FIBA U20 EuroBasket 2024 Watchlist Part I
This is one of my favorite youth tournaments, set to be played between 13-21 July in Gdansk, Poland. Here is the first list of must-watch players.
My M.O. is to go in-depth for every selection I make. However, I will keep it short and simple in this article for two reasons:
Team context matters. The players will have to settle for their roles;
Available notes I have on some of my selections are limited and this tournament is a fantastic opportunity to see how they have developed since last summer.
Off to Part I of the list of must-watch players, we go!
Alexandros Samodurov (Greece) - 6’11”
As Greece’s NBA prospect, the floor-stretching big man stands out with his mobility and length. His biggest area of development is to fill his frame in the next few years. The traits to look for are ball-moving, playmaking out of entry passes, help-side rim protection, and three-point shooting.
Samodurov has the opportunity to be one of the top performers in this tournament, with Greece being one of the title favorites while heavily relying on production from their frontcourt.
For reference, here's a full scouting report from December 2023: https://edemirnba.substack.com/p/alexandros-samodurov-scouting-report
Vangelis Zougris (Greece) - 6’9”
As a four, Zougris is a tenacious rebounder who will crash the offensive glass to generate extra possessions for his team. He has good footwork, helping him to switch to wings and guards.
Zougris slides his feet well while showing good touch around the basket. He has a strong frame which will lead to him finding good looks as the roll man in pick-and-roll sets.
Zougris has Euroleague starter potential as he's already played minutes for Greece’s national team at 19 years old.
Almar Atlason (Iceland) - 6’8”
After playing high school basketball stateside, Atlason committed to Bradley where he had a promising campaign, earning him All-Freshman honors in the Missouri Valley Conference.
Atlason is a does-it-all forward who relies on his strength advantage to generate looks as an interior scorer. He expands his scoring arsenal as a ball handler who can attack closeouts and shoot three-pointers off the catch.
With a great touch at the rim, Iceland will rely on Atlason’s scoring. With overall defense being his area of development, he'll face the best Europeans in his age group and this tournament will help him to showcase his rim protection and perimeter defense.
Areas to specifically monitor include how Atlason will look when switched to wings and guards. In terms of potential, Atlason looks ready to take a leap to play himself to the All-MVC First Team next season.
Justin Onyejiaka (Germany) - 6’7”
I first saw him play three years ago. He's a good ball-handler and self-creating scorer at about 6’7”, maybe even 6’8”. He has an incredible change of pace while improving his offensive creativity.
With Germany likely playing an inside-scoring game, we'll likely see fewer self-creation perimeter plays from Onyejiaka. However, the combination of his strong frame and three-level scoring potential makes his off-ball contributions the area of focus to determine NBA potential.
As a defender, Onyejiaka makes good decisions using his length and quickness. He needs to work on his screen navigation while gambling less for deflections or steals.
Onyejiaka will play in the German ProA, the national second-tier league. That's a good context for him to find much-needed developmental minutes where his performance in the tournament could be used to solidify his case as a starter—an improvement from 635 minutes in 41 games this past season.
Johann Grünloh (Germany) - 6’11”
I wrote a 3,000+ worded in-depth scouting report a week ago. Grünloh is Germany’s best NBA prospect and he should be a dark horse to win Most Valuable Player in this tournament.
Overall, there's first-round potential for the 2025 NBA Draft. Taking the time to read the below-mentioned scouting report is a good way to see why he's so highly touted by NBA front offices;
https://edemirnba.substack.com/p/johann-grunloh-scouting-report
Sergio de Larrea (Spain) - 6’5”
I first spotted him two years ago. His ability to lead an offense in a fluid Spanish system where all teams of each age group play in the same style as the senior team helped him immensely. Consistency is first what stands out in his game.
De Larrea is a below-average athlete but more than makes up for it with his craft and excellent basketball IQ. His decision-making is quick and consistent. He recently got promoted to Valencia’s senior team and is competing in the Eurocup while aiming for a top-four finish in the Liga ACB, the best domestic league in the world after the NBA.
Despite a lack of outlier talent, Spain is yet again a contender as they'll have the best team in terms of how consistent their system is. De Larrea needs to improve his screen navigation to impact at the highest level. He got stronger compared to when I last saw him play, which is an advantage.
Full scouting report: https://edemirnba.substack.com/p/sergio-de-larrea-scouting-report
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