. I will start out with my top two prospects. Check back each day to see the other prospects I have listed.
1. Matias Nocedal: Is 6’3, 180 pounds, is 17 years old, and is from Ituzaingo, Argentina.
He can throw down some nice dunks for his size, and can challenge anybody in a dunk contest. He plays the PG position real well, he has pinpoint passing abilities and tries to keep his teammates involved. He is offensive threat with long range on his shot. He is a good rebounder and shot blocker for his size, but his outstanding leaping abilities help him. Matias is very athletic, is competitive, and can play under pressure. He is very good at getting to the basket to draw fouls, and he is an excellent free throw shooter. He is very mature and plays with a lot of confidence. He has an explosive first step, is very quick, and can break down defenses. Matias has excellent court vision, is a good decision maker, and has high basketball IQ.
He is weak when he goes to his left, he has a habit of missing open shots, and he turns the ball over sometimes when he goes to the basket. He depends on his athleticism, more than his fundamentals, especially on the defensive end, he really needs to improve his defensive skills. He hasn’t played against top competition yet, so his skills still haven’t been tested to the max yet. Sometimes he forces things and trying to create play-making opportunities and he’ll make mistakes.
Overall Matias has very good skills and his upside looks great, as he develops and advances to higher levels. I see a combination of Leandro Barbosa and Steve Francis.
2. Alexey Shved: Is 6’6, 165 pounds, is 18 years old, and is from Belgorod, Russia.
He is very good with the ball in his hands. He has great crossover moves, nice passing skills, and good court vision. He can take the ball to the basket, shoot off the dribble, and create shots for teammates. He has a long wingspan, big hands, and great leaping abilities. He is a very smart player, very competitive, and his upside looks great. Defensively he plays with heart, he stays in front of his man, he has quick hands, and can get many steals.
Alexey lacks strength with his skinny frame, in the NBA he might be more hesitant to take contact when going to the basket. He needs to improve his shot selections, and he can be a streaky shooter. So far in the NBA Russian players have been inconsistent and have had more trouble adapting to the American culture and style of play, more than other international players. I think Alexey could break that trend when he gets over here.
Overall Alexey is the best PG prospect in Europe and NBA teams are probably keeping a close watch on him. At best he could be like Anfernee Hardaway, at worst Latrell Sprewell.
