2025 Draft Watch: Thoughts on Egor Demin, Hugo Gonzalez, and Nolan Traore in the 2024 ANGT Championship Game

July 31st, 2024

This time around, I decided to watch a 2024 Adidas Next Generation Tournament Finals Championship game that took place on May 26th, with thanks to YouTube via Euroleague Basketball. This game featured several prospects that are projected to be possible lottery picks in the 2025 draft, such as Egor Demin and Hugo Gonzalez for Real Madrid U18, and Nolan Traore for Centre Federal Du Basket-Ball. This game went to overtime, and Real Madrid U18 was able to get a narrow one point win. Demin, Gonzalez, and Traore all played well, and Demin will also play at BYU for the upcoming 2024-25 college basketball season. Here are my thoughts on how they and other top performers fared in this game. Also, for those that are interested in the box score, here is the link, via RealGM.

Egor Demin scored 26 points, and had 11 rebounds, 6 assists, 3 steals, and 2 blocks, and made 3 threes in his team’s 85-84 overtime win in this game, and he will play at BYU for the 2024-25 college basketball season. (Photo: David Grau/Euroleague Basketball via Getty Images)

Real Madrid U18’s 6-8 point forward, Egor Demin had a strong showing to help lead his team to an overtime win over Centre Federal Du Basket-Ball. He is a very athletic, high-motor player that turned in a solid all-around performance, and he also made a slew of highlight reel-worthy plays to help his team on both ends of the floor.

Demin generally excelled at scoring on hustle plays. He showed a knack for scoring on fast breaks, and he was able to score on a couple of high-flying dunks on the break. He also managed to score on a spinning, acrobatic layup off of a quick backdoor cut. On the downside, he would sometimes miss shots in traffic due to rushing.

He also showed a fairly solid ability to score off the dribble. Demin has a solid first step, and showed a good set of moves as well as the strength and body control to finish plays at the rim. Sometimes though, he would take tough, contested shots that would lead to misses.

Also, he did a decent job of knocking down outside shots. He was able to knock down a couple of tough, mid-range jumpers on the baseline. Demin also showed that he can make open threes off the catch and dribble, and he also was able to move a three on the move once. However, he was too streaky with his three-point shot, as he also missed a handful of threes from beyond the arc.

He also showcased satisfactory playmaking skills in this game. Demin showed a knack for making passes off the dribble as well as on the move, and he was able to throw a lob pass to a roll man to notch an assist. Demin has good court vision, and he also was able to throw a no-look, wraparound pass to get the ball to a teammate another time. However, he also was quite turnover prone. Sometimes he would throw risky, ill-advised passes that would get intercepted. He also dropped a ball on his foot that led to another turnover.

Plus, he also did a terrific job of rebounding the basketball. Demin showed a knack for hauling in boards on both sides of the ball, and he has very good motor, ball location skills, and instincts to get them. Demin defended very well. He showed a knack for blocking shots to help his team protect the paint, and he would make good rotations and show very good timing to do so. He also would contest shots both out on the perimeter and in the paint to force misses, and he would get his hands on passes to get numerous steals for his team. On one play though, he rotated but bit on a pump fake, and was out of position, which led his team to give up a three-point basket.

In general, Egor Demin played very well to help his team get a one-point win in this game. He is a very skilled basketball player that also looked to be the best athlete in this game. While he will still need to be a more consistent outside shooter and take better care of the basketball, his solid all-around skills combined with having very good athletic gifts could enable him to be a lottery pick in the 2025 draft.

Hugo Gonzalez scored 23 points, and had 6 assists, 5 steals, and 3 rebounds, and made 2 threes to lead his team to an 85-84 overtime win in this game. (Photo: David Grau/Euroleague Basketball via Getty Images)

Real Madrid U18’s 6-6 swingman, Hugo Gonzalez also played well to help his team get an overtime win in this game. He is an athletic, skilled point forward that can play multiple positions, and he has a solid set of all-around skills that proved to be helpful in this match. He did a decent job of knocking down jumpers to help provide floor spacing for his team on offense. Gonzalez would run off ball screens to make open, spot-up threes off the catch. On the downside, he struggled to knock down pull-up jumpers, as he struggled to make outside shots off the dribble.

