The World Tour: Abraham Juom Maker Bol breaks out
The World Tour: Abraham Juom Maker Bol breaks out
A look at one of the top 2008-born international prospects. Plus, a FIBA tournament disappointment and (probably) the first 2030 NBA Draft prospect you’ve ever heard about.
While the current draft cycle and its prospects can monopolize our attention, it’s always smart to start looking ahead and be aware of the players who are coming up in the pipeline. This is where The World Tour comes in, a series where I will be covering recent international events and rising prospects who are, at least, two classes away from being draft-eligible.
In our first World Tour, I’ll be looking at a number of prospects who stood out at three recent events: the U16 No Borders Cup in Italy, the FIBA U17 South American Championship in Colombia, and the U15 FLL Tournament in Spain.
Our Cover Athlete: Abraham Juom Maker Bol
6’11” Big | 15.0 Years Old | Nationality: South Sudan | Current Team: Baskonia (Spain)
While the biggest youth competitions in Europe (such as the Adidas Next Generation Tournament) are still a few weeks away, the season of invitational tournaments is well underway. One of the most interesting events for the U16 age group took place earlier this month in Trieste, where Real Madrid won the No Borders Eurocup against other continental powerhouses such as Bayern Munich, Partizan, Cedevita Olimpija, and Orange1 Bassano.
While the championship team had their fair share of standouts including Malian big Mahamadou Landuore and eventual tournament MVP Ilia Frolov, it was Abraham Juom Maker Bol from second-place team Baskonia, who in my opinion, showed the highest long-term potential of all prospects in attendance. The 15-year-old big was dominant during the tournament, averaging 18.8 points, 21.8 rebounds, and 4.0 blocks per game.
If there’s a word to describe Maker Bol’s game, it is versatility. Standing at 6’11”, with long arms and tremendous agility and motor, the South Sudan prospect is able to make an impact around the basket by blocking shots, dominating the glass, and scoring in the paint. Maker Bol is more than just a play finisher; he shows tremendous polish as a post-scorer for his age, possessing solid footwork to find the open space and an arsenal of finishes that allows him to convert shots versus pressure.
His interior game is impressive but his perimeter flashes are what makes his profile so enticing. The jumper is where everything starts. He went 2-for-8 from beyond the arc in the tournament but he is bold with his shot selection, taking (and making) jumpers off the dribble whether they are in pick-and-roll or in ISO situations. He shows a willingness to put the ball on the floor for his size, which he utilizes not only to create space for his jumper, but also to attack the basket in short to mid-distance drives.
Maker Bol looked like a top two prospect in the 2008 international group at Trieste. We’re yet to see if his perimeter flashes will turn into consistent weapons but his combination of tools, two-way impact in the paint, feel for the game, and potential in the perimeter make him one of the highest-upside prospects in the international game, regardless of generation.
The South American U17s Were Disappointing
Argentina won the title in the most recent edition of the FIBA U17 South American Championship, which took place last week in Valledupar, Colombia. The Albiceleste shared the podium with Venezuela and Brazil, with all three teams securing a spot in next year’s FIBA U18 Americas Championship.
I’m not going to bury the lead here. My expectation for the tournament was to find a similar level of talent than in the previous four editions, where we were able to watch multiple high-major college prospects (such as Tennessee’s Santiago Vescovi, Creighton’s Francisco Farabello, and Michigan’s Lee Aaliya) and even a couple of would-be NBA Draftees in Leandro Bolmaro, Gui Santos, and Santiago Vaulet. That simply wasn’t the case in this year’s tournament.
There were, however, a number of prospects who are well on their way to becoming impactful players for either college or overseas pro teams, and they could potentially make it to the NBA should they hit their high-end outcomes.
The Prospect: Felipe Minzer
6’6” Wing | 16.2 Years Old | Nationality: Argentina | Current Team: Zaragoza (Spain)
Despite playing one year up in age, Felipe Minzer was not only the MVP of the tournament, but also the top long-term prospect in attendance.
A toolsy 6’6” wing with long arms and a good level of speed and body control, Minzer was one of the better athletes at Valledupar. He was able to leverage his combination of size and mobility to be a factor on the boards and simply overpower smaller defenders. His main offensive weapon is his ability to put the ball on the floor for his size, being a shifty slasher who can change directions and find the open space on drives. He is also a crafty finisher who utilizes his combination of hangtime, length, and touch around the basket to finish in tough situations.
The jump shot is still not fully there, having made just one of his eight three-pointers during the tournament, but his form has been coming around in the past year, now showing compact upper body mechanics and good alignment which, combined with his improved results from the free-throw line, might indicate a potential for further development in this area.
Currently playing Zaragoza, one of the top junior teams in Spain, Minzer will likely need to develop further as a perimeter scorer and passer to be considered as a surefire NBA prospect. It shouldn't be a surprise, however, if Minzer develops into a skilled offensive wing who could make an impact for multiple teams either overseas or at the college level.
Best of the Rest:
Uruguay’s Joaquin Taboada was the best shooter in the tournament, converting 40.7% of his three-point shots and nearly 80% of his free throws. His adequate size, shooting versatility, and ability to attack closeouts should make him a target for multiple college and pro teams.
Standing at 5’10”, Argentina’s Thiago Sucatzky is an undersized but extremely creative lead guard who showed tremendous vision and accuracy in finding teammates. It’s easy to envision him thriving as a pass-first Point Guard who also shows flashes of self-creation via pull-ups and drives.
Argentina also brought the two best bigs in the tournament in Ivan Pratto and Nicholas Petri. The former didn’t have an extremely productive tournament, but he showed interesting long-term upside with his combination of 6’9” size, interior finishing, and floor-spacing potential. Petri, meanwhile, had a tremendously efficient tournament, making an impact on both ends of the floor with his 6’10” size, defensive instincts, and touch around the basket.
Venezuela’s Jeiminson Marquez stood out with his athletic profile, defensive productivity, and motor. The 6’6” wing was extremely active on the glass and was able to defend multiple positions with his combination of size, length, and foot speed. While not the most efficient scorer, he is able to contribute offensively with his ability to finish opportunities at the rim and his advanced vision for his role.
Final shoutouts: Ydderick Gonzalez (Venezuela), Juan Achinte (Colombia), Gustavo Guimaraes, Pedro Pastre and Enrico Borio (all from Brazil)
One for the Road: Mohamed Dabone
The international youth basketball Twittersphere (is it Xsphere yet?) has been raving about 2011-born Mohamed Dabone in the past few days. The Burkinabè prospect earned MVP honors at the FLL Tournament in Madrid after leading Barcelona to the title while playing three years up in age.
Watching his tape during the past few days has been one of the most surreal basketball experiences I’ve had. I’ve never seen a 12-year-old with his combination of 6’10” size, agility, and body control who is as physically impressive as he is skilled. Dabone can get up for highlight-worthy blocks and dunks, but he is also able to cover drives in the perimeter, put the ball on the floor in space, and even hit jumpers in pick-and-pop situations.
It’s early, way too early, and I would always rather be cautious than be first when it comes to projecting a player to the next level. That’s even more true when you are talking about a prospect who, under current rules, won’t be draft-eligible until 2030.
Dabone has sky-high upside, but the road to actually realizing his potential is quite long and could have plenty of bumps along the way. With that being said, I can’t emphasize enough how rare it is to find someone at 12 years old with his combination of size, athleticism, skill set, and production against players who are three years older than him.