Hannes Steinbach Scouting Report
Following in his father's footsteps, Steinbach looks to continue the family tradition. The German forward is one of the overlooked NBA prospects. Here are 3K+ words on his future role and potential.
Introduction
While playing for the Würzberg Kickers, Steinbach competes in the German Bundesliga, the highest level. He follows in his father’s footsteps, who coached him his whole life and was a professional player at Würzberg.
When watching Steinbach, it’s clear that he has a fundamental-based game that helps him process the game's speed very well. Throughout his youth, Steinbach never had the advantage of being physically the strongest nor the most athletic. That forced him to impact the game with his intangibles. Regardless, he has had success throughout his career, winning the MVP award at the German U19 Bundesliga while successfully representing his nation at the FIBA-organized international tournaments.
In today's NBA, more Europeans find long-term roles due to their feel for the game and fundamentals. While Steinbach was born on May 1, 2006, that makes him young for the 2025 and 2026 draft classes. Thus, the impact of his fundamentals and how sustainable it is for the NBA long term are the emphasis of this scouting report.
Physical Profile
At 6-foot-8 in shoes1, Steinbach has a slim frame where he needs to develop his upper-body strength in the next few years. On the other hand, he has good core strength, with the fluidity of his hips opening up the pathway to take the most out of his athleticism.
He has decent vertical pop, and his core strength and good timing help Steinbach to be an impactful defensive rebounder. On top of that, Steinbach has good defensive footwork, making it possible for him to defend in the pick-and-roll as well.
Steinbach doesn’t have broad shoulders. Despite not having an official measurement available, it’s safe to say that his wingspan is average, with my best estimate being in the range of 6-foot-9. The lack of length emphasizes Steinbach’s defensive fundamentals, where being the son of a well-respected pro works in his favor.
Defense
Post-ups
In Europe, it’s not common to list a player’s weight. But with Steinbach being at 187 pounds, it’s vital to evaluate his profile with the understanding that he has to continue to fill his frame in the next few years. When taking into account that Steinbach is best to serve as a four due to his passing, and rebounding while making the most out of his low-post and interior scoring prowess, he has to gain 20 to 25 pounds to make it sustainable to play consistent minutes on an NBA floor.
Therefore, his defense in post-ups is a feasible way to test how physically ready Steinbach is for professional basketball at a high level. His decision-making in how he positions himself in post-ups is good, but he’s often caught struggling against physicality when scorers attack him in the chest. In the first play below, Steinbach doesn’t position himself fully 180 degrees in front of his assignment, whereafter he’s been pushed aside after the opponent puts his elbow in Steinbach’s chest.
The lack of physical strength in the upper body can be compensated with good positioning. That’s where Steinbach needs to focus on developing this season. There are flashes available. In the second play, Steinbach does well to keep the angles neutral, forcing the scorer to the midrange jumper after the entry pass, where Steinbach did well to not get too close and take away a potential pump-fake, whereafter his length was used to contest the shot.
In the third possession, Steinbach chose to not give away the lane on the strong side. However, that’s what he should have done. This forced his opponent to drive baseline, putting more pressure on Steinbach to handle the physicality, where the scorer attacked his chest and got Steinbach out of balance. Pushing scorers more toward the strong side helps Steinbach stay flexible and keeps help defense available to provide support. In today’s NBA, that’s vital to counter against mismatch-hunting interior scorers, to whom Steinbach will be a focus if he doesn’t develop his upper-body strength.
Pick-and-roll
Context matters here. In Europe, teams play a more pick-and-roll-heavy-styled offense to take the most out of their forwards on both ends. Therefore, that’s an advantage Steinbach carries stateside as an advantage. In a switch-heavy NBA, he’s able to defend against pick-and-roll schemes, where he’s offering versatility outside of the classic drop coverage we often see.
That’s an area where Steinbach stands out with his defensive footwork and great ability to read offenses. He’s often forcing ball handlers to beat him off the dribble. In the first possession below, the combination of pivoting strongly with his left foot and using his length to force the ball handler to decide on the three-point line is the correct way to defend. He’s seldom caught biting on jab steps of fakes.
Teammates often misunderstand his rotations. In the second play below, Steinbach goes over the screen to take over the assignment, but when his teammate doesn’t rotate, it forces Steinbach to drop and cover the area, leading to the opportunity for the stepback midrange jumper. The third possession below is an interesting one, he pivots well with his left, but after dribble penetration, Steinbach stays too passive in throwing in his chest to force the ball handler to take contact and get out of balance. He’s too modest when his opponents put pressure on the rim. There’s a certain degree of what a great feel for the game can compensate for, but Steinbach needs to play tougher and with more physicality in the next few years.