Also, Gonzalez showed a knack for scoring on hustle plays. He was able to run in to score on a tip-in. He also managed to score on a backdoor cut, and he also excelled at scoring on quick, strong drives in transition. He also showed that he can take on the contact to draw free throws on his opponents. He also showed that he can score on right-handed drives, and he showed promising touch to do so. However, he struggled to make shots when he would take on contact, and he sometimes struggled to knock down shots in traffic.

Also, Gonzalez showcased solid playmaking skills. He is an unselfish player that will make accurate passes due to possessing good court vision, and he can make passes off the dribble and in transition to set up a wealth of scoring chances for his teammates. However, sometimes he would over-dribble and handle the ball too loosely, which would lead him to lose the ball and commit ball-handling turnovers.

Though he didn’t grab many rebounds in this game, Gonzalez was able to get boards on both end of the floor, and he was able to push the ball up the floor off of a defensive rebound once. Plus, he also played satisfactory defense. Gonzalez showed a knack for getting his hands on passes and jumping on loose balls to get steals and deflections, and he also rotated to block a mid-range shot another time. He also will pressure ball-handlers to make it difficult for them to handle the ball, and he was able to force a turnover once. However, he can sometimes struggle to stay in front of his man, which would lead him to commit fouls and allow scores. Other times, he would play too aggressively, which would lead him to be foul prone.

In summary, Hugo Gonzalez had a strong showing to help lead Real Madrid U18 to a win in this game. He’s an athletic, skilled two-way forward that made solid plays on both ends of the floor, and he could end up going in the mid first round range of the 2025 draft.

Nolan Traore scored 18 points, and had 5 assists, 4 rebounds, and 2 steals, but he only made 6 of 19 field goals, and committed 5 turnovers in this game. (Photo: David Grau/Euroleague Basketball via Getty Images)

Nolan Traore had his ups and downs in his team’s narrow overtime loss to Real Madrid U18. He is an athletic, energetic 6-3 point guard that can make plays on both ends of the floor, but he struggled with his jump shot and decision-making at times in this game. Traore showed a solid ability to score off the dribble. He has a sneaky quick first step, and he would drive hard to the hoop to score. He also showed a promising shooting touch, which enabled him to score on a couple of floaters. Traore also was able to drive in to score on a dunk. Plus, he also can take on contact to draw many free throws upon his opposition. However, sometimes he would force the issue too much, which would lead to wild misses in traffic when he wouldn’t get foul calls. He also missed all of his three-point shots, as he tended to take tough, pull-up threes, and he also missed a very deep, contested thre from way out.

He also showcased adequate playmaking skills. Traore is a crafty playmaker that can make acrobatic passes off the dribble to set up scores for his teammates, and he can find teammates on the move to get them the ball. He also showed that he can split double teams when driving to the rim. However, he would tend to throw hasty passes that would get intercepted. On another play, he split a double team on a drive but then lost the ball to commit a turnover.

Also, Traore did an adequate job of rebounding the basketball, and he would sometimes quickly push the pace after getting defensive boards. Defensively, he looked to be about average at best. Traore would jump on loose balls to help his team get steals, and sometimes he would stay in front of his man and contest shots to force misses. However, he tended to be late on close outs and sometimes wouldn’t contest outside shots, which would lead him to give up three-point baskets. Other times, he would get outmuscled when defending opponents off the dribble, which would lead him to commit fouls and allow scores.

Overall, Nolan Traore is an athletic, skilled point guard that can make energetic plays on both ends of the floor, and he is a very talented, offensively skilled playmaker, but he’ll need to be a more consistent player on both ends of the floor. Still, he has shown that he can play at a high level, and he was able to get substantial playing time in France’s top professional league this past season. He is a solid prospect that could end up being a late first round pick in the 2025 draft, and if he can improve his jump shot and continue to hone his game, he could end up being a solid player in the NBA.

Centre Federal Du Basket-Ball’s 6-8 forward, Jonas Boulefaa had a solid showing in his team’s overtime loss to Real Madrid U18. He is a fairly athletic, skilled combo forward that showed off versatile scoring skills, and he also has a good motor.

Boulefaa shot the ball very well from the outside, and he showed a knack for making open, spot-up threes off the catch. He also excelled at scoring on hustle plays, as he showed that he can score on the break, off put backs, and off of cuts. He also was able to throw down an emphatic, two-handed dunk off of a backdoor cut. Sometimes he would get his shots blocked on put backs, but generally Boulefaa excelled as a scorer on offense.

