NBA Comparison: Nando de Colo

Strengths: Score-first combo guard… Good size for a point guard… Sneaky athlete, better than look at first glance… Body can fill up nicely… Has a quick first step… Can drive from either direction… Confident. Good basketball I.Q… Flashy ball handler, with a range of hesitation and change of pace dribbles… Creative and fearless on the offensive end… Microwave scorer, can score in bunches… Can create his own shot… Can score at 3 all levels… Fluid shooting mechanics… Good pull up shooter, with range going all the way out to 3-point line…Not afraid to go all the way to the basket and attack the rim… Creative finisher around the basket… Never gives up a play, can find himself taking the offensive rebound after his own miss or a block and score… Good at drawing fouls thanks to his quick first step and fearless approach to the game… Has a semi-dependable floater in his arsenal that uses from time to time… Can play on and off the ball… Good in off screen actions, knows his way around screens… Moves well without the ball, with nice cuts to the basket… Above average in Spot Up situations… Nice Pick and Roll concepts… Good passing instincts… A notch above average as a passer when he is motivated, can either find the rolling big or a 3rd player… Good rebounder for a guard… Can make some smart plays on defense …

Weaknesses: Plays small. Undersized – in all concepts – for a shooting guard… Not an elite athlete… Average wingspan… Not strong or long enough to play as a shooting guard on a consistent basis at NBA level… Not a true point guard… Must add muscle to his body… He can be overconfident at times… More of a streaky shooter for now… Wild shot selection, takes some questionable shots at times, trying to find a rhythm … Hasn’t found a shot he doesn’t like yet… He could be more efficient as a scorer… He is too focused on scoring at times… Has tunnel vision at times when driving to the basket… Can’t always absorb contact when he goes to the rim, must fill up his upper body… Has some wild misses at the rim when he is driving in traffic… Should improve finishing plays with his left hand when driving to the basket… Turnover prone, his assist/turnover ratio is average… Should improve his decisions as a ball handler when reading defensive coverages in Pick and Roll situations… Surprisingly average lateral quickness for a player with his level of athleticism… Doesn’t always bend his knees and get low on defense… Has problems against athletic players… Not quick enough to guard point guards, and not big or strong enough to guard wings… Doesn’t really produce defensive stats… Bigger opponents can Post him Up …

Outlook: Besson is a score first combo guard… A microwave scorer who can score in bunches and has some solid passing instincts, the French prospect is more of a shooting guard than a point guard at this stage… He is more of a scorer than a shooter, but it’s necessary for him to improve in Spot Up situations… At the same time, his defensive lapses limit his ceiling and he should improve considerably on that end if he wants to go up a level as a player …

Notes: Measured: 6’4.5” barefoot, 6’5.75” in shoes, 8’6.0” standing reach, 180.4 lbs, 6’5.50” wingspan at the 2022 NBA Draft Combine …

Stefanos Makris 6/19/22