In the fourth play, Steinbach goes over the screen but takes one step too much and pivots too far out, causing him to cover too much ground on his way back to the rack. Despite the disadvantage, Steinbach does well to shorten the distance by staying focused and getting toward the rim. He does well to contest the shot with his length.
For the NBA, the fifth play below is a great example. In a higher-leveled game against Nanterre, Steinbach gets valuable Basketball Champions League reps, and the ball handler threw deception into the game, after decelerating while coming off the screen. By selling the pass fake to the corner, Steinbach naturally rotated toward the interior whereafter the ball handler had a wide-open three-point shot. That’s the level of creativity he’ll often face against NBA scoring guards.
Cuts
Steinbach’s high level of fundamentals forms the base for his team's defense; he’s above average on that end. Despite playing most of his games at a lower Pro B league in Germany, the game in Europe is mostly based on running schemes and sets. Therefore, Steinbach’s team's defense against cutters should hold some more gravity when evaluating it translating to an NBA floor. With motion around him, Steinbach does well to guard in space, while keeping his opponent under control. Therefore, the empty side-creation by the opponent doesn’t hold much value, as he’s using motion to ensure opponents don’t use Steinbach as their screener.
Another vital part is Steinbach’s tagging and using his length to impact passing angles while he’s moving without the ball. In the second play below it’s put on display, and despite falling for the backdoor cut, Steinbach shows decent hips and impacts the shot by boxing out hard to take away the option underneath the basket. The third play is an area of development. Steinbach guards the weak side, so he positioned himself for drop coverage. However, he’s still baited to close out to the perimeter, opening up the entire interior for the cutter to exploit. His decision-making here wasn’t good and needs to develop through trial and error.
The last possession is another learning area. After dribble penetration, a teammate forces him to pick up his assignment, whereafter Steinbach hesitated and closed out late. In a fast-paced NBA game with more motion and ball movement, it’s vital to be flexible and take the rotations at all times. Looking at how well his feel for the game is, that's a feasible part to develop in the next few years.
Catch-and-shoot
As mentioned earlier, Steinbach doesn’t play tough, and at times, he’s too focused on how the play develops, thus making him reactive to what’s happening around him. When defending the perimeter against spot-up shooters, he has to have a better active approach while closing out and contesting shots harder than he does.
In the first play below, he’s caught ball-watching and looks modest when closing out the shooter. Despite his length compensating for it, an NBA shooter will gladly take the space that Steinbach gives up with his slow closeout. In the second possession, his feel for the game stands out, as Steinbach already factors in the extra pass before the kick-out to the corner. As a reaction, he’s already closing out through the middle to ensure he can contest the wide-open shoot as well as possible.
We see fewer zone defenses in the NBA thus the third example is more to confirm the modest and non-tough approach. Despite the bad spacing, Steinbach still gave up the open shot near the elbow, as he should have pivoted his foot harder before elevating for his shot contest. It’s a positive that in the fourth play below, in a game at the highest level, he’s playing with more intensity, not backing away from physical contact by taking away the possibility for the entry pass. Hereafter, he did well by covering the strong side area before contesting the elbow shot.
Offense
Catch-and-shoot
Steinbach is not a willing shooter. But to make it work in the NBA, he has to get more comfortable to develop into a volume three-point shooter. This year, the amount of attempts went up, as he has 13 attempts in the same amount of games. Therefore, the percentages aren’t relevant yet. Thus, it’s vital to look at the process of the shot to determine how feasible future improvements are.
In the first play, the dribble penetration leads to the elbow opening up for Steinbach. However, he doesn’t set his feet properly, leading to him doing so after he catches the ball. On top of that, he’s not actively moving. In a motion-based NBA game, he needs to stay on the move and ensure that he gives ball handlers the right passing angles.
Looking at the process of his shot, Steinbach doesn't bend his knees fully, making it more durable for him in the future as he doesn’t pressure the ACL too much. Despite developing his strength, Steinbach has a habit of lowering the ball and, in a split-second, powering back up for the shot. With the level of knee-bending, Steinbach can afford to catch the ball high and not dip before releasing his shot. Considering the low release point, having a no-dip catch-and-shoot three would make it the most feasible for the NBA.
After catching the ball Steinbach won't offer much fluidity, as the slow jab steps in the second play don’t lead to much separation at the next level. In the third play, he pushes his shots instead of a smooth release. This is related to the low sample size and the much-needed development of simply taking more three-point attempts in the next few years. Regardless, as of now, the shooting isn't sustainable if the aforementioned won’t develop in the next few years.
Pick-and-pop
The feasible part for his NBA role is that Steinbach has the fundamentals to be a good screener. And for a non-five, that’s a valuable asset for a team, especially when they want to run various schemes where Steinbach can screen away from the ball rather than in a classic pick-and-roll play. However, to get to these plays and effectively play in a pick-and-pop role, Steinbach has to show a degree of creativity off the dribble to hold gravity as a closeout attacker.