Also, Boulefaa showcased decent playmaking skills. He also passed the ball well. There was one play though where he didn’t seal his man in the post, but when the ball was thrown to him, it got immediately poked away and intercepted by a defender.

In addition, Boulefaa did a tremendous job of rebounding the basketball. He showed a knack for hauling in boards on both sides of the ball. He also defended well. Boulefaa showed a knack for intercepting passes to get steals, and he would use his length, timing, and instincts to block shots, as he can stay with opposing defenders and help his team protect the paint. He also would contest shots out on the perimeter as well as in the paint to force misses. Sometimes though, he would struggle to defend his man, which would lead his team to give up baskets. Another time, he committed a reach-in foul due to over-aggressiveness.

Overall, Boulefaa had a strong showing to help his team in this game. He is a mobile, skilled forward that could project well into a 3 and D role at the NBA level, and he could be a solid pick in the late first to the second round range in a future NBA draft.

Mitar Bosnjakovic played well for the Real Madrid U18 team in this game. He is a 6-7 swingman that shot the ball very well from beyond the arc, and he especially played better as the game progressed. Bosnjakovic showed a knack for making threes, especially off the catch, and he also dribbled off of a screen to make a three another time. He also showed a knack for scoring and draw free throws off of put backs, and he would provide second chance points for his team. He also was able to score on a smooth, one-legged turnaround, fadeaway jumper from the baseline when posting up. He struggled to make shots off the dribble consistently, but Bosnjakovic showed that he can make open shots and tough shots in this game.

He also showcased adequate playmaking skills. He is an unselfish player that will make the extra pass to find the open man, and he also can pass out of the post. Every once in a while though, he would play too wildly that would lead him to commit turnovers.

Also, he was able to get his fair share of rebounds, and he especially excelled at hauling in offensive boards. Defensively, he looked to be about average at best. For the positives, he appeared to deflect a pass once. He also closed out on a three-point shooter to force a miss. However, he struggled to defend opponents off the dribble, and he would play too aggressively, which would lead him to commit fouls and allow scores.

Overall, Bosnjakovic is an agile, skilled sharpshooter that showed a knack for making threes to help Real Madrid U18 get an overtime win in this game. He’ll need to improve his defense, but he could be a second round prospect that could provide some shooting prowess for an NBA team off the bench in the future.

France’s 6-1 point guard, Talis Soulhac played fairly well for his team in his team’s tough overtime loss in this game. He is a very athletic playmaker that showed off a strong mid-range shot and promising playmaking skills in this game.

Soulhac especially excelled as a mid-range shooter off the dribble, and he can stop on a dime to make step-backs and pull-up jumpers from that range. He also managed to score on a tough, tip-in in traffic after leaping up to get an offensive board. He sometimes would miss on rushed shots off the dribble, and he also missed a three-pointer another time, but he showed that he can really knock down dribble, mid-range jumpers.

Also, he showcased adequate playmaking skills. Soulhac can throw crisp bounce passes to find teammates on the move to notch assists, and he also can make drive and kick passes to get them the basketball. However, he would sometimes throw hasty passes that would get intercepted. Other times, he would be careless when handling the ball, which would lead to ball-handling turnovers.

He also was able to get his fair share of rebounds to help his team on the glass. He especially excelled as an offensive rebounder due to possessing good athleticism, motor, and instincts. However, there was one play where he was called for an over the back foul when going for an offensive board once.

He also defended very well. Soulhac was able to hustle back to block a shot off of a cut to a teammate. He also would jump on loose balls to help his team get steals and deflections. He also would contest shots out on the perimeter as well as in the paint to force misses. Sometimes though, he would be late on close outs, and occasionally he would not always contest threes, which would lead his team to allow scores.

Overall, Soulhac is a very athletic, energetic playmaker that excelled at making plays on both ends of the floor to help his team in this game. He especially showed off a strong mid-range shot and defensive skills. He’ll need to improve his three-point shot and cut down on turnovers, but he is an intriguing prospect that could end up going in the late first round in a future NBA draft if he continues to hone his overall game.

There were other players that were able to make some very solid plays, but I didn’t think the other players stood out enough to definitively earn or warrant a write-up in this game. All in all, those are my thoughts on how Egor Demin, Hugo Gonzalez, Nolan Traore, and other various prospects fared in this game. Thanks for reading.