Tarik El-tyeb for Raptors.com
Adidas EuroCamp has officially begun in Treviso, Italy. With many of the top European prospects still in league playoffs or opting for individual team workouts over the camp setting the talent level has taken quite a hit from what was initially expected. However there are still a few intriguing prospects that have some potential to develop into valuable role players in the NBA.
Each day I will pick the top guard, wing player and big man and provide a few notes on how they played that day. So without further delay here are my Top 3 from Day 1:
Guard: Rafael Freire
- 6’2 PG- 22 years old- Played Last season with Obradorio in the Spanish ACB League- Draft projection: Undrafted
What he did to impress:
- He was far and away the best PG here on Day 1- Consistently made plays for his teammates- Relentless defensively- Very much a "pass-first" PG but showed the ability to get in the lane and finish- NBA Comparison: Matthew Delavadova
Additional notes: Rafael will make a very good Summer League pick up and could use that opportunity to impress some people and parlay that into a training camp invite.
Wing: Ioannis Papapetrou
- 6’8 SF- 20 years old- Played last season with Greek power house Olympiacos- Previously played 1 year at University of Texas- Draft Projection: Late Second Round
What he did to impress:
- He is a big strong wing player- Defended the perimeter extremely well- Effectively finished in the lane and showed the ability to get to the rim off the dribble- Also showed flashes of a 3-point shooting touch but he will need to continue to work to make this a true part of his game
Additional Notes: Ioannis will make a very good second-round selection who will challenge for a roster spot with his work ethic and willingness to sacrifice for the team. I can see him doing very well in a summer league setting and impressing enough to get a contract opportunity in the NBA.
Big: Lucas Mariano
- 6’10 PF- 21 years old- Played last season with Franca in the Brazilian League- Draft Projection: Undrafted
What he did to impress:
- Lucas shot the ball very well through the drills portion and his first game, however fatigue caught up with him and he struggled to shoot the ball later in the afternoon- He is very strong and definitely has the size and ability to defend well in the post- I would have liked to see him more active rebounding the ball and improvement in this area would probably do a lot for his draft stock
Additional notes: Lucas is a very big, strong PF prospect, who showed a refined shooting touch and good face up game in the post. Fatigue was definitely a factor that affected him and I am interested to see how he plays in the coming days with a lighter workload.