Samanic is a super intriguing player due to his combination of physical tools and offensive skills. He’s 6’10” with an excellent frame and strength that allows him to push his way to the rim. In addition he has the quickness to attack his man off the dribble, the fluidity to drive in a straight line in traffic and the explosiveness to elevate against contact. His on-ball skills are extremely fluid and developed for a player of his size and age; during the past U18 Euro Championship Samanic showed how he can use his handles and quickness to create separation on the perimeter, which he uses to attack as a driver or convert three pointers off the dribble.

While not a defensive specialist by any means, Samanic isn’t easy to exploit either since he has enough mobility on the perimeter and enough size, length and leaping ability on the interior to hold his own.

The biggest challenge for Samanic is consistency. We’ve seen the flashes of brilliance described a few paragraphs before, but we’ve also seen him get tunnel vision on the interior, we’ve seen him throwing lazy passes and turning the ball over. Samanic’s best version of himself is an excellent player. jThe question (and what keeps Samanic from Tier 1 consideration) is just how often Samanic can play up to those standards.

3. Vrenz Bleijenbergh Belgium Age: … Height:6’9″ Pro Team: Antwerp Giants (Belgium)‎

Potential NBA Skills: All-Around Passing, Slashing, Versatile defense

Swing factors: Shooting, Offensive polish

If there was a breakout player in FIBA play this summer it’s Vrenz Bleijenbergh. The belgian prospect showcased a rare combination of functional length, coordination, quickness and feel for the game that allows him to slash, handle and, especially, pass the ball at an impressive level for someone his size.

Playing as a lead 6’9” ball-handler, Bleijenbergh shined when creating for others both in transition and in the half-court, showing excellent vision to find teammates and timing in pick and roll sets. Bleijenbergh can deliver the ball on time, on target through heavy traffic, making advanced reads which are rare for someone his size.

When creating for himself, Bleijenbergh has the quickness and fluidity to attack closeouts or take his man one-on-one. While coordinated, Bleijenbergh relies more on his speed, quick first step, vertical burst and size advantage than an advanced handle or shake when it comes to driving. While Bleijenbergh probably won’t be asked to make the most advanced drives if he reaches the NBA level, it’s definitely an extra weapon in his offensive arsenal.

Bleijenbergh showed those same type of instincts on defensive, especially getting in passing lanes. Bleijenbergh has excellent length to protect the rim even if his lack of strength at times gets him pushed around. With that being said, his awareness as a defender off the ball could improve, since he gets lost at times in rotations and screen and roll situations.

Bleijenbergh does lack polish in certain areas. As a shooter, he was overall effective but at times inconsistent, starting the tournament scorching hot but delivering a 2-for-11 performance from three point range against Slovenia in the semifinals. His shot does go in at a good rate for his size (34.9% in the tournament) but his low release point occasionally led to him missing three pointers badly.

The biggest concern around him Bleijenbergh is just how sustainable this level of play actually is. Bleijenbergh had a coming out party in the U18 Europe Division B Championship, but how much stock do you put into a single tournament performance that varies heavily from a player’s previous body of work?

There’s definitely a lot to unravel from Bleijenbergh’s play at the FIBA tournaments this summer, (I mean, I tried to keep it short and ended up with seven paragraphs!), but if he can continue his level of play and find consistency on his upcoming season in Europe his ceiling might be as high as any other prospect in this international class.