Jonathan Givony
Scouting notes on elite 2016 point guard Dennis Smith and some of the top international prospects from adidas Nations including Sergii Pryimak and Mouhamed Thiam.

adidas Nations Interviews
Norman Powell
Elijah Thomas
E.C. Matthews
Montrezl Harrell
Kobi Simmons
Thon Maker
Chase Jeter
Dennis Smith, Point Guard, Trinity Christian (NC), Class of 2016

Recruiting Rankings: Scout #6, 24/7 #8, Rivals #5, ESPN #9

-Good size
-Strong frame
-Tremendous athlete
-Can play above the rim with ease
-Changes speeds
-Great quickness in open court
-Shows sparks of intriguing court vision
-Makes some extremely creative passes at times
-Solid shooting mechanics. Makes 3-pointers with his feet set and off the dribble
-Only 16 years old

-Ball-handling skills haven't caught up to athleticism yet
-Likes to float out onto perimeter.
-some really wild passes
-Looks somewhat apathetic at times, like he's playing at half-speed. Doesn't show any emotion. Could be more vocal on the court
-Shot selection isn't great
-Still working on the consistency of his outside shot

Outlook: Smooth, fluid athlete with a dynamite first step and ability to operate at different speeds. Has another gear he can get to which makes him a terror to stay in front of in transition. Doesn't seem to know how good he is at this stage. Looks like he's going through the motions at times, but is extremely impressive when he's fully engaged and decides to turn it on. Very young and still has a lot of room to continue to grow. Extremely talented.

William McDowell-White, 6'4, Shooting Guard, 1998, Australia

-Solid athlete
-Nice quickness in open court. Very effective in transition
-Solid ball-handler. Played some PG at this event
-Can create his own shot in the half-court
-Doesn't have best shooting mechanics but can make an open shot (only six attempts in four games)
-Smart player. Plays under control. Finds the open man effectively
-Rebounds well for his position
-Extremely young. Only 16 years old

-Will be undersized for a wing player if he doesn't grow more
-Body is already very mature for his age
-Average wingspan

Outlook: Son of a longtime Australian Football player. Had an outstanding weekend at adidas Nations, hinting at some very interesting things to come. Scored very efficiently all week long (20/26 inside the arc). Has the making of a versatile framework of skills to go along with solid athleticism and a nice feel for the game. Could be an interesting prospect long term, particularly if he grows.

Sergii Pryimak, 6'8, SF/PF, 1996, Ukraine

-Good frame and size for his position, particularly if he converts to small forward eventually
-Fairly versatile skill-level. Can operate on the perimeter effectively
-Can shoot from outside
-Good first step

-Needs to continue to fill out frame
-Average defender. Struggles to stay in front of opponents on the perimeter
-Needs to get tougher and stronger
-Somewhat of a tweener

Outlook: Didn't play a huge amount of minutes due to teams' preference for defensive lineups, but showed a solid skill-level when he was on the court. Has some potential as a stretch power forward at the mid-major D1 level.

Mouhamed Thiam, 6'8, Small Forward, 1995, Senegal

-Very good size for a small forward at 6-8
-Strong frame. Long arms
-Great potential defensively. Quick feet. Active. Very competitive
-Solid rebounder
-Solid shooting mechanics. Can make an occasional jumper.
-Has some interesting ways to get his shot off. Not very efficient from the field but can create space off the dribble and pull-up with solid technique

-Average ball-handler
-Doesn't create anything for his teammates. Very single-minded in his approach. Looking to shoot the ball virtually every time he touches it
-Somewhat one dimensional
-At least a year older than most of the competition here

Outlook: Extremely aggressive small forward with size and length who led his team in scoring, but wasn't very efficient. Takes a lot of 3-pointers. Seems to have the mechanics to develop into a solid outside shooter, which could help him develop into a solid prospect coupled with his excellent defensive prowess.

Bourama Sidibe, 6'10, Center, 1997, Mali

-Good height
-Very mobile
-Runs the floor very well
-Excellent wingspan
-Tremendous defensive presence inside the paint
-Can rotate for blocks from the weakside
-Competitive in man to man situations
-Plays with very good intensity
-Excellent rebounder on both ends of the floor
-Shows some sparks of potential offensively
-Decent footwork inside the paint
-Solid touch
-Decent hands
-Listed as being only 16 years old

-Doesn't have great size for a center
-Narrow frame, particularly in the lower body
-Fairly limited offensively
-Doesn't have the strength to establish position inside the paint
-Doesn't have any range on his shot
-Basketball IQ, skill-level still a work in progress

Outlook: Officially listed as being born in November of 1997 which would make him extremely young. Tremendous rim-protector who also led the adidas Nations in rebounding. Limited offensive player who finds a way to score despite his lack of bulk and average skill-level. Generated a great deal of hype early on in his career when he dominated the Spanish youth categories, but may not have improved physically and skill-wise as much as some may have hoped. Still did a very nice job at the adidas Nations and was a major factor (particularly defensively) in his team advancing to the semifinals. Not quite tall enough to be considered a high-level rim protecting center. How his frame and skill-level evolves will dictate how high of a level he can play at eventually.
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