In the first play below, Steinbach takes long strides to the rim. He doesn’t stand out with speed but more with finesse, footwork, and utilizing driving lanes. The arm strength in potential can be seen in how easily Steinbach holds the ball out of reach while euro-stepping to the rim. The finish was forced, as makes sense with how the ball placement is in his hands, and with physical development as he gets stronger. Steinbach will also get better at ensuring his balance.
In the second possession, we see a hard screen followed by good relocation. The feet are set quickly and properly whereas Steinbach shows more fluidity as a shooter. The other side of the coin is that the execution was too slow. That’s partially related to his body development, and how much fluidity there’s still to gain in the next few years. However, the decision-making to either attack the closeout or shoot needs some work, in the third play below, Steinbach executes his pop after the ball screen well but could have rereverse-pivotedis left foot to elevate his burst and attack the closeout rather than shoot.
The fourth possession gives more feasibility of how much physical development can help. Steinbach throws his shoulder to the opponent’s chest, whereafter he looks surprised after he gets the defender hitting the deck, but kept his composure and finishes off the play. NBA decision-makers must search for ways to make the most out of Steinbach’s hidden toughness and strength.
Catch-and-drive
Making plays out of closeouts is what keeps Steinbach’s scoring potential and a team’s offensive rating intact. Considering the lack of physicality, fewer cuts and play finishes will put more pressure on Steinbach to make plays off the dribble. The gravity he has as a scorer in getting two feet inside the paint. In the first play, Steinbach gets blocked but stands out with decent handles, but much better footwork and fluidity in his hips. The last step was stretched too far, losing his balance before the block. But that’s fixable through trial and error.
Steinbach is often too focused on scoring. His tunnel vision hurts him as the opposing scouting report can afford to double or send help early, as he doesn’t pass out of his advantages often. The second play below is a good example, in the NBA, coaches expect him to move his hips and kick the ball out to the shooter above the break. The athletic finish in the third play below was intriguing, and the high-quality finish at the rim will always be chosen above an open three-pointer, but the kick-out in the short roll was yet again an option for Steinbach.
It’s early in the process, and Steinbach shows enough footwork, creativity, and ways to get downhill to be more effective as a complementary scorer on an NBA floor. Especially if he gets stronger and masters his body better to ensure his balance at all times. This will also help Steinbach to improve as a passer out of the advantages he creates at the next level.
Offensive rebounding and putbacks
NBA decision-makers value rebounding. That’s because more rebounds give a higher margin for error. And for young prospects, that’s the goal NBA coaching staffs are trying to accomplish: less risk for a team’s defensive rating and offensive rating starts with above-average rebounding numbers. Steinbach is an excellent rebounder, purely because of his good habit of positioning that he developed throughout the years. In his youth, he wasn’t the strongest, tallest, or most athletic player on any team he played for. Therefore, he's forced to be better at positioning to put less pressure on himself on the physical and vertical front.
At 7.3 rebounds per game, Steinbach puts up above-average numbers for European standards, especially when considering him playing as a four. Therefore, bearing the great fundamentals in mind, the numbers are sustainable for higher levels. Another positive indicator is that he’s playing like the Gasol brothers in a way where he never brings the ball down after grabbing the rebound. In the first play, with multiple defenders around him, he doesn’t bail them out by lowering the ball to power back up. That takes away defenders fouling him to make him earn the two points at the stripe.
His timing is another good indicator. The second play had Steinbach come from behind, where he eventually did not cash in on the bunny. The impressive part is in the third possession below. To the contrary of the aforementioned modest stance when defending the perimeter, he’s much more aggressive in putback situations. He’s good at using his entire body, as he throws it in to play physically in the third possession’s putback attempt. The lack of balance had him lowering the ball to correct his stance. The same applies to the fourth play, as the goal for the next few years is to try and keep the ball high or practice finishing off-balance putbacks.
NBA Draft Projection
Based on the strengths and areas of development mentioned in this scouting report, I project Hannes Steinbach to be a legitimate prospect for the 2026 NBA Draft class.
His physical development, combined with playing at the Pro B level in Germany, makes it too uncertain that he’s ready to play impactful minutes in the NBA early on in his career. Therefore, staying in Europe to develop in a fantastic context at Würzberg is the best decision for him.
Regardless, high-feel switchable forwards with various ways to score are an archetype NBA teams struggle to find depth. While factoring in gradual improvements, Steinbach has yet to scratch the surface and show his true potential to NBA scouts. That makes him one of the better European prospects to reckon with in the 2026 NBA Draft.
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In Europe, it’s common to measure a player without shoes, whereas in the United States, it’s more often than not measured in shoes. So it’s 6-foot-7 without shoes and 6-foot-8 in shoes.
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