The adidas Next Generation Tournament acts as Europe’s biggest stage for under-18 basketball prospects at the club level.
The first qualifier event was held in Munich, Germany from January 20-22 as Real Madrid won (article here). The second qualifier was held February 10-12 in Patras, Greece where Joventut Badalona won (article here). The third was held in Zadar, Croatia March 3-5 won by FC Barcelona (article here).
The final qualifier was held in Belgrade, Serbia where two Serbian teams played a thrilling overtime championship game, where Crvena Zvezda Belgrade was one free throw away from winning in regulation, but instead Mega Mis Belgrade earned the qualifying bid, winning 80-79. The NGT Belgrade team finished 3rd in a 77-70 OT victory over the INSEP’s Pole France team. With Mega Mis earning the 4th and final qualifier bid and likely host Kaunas getting a bid and a NGT team representing for the finals in Lithuania, May 18-21 there is still uncertainty regarding which final two teams will partake in the championship phase. While the most dominant player sits at the top of the list for this event today it wouldn’t be a surprise if some of the top 2006 or later born players from this event end up being better players. Below is a breakdown of the top prospects from this event.
Nikola Topic Serbia, SG, 6’6, 2005 Born Crvena Zvezda Belgrade
Topic (pictured) is creating some buzz for the 2024 NBA draft with his play this season: He’s playing a few minutes here and there in Euroleague and in Adriatic league action, dominating Serbian league play to the tune of 19 points per game, was voted an All Star at the BWB Global Camp in Salt Lake City NBA All Star weekend, and now was voted the MVP for this qualifier having one of the most historic games in ANGT history by scoring 49 point 12 assists and going 20/20 from the line. He leads all ANGT players in scoring average at 26.8 points per game despite only playing the first quarter in his second game of this tournament. His intrigue as a player is his shooting prowess going 61.5% from 2, 53% from 3, and 97% from the charity stripe in these 4 games. His outstanding shooting ability sets up his ability to get downhill perfectly. He demonstrated a quick crossover dribble and the ability to set players up in pick and roll action, as the ball handler. Has good strength and the ability to absorb contact. Has room to improve his floater but was by far the best player at this event and has the highest floor of any of the prospects in Belgrade. Despite what his BWB Global measurements indicate (there’s no way he has a 7 foot wingspan) his wingspan appears short for his height and he lacks ideal leaping ability. He also has questionable defensive tactics. He rarely if ever was in a defensive stance and seemed content to keep his body between the offensive player and the basket in a soccer-like defensive position angling opponents to a taller help defender. 26.8 ppg 7.2 ast 2.0 stls 3.5 to for the tournament
Noa Essengue France, F, 6’9 Born in 2006 Pole France (INSEP)
The combination of Essengue’s length, wingspan, and ball handling skills are what makes him so interesting as a prospect. Voted to the tournament’s top 5, he averaged 13.8 points and 8.5 rebounds at this event. He made good reads at the mid post, dishing out 2.2 assists per game. While he is still growing into his body and is nowhere close to filling out, he does have an ability to absorb contact and finish plays off as he has good touch around the rim. While he does not have great lift or explosiveness, he does have good lateral movement, deceleration and surprising body control for someone so young and long in his stage of athletic development. Has good offensive and defensive instincts, understanding how he can attack opponents and take advantage of switches and matchups. Given his soft touch around the rim, has surprisingly poor numbers from the free throw line (8/18) and from beyond the arc (1/11). This will require significant improvement from an efficiency standpoint for him to be a viable future draft pick.
David Mirkovic Montenegro, PF/C, 6’9 Born in 2006 SC Derby
Mirkovic played for the NGT Belgrade squad and led them to a 3rd place finish after a narrow 95-96 defeat that prevented his team from playing in the championship game. The best way to describe Mirkovic’s game is as “Jokic light”. He is not particularly athletic or quick, but he’s physical, a good shooter, and makes some amazing passes. In one game he was trapped behind the basket getting swarmed by two defenders and somehow was able to hook a pass, water polo style, to the top of the key for a teammate 3. In another game he was able to give a half hook pass 3/4 down court on the dime for an end of quarter shot attempt. He averaged 17.5 points 9.8 rebs while shooting 36% from 3 and 83.3% from the free throw line in Belgrade. Strong footwork in the post, well adept in absorbing contact and great touch around the rim. He has an elite feel and vision as a basketball player and has potential as a future point forward. His lack of center height, underwhelming wingspan (unlike Essengue), and below average athleticism limits his potential should he not grow a couple more inches. He also does not play for the most competitive team in Europe (both at the club and country level). Of all 4 qualifying events he was the most fun player to watch.
Mohamed Diakite France, 6’9, SF, Born in 2006 Pole France (INSEP)
If you watched the highlights of Diakite from this event you’d think he was the star, if you watched the stat line you would think he was a non prospect if you watch the game film you see that there is a good deal of potential but plenty of work for him to get up to speed. Diakite has great height, length, and athleticism whether he ends up playing small forward or power forward as an adult. He had some jaw dropping dunks on the fast break and a few with dribble penetration at this event that no opponent at any level is going to stop. Defensively he played most of the game at the top of the key, forcing him to switch onto smaller opponents, which is beneficial in him learning to guard smaller, quicker players at the next level. He also is a career 82% shooter from the free throw line, at ANGT, showing good form and increasing his intrigue as a long term prospect. But he scored 5.2 ppg, shot 41% from 2, went 0/7 from 3, and turned it over 2.2 times for every assist which aren’t the numbers you expect from a player of that talent at this level. In fairness, it seemed that he was learning a new position, transitioning primarily from a post player to a more perimeter orientated player. But he has poor offensive and defensive awareness and undisciplined habits which caused some quick hooks from the Pole France coaching staff. On the defensive end he had a hard time keeping vision with the ball and his man, often leading the team to scrambles, and he tends to open up too much, letting opponents drive by him through the middle of the court. On offense, he can cross opponents over and demonstrated on occasion in the half court a quick jab step and strong finish to the rack as he has a tremendously quick and long first step but also can get out of control and either lose his dribble or throw the ball away, unnecessarily rushing things. On offense he tends to stand idle in the corner. He needs to clean up his footwork coming off screens, relocate to open areas on the floor and be ready for a catch and shoot and on occasion read the defense for a quick hitting lob situation. Given his measurables and shooting form, his potential is as high as anyone in the 2006 born international class but it’s clear he has a lot of work ahead of him to realize his potential.
