The 2nd youngest player in the draft, Yannick Nzosa had high hopes in his first draft-eligible season in Spain. On the year, he averaged 2.1 PPG, 1.8 RPG, 0.2 APG, 0.3 SPG, 0.6 BPG, and 0.5 TOPG on shooting splits of 38/0/61 in just 10 minutes per game. Below is his full scouting report:
Name: Yannick Nzosa
Height/Weight: 6’10/174
Wingspan/ standing reach: ~7’5, N/A
Hand size: N/A
Position: Center
Pre-Draft team: Malaga (Spain)
Tools: Defensive Anchor, athleticism
Pros:
- Excellent touch at the rim with his left hand
- Dominant in P&R as roll man
- Smooth athlete
- Controls the paint as a defensive anchor
- Very young for the draft; second youngest player in the class
- Great frame; extremely long arms
- Good recovery ability on defense
- Strong rotations on defense
- Overall deep understanding of defense
- Can cover tons of ground defensively due to athleticism and length
Cons:
- Jump shot needs desperate improvement
- Needs to get bigger & stronger
- Left-hand dominant
- Super raw and not very playable offensively for the first few years of his NBA career
- Needs to add weight
- Not much of a playmaker
- Incredibly inefficient as a scorer
Summary:
Yannick Nzosa offers virtually no other elements to an offense beyond finishing at the rim. With long arms and good athleticism, he can finish above and around defenders. Nzosa will need to get stronger to consistently finish at the rim, but the interior touch is seen with his left hand. Beyond finishing, Nzosa has no playmaking ability or shooting ability at the moment, and is unlikely to build those skills being this far away.
Defense will be where Nzosa makes a living in the NBA. While it is still hard for centers in the NBA to stick as a defense-only big man that is entirely one-dimensional offensively, Nzosa being so young can give teams hope that he becomes elite on defense or becomes a great finisher to be great at the few things he does well. It’s hard for slashers to go near the rim when Nzosa is camped out there, suffocating all shots near the rim with his length and strong instincts. He also holds his own on the perimeter, being able to switch onto multiple positions and impact jump shots.
Nzosa is almost the perfect young defensive prospect for the modern NBA, but will have to overcome his offensive shortcomings to make a living in the league.
Similar to: Incomparable? Center version of Andre Roberson?
Projected draft range: 25-55
Expected role: Defensive specialist that can guard anyone on the floor at any spot.
Unplayable if: Lack of right hand and shooting makes his offensive ability irrelevant.
Exceeds expectations if: Defense is elite and he learns to finish more efficiently.
Videos:
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