We take a look at five of the best power forward prospects to emerge at the 2016 Basketball Without Borders Global Camp held in Toronto during All-Star Weekend.-BWB Global Camp Evaluations: Guards and Wings
-BWB Global Camp Evaluations: CentersIsaiah Hartenstein, 6'11, Zalgiris Kaunas, Germany, 1998
Jonathan Givony
Strengths:
-Has terrific size for a power forward at 6'11, to go along with an outstanding frame
-Fluid athlete who can play above the rim with ease.
-Highly skilled for his size. Can put the ball on the floor, shoot with range and find the open man off the bounce
-Can carve out space inside the post with his strong frame. Has excellent footwork and a variety of moves
-Creates his own shot regularly from the perimeter, sometimes to finish with an emphatic two-handed dunk
-Excellent passer when he decides to create for others. Came up with some beautiful passes threading the needle through traffic
-Outstanding rebounder thanks to physical tools and timing
Weaknesses:
-Did not appear to be in ideal condition physically. Has a great body but looked somewhat out of shape
-Struggled to put things together in the actual games. Forced the issue badly at times.
-Jump-shot is not consistent
-Decision making can be very poor. Has excellent vision, but tends to freeze out his teammates and heave up very difficult looks early in the offense.
-Very single-minded in his approach
-Didn't look to establish himself with his back to the basket
-Indifferent defender
-Body language can be very poor. Looked borderline selfish at times.
Outlook: Coming off a minor hamstring injury and did not have a great camp. Forced the issue badly at times and seemed to be playing for himself. Without a doubt a massive talent, so will be interesting to see how he looks after a year in Lithuania playing with Zalgiris. Left his home team in Germany under a cloud of controversy. Still has to show he can be a winning player, which he has plenty of time to do.
Thon Maker, 7'1, Orangeville Prep, Sudan/Australia, 1997
Jonathan Givony
Strengths:
-Has great size for a big man at 7'1. Has gotten bigger in the upper body. Reportedly around 225 pounds now.
-Fairly quick off his feet. Can play above the rim with time and space
-Physical and competitive big man. Plays with a superb motor at all times. Doesn't give up space in the post. Went at DeAndre Ayton with everything he had.
-Fairly versatile defensively. Hedges out long almost to half-court with quick feet. Will come up with some chase-down blocks in transition. Has solid timing. Has some potential switching on perimeter defensively.
-Willing to take hits around the basket.
-Will pass ahead in transition.
-Can handle the ball and attack in a straight line
-Will knock down an occasional catch and shoot 3-pointer.
-Looks like a great teammate. Intelligent guy off the court.
Weaknesses:
-Does not have great length relative to his height. Also has very small hands.
-Lacks lower body strength and not clear how much he can continue to fill out with his very narrow frame
-Good, not great athlete
-Bobbles a lot of good passes
-Feel for the game is not great. Looks way too sped up, forces the issue quite a bit. Turns the ball over more than you'd hope
-Struggled to make plays inside the arc in the half-court, but is not a consistent threat from the perimeter either.
-Shooting mechanics are not great. Slow and rigid release. Does not have great touch. Struggled with his jumper all week
-Slow reacting to things on the fly, particularly defensively. Awareness is just average
-Just an average rebounder due to lack of length, small hands and questionable timing
Outlook: Was a year or two older (on paper) than all the other prospects in attendance, but did not have an overwhelmingly productive camp. Somewhat stuck between the power forward and center positions. Long-term he is likely better suited for a role as an energy-giving big man rather than the superstar he was being hyped as. May need a few years in college to continue to improve his skill-level and frame.
Valdir Manuel, 6'8, Sunrise Christian Academy, Angola, 1999
Jonathan Givony
Strengths:
-Long armed PF with good athleticism
-Tough guy with a big time motor. Has a huge will to make his presence felt on the court
-Consistent impact on the offensive glass. Uses quickness, length and aggressiveness to go out of his area regularly. Flies around and makes plays
-Finishes well around the basket, has some explosiveness off both one and two feet
-Shows a budding skill-level in different areas. Handles the ball in transition. Will make an occasional 3-pointer.
