Part Two: International Prospects Report

Here is part two of the five part series, on my favorite top 10 international prospects 20 and under. These two players are second and third on my list.

3. Ricky Rubio: Is 6’4, 175 pounds, is 17 years old, and from Barcelona, Spain.

He is a very creative player when it comes to scoring and passing. He takes good care of the ball, he has great court vision, and is hard to stop one on one. He can handle the ball with either hand and can drive to the basket and finish well. He draws a lot of defenders his way and he is still able to get pass them and make a nice play. He is a good rebounder and very good in transition. He has quick hands, long arms and is capable of getting many steals. He is a very good man to man defender. He seems to thrive in pressure situations and can be clutch. For 17 he is very mature.

I noticed Ricky likes to do too much at times, like taking on all 5 defenders on the court, because he has so much confidence in his skill, but he needs to know when to settle down. He likes to reach in a lot trying to get steals and can rack up fouls. He needs to work on his free throw and three point shooting it can be inconsistent. He still needs to learn how to run a half court offense, right now his game fits an up-tempo. As his body develops the next few years, Ricky will need to add some muscle to his body. As a best case scenario he could be like Jason Kidd and worst case Jason Williams.

4. Victor Claver: Is 6’10, 227 pounds, is 18 years old from Valencia, Spain.

He is a pretty good inside-outside player. He likes to play facing the basket. He is a very good scorer and he throws down some very nice dunks. He can handle the ball and he runs the floor well. He has improved on finding open teammates in certain situations. He is very athletic with a long wingspan, he has good strength, and good speed. He has a high basketball IQ, and is very mature. Defensively he is a good rebounder and shot blocker.

He needs to add more strength and become a better defender in the future. He tends to play more like an SF than a PF, although he can play both, he should definitely focus more on playing the PF spot better. His mid-range game could use some improvement. He also needs to work on his free throw shooting. I see similarities between him and Keith Van Horn.