Urban Kroflic Slovenia, 6’6, SG, Born in 2006 Mega Mis
Kroflic had an uneven tournament proving productive in some games and inefficient in others. In the championship game, with Jovic on the bench, it was Kroflic who the team turned to to create and score. The lefty averaged 10.5 ppg for the event and shot a surprisingly low 29.2 from 3 and 71.4 from the free throw line. Surprising because he is known for his shooting prowess. He had to take on more of the playmaking responsibilities than he was comfortable with which may have led to a drop-off in his shooting percentages and his 3.8 turnovers per game. While just an average athlete, he possesses good footwork on catch and shoot opportunities and showed some potential on the pick and roll. On the defensive end, he showed good awareness and was able to keep his man in front of him while grabbing on average 6.2 rebs from the guard spot.
Filip Jovic Serbia, 6’9, PF, Born in 2005 Mega Mis Belgrade
Voted to the all tournament team, Jovic scored 19 ppg for the event and was highly efficient around the rim. He is effective using the rim as a barrier for centers to block his shot in the post and is always looking to finish with a flush. He was sorely missed in the second half of the championship game which allowed Crvena Zvezda to make their comeback. Offensively he doesn’t get away from his comfort zone much, rarely taking shots from the perimeter and is in his ANGT career only 25/46 from the charity stripe. Low assist numbers and style of play indicates that he is primarily a low block or fast break finisher around the rim. Plays solid team defense but is not a strong rebounder and doesn’t get a significant amount of blocks or steals.
Nolan Traore France, 6’3, CG, Born in 2006 Pole France (INSEP)
Traore averaged 11.2 ppg and 4.2 ast for the INSEP team. His athleticism and wingspan at the guard position stands out, and he possesses a good first step and good vertical bounce. He is not yet comfortable as a lead guard and it was commendable that the coaching staff allowed him to play through his mistakes (2.8 turnovers per game) despite having a more polished point guard in Talis Soulhac on the roster. He tends to take rushed shots due to poor shot clock management, stemming from his inexperience, leading to the team shooting under 30% from beyond the arc. Needs to slow down at the free throw line given his ability to get down hill and create contact as he is only a 50% free throw shooter. On the defensive end he averaged 2.0 stls and 1 blk per game and has the ability to guard taller players effectively due to his wingspan and athletic advantages.
Vasilije Todorovic Montenegro, 6’6, SF, Born in 2005 SC Derby
One of the top scorers at this event at 18.5 ppg while shooting 44% from 3 and 75% from the free throw line. He shows a nice, repeatable shooting motion and played better as the all star team became more comfortable playing with each other. Despite the team’s guard play being mediocre, the connection between he and Mirkovic helped the ANGT team be competitive, and if breaks had gone their way, perhaps they could have contended for the championship. Defensively he averaged 4 rebounds and 1.5 blocks per game.
Lazar Gacic Serbia, C, 7’1, Born in 2005 Crvena Zvezda Belgrade
Gacic is a towering big with a solid frame who averaged 14.2 ppg for the tournament. He showed good mobility for a player his size and good outside shooting touch going 6/13 from 3 in 4 games and 7/9 from the free throw line. He was dominant in the post, shooting nearly 90% from 2 and showed the ability to run the floor. His defensive rebounding and block numbers are not what you want from someone his size. However he was able to use his length and body to disrupt players in the paint, for example in the championship game, he soundly outplayed Mega Mis Bogoljub Markovic taking him out of his game in their head to head championship match up.
Bogoljub Markovic Serbia, C, 6’11, Born in 2005 Mega Mis Belgrade
Markovic averaged 14 ppg 6.5 rebs 1.2 blks and 1.0 steals at this event. He showed good shooting form for an interior player shooting 31/41 from the free throw line in his ANGT career. Early on in the tournament, he showed the ability to move well laterally and to run the floor and make good decisions in fast break opportunities. He isn’t particularly fast and lacks strength but he has good lateral quickness and solid footwork. As mentioned earlier, he played poorly in the championship game versus a much taller and stronger Crvena Zvezda team. The key to his development is added strength and weight while keeping his quickness, gaining some power to add to his skill set.
Honorable Mention
Sergio De Larrea Spain, SG, 6’6, Born in 2005 FC Valencia
Savo Drezgic Serbia, PG, 6’3, Born in 2006 Partizan Belgrade
Hugo Yimga Moukouri France, Wing, 6’7, Born in 2008 Pole France INSEP
Kaan Onat Turkey, Wing, 6’5, Born in 2007 Anadolu Efes Istanbul
Talis Soulhac France, PG, 6’2, Born in 2006 Pole France INSEP
Melih Tunca Turkey, Guard, 6’3, Born in 2005 Anadolu Efes Istanbul