-Surprises you occasionally with his ability to pass the ball
-No-nonsense type of defense. Pushes guys around. Makes plays using his tools and energy.
-Only 16 years old so may still grow.
Weaknesses:
-Slightly undersized for a big man, with just an average frame
-Bull in a china shop. Doesn't always know his limitations. Tries to make everything happen all the time
-Jump-shot needs a lot of work mechanically to develop into a reliable weapon. Tends to pull the string and shoot a moon ball, with a low release.
-Shot-selection and decision making is a major work in progress.
-Plays off his instincts. Fundamentals aren't great on either end of the floor
-Doesn't always display the best body language. Take no prisoner type of attitude. Not always a willing passer
Outlook: Produced consistently at this camp, having some very impressive moments, despite being, on paper, one of the younger players in attendance. Playing high school basketball in Wichita after starting off in Texas. Should get recruited at the highest levels of college basketball. NBA potential will likely be dictated by how he evolves physically and skill-wise in the next few years.
Borisa Simanic, 6'11, Red Star, Serbia, 1998
Jonathan Givony
Strengths:
-Has excellent size for a power forward at around 6'11 in shoes. Narrow frame that should fill out in time.
-Fluid and mobile athlete. Very smooth. Can play above the rim
-Versatile skill-set offensively. Can handle the ball, shoot with range, and has excellent footwork in the post.
-Very soft touch inside and out
-Has a natural feel for the game that allows him to make plays all over the floor. Great timing. Comes up with blocks on a regular basis.
Weaknesses:
-Somewhat of a tease. Was not very productive in the actual games.
-Very passive guy that doesn't really know how to insert himself into games
-Does a lot of standing around waiting to shoot jumpers. Settles quite a bit
-Gets down on himself easily when things don't go his way
-Has an inconsistent motor defensively. Seems to avoid contact. Gives you the bare minimum at times.
-Shows very little emotion on the floor. Never changes his expression
Outlook: Arguably the most skilled big man in attendance. Absolutely wowed people in the drills, but then completely disappeared in the games. Incredibly introverted. Does not interact with anyone, possibly due to language barrier, but appeared to be more going on.
Harry Froling 6'9, Townsville, Australia, 1998
Jonathan Givony
Strengths:
-Very skilled big man who can do a little bit of everything offensively
-Uses his strong frame to carve out deep post position. Has excellent footwork and soft touch on his jump-hook.
-Excellent shooter with legit range out to the 3-point line
-Can attack a closeout with very nice timing and footwork, will even mix in an occasional spin move
-Handles the ball in transition at times
-Has a strong feel for the game. Passes the ball extremely well. Really knows how to play
-Has good timing as a rebounder. Not afraid to mix things up on the glass. Crafty guy. Pushes off when refs aren't looking
-Physical player. Sets bruising screens
Weaknesses:
-Somewhat stuck between the power forward and center positions defensively
-Came into the camp looking very out of shape. Could easily stand to shed 15-20 pounds off his frame
-Does not have much lateral quickness. Will likely struggle to stay in front of most power forwards
-Does not have great height or length for a center. Doesn't have the explosiveness to make up for that.
-Doesn't block shots or get in the passing lanes due to his physical limitations.
-Will miss some easy looks at times due to his tendency for playing below the rim
Outlook: Australian big man named MVP of the camp after his team won the championship. Parents both played professionally. Committed to SMU (where both of his sisters play basketball). Has an old man's game with a very high skill level offensively. Not particularly athletic, but may be able to maximize his tools by getting into significantly better shape. Will be a very difficult offensive matchup at the college level playing the center position due to his high skill-level and excellent feel for the game. Will likely need to show he can guard power forwards to emerge as a legit NBA prospect in time.