Izan Almansa Scouting Report
From a consensus lottery pick to falling out of draft range. Almansa has a serious shot at reviving hisdraft stock and NBA hopes. He's no doubt one of the best screeners, but has much more to offer:
Izan Almansa — Perth Wildcats (Australia)
6’10” — Power Forward/Center — Born: Jun 7, 2005 (19 years old)
Introduction
After his MVP honors at the FIBA U17 and U19 World Cup, while adding the same prize at the FIBA U18 EuroBasket, Almansa has had one of the best performances in the international circuit this decade. But outside of that, his path via Overtime and the G League Ignite hasn’t helped his draft stock at all. That’s set to be turned around with his season at the Perth Wildcats of the NBL.
Despite playing in a limited role, Almansa has shown his NBA role and potential while playing in the association’s paced style under FIBA rules. The context behind his role is one as a complementary and versatile five. This scouting report focuses on a feasible NBA role where Almansa can grow toward sticking in the league for years to come.
Physical Profile
At 6’9.25” in socks, Almansa has excellent positional size to play as both a four and a five at the next level. His addition of a three-point shot while having quick and light feet makes it more feasible for him can switch between both positions. He continues to grow in his body with a decently-filled frame and broad shoulders. However, their main physical attribute is his hip fluidity.
He has big hands and great coordination. Despite great bursts, he shows strong lateral quickness where he moves with long strides while possessing close to elite footwork. That’s a testimony to the Spanish youth development that made him one of the best pick-and-roll fives at the youth level throughout his development.
With a confirmed 7-foot-1 wingspan, Almansa adds value to his big hands and mobility. Instead of verticality, Almansa stands out with a great touch around the rim, comfortable finishing over both shoulders with both hands.
Offense
Catch-and-shoot
Almansa’s length and size add more value to his NBA role when he’s a consistent shot-maker off the catch. In a motion-based game, Almansa’s leverage as a play-finisher inside the arc helps him to expand his game to the three-point line. His role has been solely to finish plays while developing with fewer needs for on-ball reps in his Spanish youth days, as it’s a guard-heavy style of play. This makes it likely that NBA teams will continue to use Almansa as a weak-side option rather than a primary presence inside the lane.
That makes it more likely that Almansa will be featured as a corner shooter. The sample size is negligible. Despite all four plays being missed below, Almansa shows a consistent pattern in setting his feet while keeping the ball high and showing a high-arcing release. He has a stiff but consistent shot process. He doesn’t bend his knees much, which is a positive, as he’s strong enough to keep the ball high. I expect NBA teams to try and develop him into a no-dip three-point shooter, comparable to Sam Hauser, who’s on the Boston Celtics.
Pick-and-roll
Combined with his incredibly fluid hips, Almansa’s skill to put hard separation-creating screens gives him a clear role to play as a five in the NBA. He’ll be a vital part of making four-out schemes work, as the combination of his footwork, arm usage, and upper body strength are signs of him coming from the Spanish school. He has a great feel for timing his screens with ball handlers starting their dribble, giving the ball handler an extra option for decelerating or the gather after the screen to make immediate decisions. In Europe, the guard-heavy play while working with little spacing forces to learn angle recognition early on. Almansa’s screening is essential for guards to find angles early after coming off ball screens.
The scoring prowess on Almansa’s end comes from his floater game after his short rolls. He has light feet and a high release on his floaters. Despite the misses in the second and fourth plays below, Almansa’s process to punish drop coverage adds to a team’s offensive rating. However, he’s less comfortable in creating his shots against stronger defenders. He’s not much of a threat in post-ups with the second play below. He has a two-handed hook shot in his arsenal, but for the NBA, that’s solely useful when he’s finishing plays on rolls or cuts. Regardless, Almansa’s screening should put him in a good position to give a team play-finishing options. That’s his added value to a team’s offensive rating with him on the floor.
Catch-and-drive
Almansa’s two-handed finishing around the basket made him one of the best frontcourt players in the last decade in the FIBA youth circuit. That’s the base for his role in five-out schemes. Almansa has loose handles but decent ones for his position and size. He’s not creative as a scorer, as he’s relying on spin moves after gathering. However, he’s creative in a way where he’s consistent with his shot process and baby hooks from both shoulders. That opens up the floor to make the extra pass or to finish his self-created looks. Almansa’s not standing out with speed, but rather good footwork and long strides. He has the lateral quickness to punish smaller defenders while he’s agile enough to unbalance bigger and stronger forwards that’ll guard him around the rim.
The positive in Almansa’s offense is that he’s patient. In the first play, he kept composed after arriving to help defense as Almansa used his chest attacks to ensure he found the right angle to finish over his left shoulder. In the second play, he’s more creative with the one-dribble jab before using his floater as a face-up scorer. In the third play, that leads to him punishing drop coverage with his face-up scoring, this time with his left hand. Despite the changing NBA landscape, teams will continue to rely on drop coverage fives, where Almansa’s presence on the floor adds more scoring prowess outside the painted area to ensure a team’s offensive rating improves with him on the floor.
