Brazil International Weaknesses: Paulao`s body has really blossomed over the past few years and because of this he is awkwardly balanced at times, as he is visibly still getting used to being so big. His athleticism is only average, but it is further limited by lack of conditioning and the extra baby fat he`s carrying around. He really needs to get into better shape, although he`s not a guy who should have weight problems ala Eddie Curry or Tractor Traylor (he has been compared to Traylor in the past). He is still a real project, as he has only been playing organized basketball for 3-4 years, and sometimes makes mental errors. For example, on one occasion during a late playoff game free throw attempt, he was so concerned with keeping his man off the glass that he turned his back to the ball to box him out thoroughly. Another example of this is that he is often slightly out of position on both ends of the court, making him somewhat unreliable. All of these mental errors are of course correctible, but it will take time. His defensive footwork needs a lot of work, but he does show some promise as a shot-blocker on the next level.
Notes: Paulao`s current coach, Louisio Lula Ferreira, is also the head coach of the Brazilian national team.
Strengths: Incredibly big and strong frame … Has good skills for a guy having played the game for such a short time: This kid started practicing basketball just two years ago and its incredible how much he’s improved in such a short amount of time … Already has a NBA body. Excellent wingspan which helps him grab rebounds and block shots … Has a presence on both ends of the court … Great attitude inside trying to dunk everything … Has a solid post up game and soft hands … He is a very clever kid, very intense playing hard at all times during the camp and showed great capacity to learn, making him a very interesting player for the future.
Weekness: Not extremely athletic. He’s not a leaper and has a lot to do to improve his inside game … Paulo’s body is under construction, seems to be a little fat but has all conditions to change his weight into solid muscle if he works hard … Lacks good foot work and his legs are not the best at all … Lacks true center size, being unathletic and short for the position … He also could have problems guarding PFs because he lacks good lateral movement. Despite that, he shows more efficiency playing against taller and slower guys using this wingspan and weight to defend pure centers … Will not be a star in the NBA but could be a very useful player for many teams…
Notes: Nickname is “King Kong” …
Vinicius Fontana 4/22/10
Strengths: At 610 Paulao is actually a bit undersized to play center in the NBA. However compensated by a good strong upper body, long arms, and also real good hands … Hes a good rebounding force (certainly defensively), taking good care of his boxing out … Offensively hes got decent court awareness, gaining his post up position well, able to hit jump hooks with both hands … His pick setting and continuation afterwards are quite good. His free throw percentages are okay …
Weaknesses: Has just okay passing skills… He’s not very athletic or explosive (poor 2 footed leap), running the floor with average speed, enjoying only average quickness and mobility … Defensively he needs to do a better job keeping his opponent further from the rim, considering he defenitely has the body for it … Adding to that his really average shotblocking, intimidating very little … Although playing with emotion, also his intensity level is improvable … Doesnt have much of an outside shot either, 4m (13 ft) range with a quite low release making it easy to block … Putting the ball on the floor is precarious for him, averaging around 2.5 turnovers a game at the moment … On top of that he insists on dribbling his way inside to get closer to the rim before putting up the shot … Also goes to his best (right) hand too often, where his left is pretty decent too … Still needs to prove that he can put up decent numbers at a higher level …
Outlook: Knowing that his last draft year is 2010, theres more than enough margin left to polish his skills and improve his downsides to consider him a possible future draft prospect.
Scouted @: 29/11/2006: Cornell C Axarquia (LEB 2, Spain)
24/11/2007: Vic C Axarquia (LEB Silver, Spain)
Nico Van den Bogaerd – 2/23/2008