Passing, ball-moving and playmaking
At under an assist per game, Almansa’s passing has been a non-factor for Perth this season. Regardless, his game is not built to serve as a playmaker. In his youth days, he has always been a ball-mover at best, as the guard was the one making the plays in the Spanish youth system. That’s his role in the NBA as well. I don’t see the untapped potential to grow into an interior playmaker. But Almansa can grow his feel for the game as a short-roll passer on top of his ball moving out of post-entry passes.
In the first two plays, he’s making quick decisions on the extra passes, one in transition with the other out of the handoff. However, Almansa shows he can create for others with the post-up dropoff pass to the cutter in the third possession. Regardless, Almansa’s playmaking comes more out of his screen-setting than his ball-moving. The last play below shows an example of how strong his game is out of handoff actions. His separation-creating screens are the playmaking weapons for NBA teams to use, as Almansa will be a standout with his screen assists.
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Defense
Pick-and-roll
Almansa has light feet and big hands which help him to effectively defend in the pick-and-roll. He slides his feet well and uses his long strides to stay in front of ball handlers. At under two fouls per game, Almansa can afford to be more aggressive. He’s good at using tags but often stays away from toughness when scorers attack him after switches in ball screens. The second play below shows an example where the scorer had all the room to attack Almansa around his chest area.
The positive for NBA scouts is Almansa mastering his footwork to ensure his balance after scorers throw creativity and jab steps at him. In the crossover in the third play below, he kept his feet in balance before he eventually collided with an opponent in the interior. In the fourth play, Almansa keeps with the ball handler with more aggressivity but eventually, he stays out of bounds to watch the outcome of the play. That’s a habit he must change in the next few years under the development of an NBA coaching staff.
Catch-and-shoot
Against spot-up shooters, Almansa struggles with his help defense. He’s often overhelping early in the play, bailing out ball handlers to open the angle for ball reversals to the opposite corner. The second and third plays show an example. Positioning isn’t an issue for Almansa. He keeps one foot inside the paint, but he feels the urge to respond to dribble penetration early. That’s where he has to develop more composure while processing the game by thinking of what a ball handler would do under pressure rather than responding to what’s happening in the heat of the moment.
Regardless, a positive in Almansa’s reactionary speed in his closeouts is his fluid hips. He’s responding to dribble penetration in the fourth play below by closing the driving lane in the middle. Hereafter, he balances his feet and closes out quickly to the corner, leading to the missed corner three. For his NBA role and ensuring balancing a team’s defensive rating, more composure and better timing in his help defense will improve Almansa’s closeout defense in the long run, as it will decrease the likeliness of him bailing out ball handlers with easy kick-out options to the corner.
Cuts
Almansa’s reactionary speed is much better when he’s away from the ball. He’s responding quickly to the motion around him. Often too quick, but his processing and recognition of rotations make him a more reliable five for NBA standards. When considering the faster-paced NBA game, the sample size from the NBL gives a good feasibility test of what to expect due to the similar pace-focused game. Almansa’s big hands help him to play the passing lanes. Despite being under a steal per game, he has the length and decision-making to be a deflection generator in the NBA.
The context behind Almansa’s role in the NBL is the non-existing defensive three-second rule according to FIBA rules. That forces Almansa to stick in his spot underneath the basket to focus on play-finishing fives. In the NBA, he’ll be allowed to move more freely while actively seeking switches. That’s where his quick reactionary speed comes into play. His game is built to respond and properly defend in motion-based basketball. That’s where Almansa will generate a positive impact on a team’s defensive rating.
Isolation
The best feasibility test to ensure Almansa’s agility and footwork is isolation. That’s where he embraced to serve as a point-of-attack defender against smaller and quicker scorers. The positive is that Almansa moves his feet quickly while he can throw in his chest to unbalance scorers early. But that’s where Almansa remains too passive. He’s often trying to focus on staying away from potentially giving away the and-one rather than getting stops. He should play with more toughness if he wants to build his reputation as a defensive stopper in the NBA, which is a part of his future role.
In the first play, Almansa shows good decision-making by not biting against the jab steps, and cleanly contesting the pull-up three. In the second and third plays, he faced one of the NBL’s best offensive players. Almansa looked overwhelmed against a much more skilled and quick-hipped creator, which will be expected in each play once he’s in the NBA. Almansa’s passiveness was being punished by the scorer in both plays. NBA coaches must help Almansa to build up healthy aggressiveness, as he shouldn’t be afraid to commit fouls. That’s a potential game-changer for Almansa to stick in the NBA and earn a second contract in a few years.
NBA Draft Projection
Based on the strengths and areas of development mentioned in this scouting report, I project Izan Almansa to be a lock in the second round of the 2025 NBA Draft. Despite an underwhelming season at the G League Ignite followed by an inconsistent year at Perth, Almansa’s physical tools, high feel for the game, and clear role make it easier for NBA scouts to bet on him. I expect Almansa to sign a guaranteed deal regardless of missing out on the first round.
The sample size from his days for the Spanish team while also getting minutes in their senior national team means a lot. That’s where he differentiates himself from his peers. The NBL experience has been a good one in regards to his learning curve. Almansa is ready to contribute in a role early on in his career, which increases the potential value a team gets in the second round.
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