Thoughts on the U19 World Cup Final Between the United States and France, and Evaluations on Victor Wembanyama, Jaden Ivey, and Chet Holmgren

July 13^th, 2021

By Alan Lu

France’s 7-2 center, Victor Wembanyama and the United States’ 7-1 center, Chet Holmgren are two of the top prospects for the next couple of drafts, the 2022 and 2023 drafts.  I decided to take the time to watch them play in the U19 World Cup 2021 Finals.  Victor Wembanyama turned in a really strong all-around game, as he scored 22 points, and had 8 blocks and 8 rebounds, but USA was able to play well on both ends of the floor to get a narrow victory over France.  The top performers of this game looked to be Victor Wembanyama, Jaden Ivey, Mike Miles, and Kenneth Lofton.  Here are my thoughts on how Wembanyama and other top performers fared on this day. For those that are interested in the box score of this game, here is the link.

Victor Wembanyama had a strong showing in his team’s loss to Team USA.  He showed off solid all-around skills, and he also defended well, as he excelled at making plays on both ends of the floor in this game. Wembanyama showed a satisfactory ability to score in the post.  He possesses very good footwork and agility to consistently get up shots down low.  He was able to use a pump fake to score on a quick, sweeping hook shot in the post.  He also showed a knack for drawing and making plenty of free throws when hoisting up turnaround, fadeaway jumpers.  He also missed on a couple of fadeaway jumpers, as he would sometimes struggle to connect on those shots when he wouldn’t get foul calls.

He also excelled at scoring on hustle plays.  Wembanyama would often score on tip slams after grabbing offensive rebounds for his team.  He also caught a lob pass off of a roll to score on an alley-oop dunk. He also showed a solid ability to knock down mid-range jumpers.  When he received the ball in the high post, he used a spin move and a pump fake to score on a nifty, step-back jumper from just inside the arc.  On the other hand, he ended up missing an open mid-range shot off of a pick and pop play.

Also, Wembanyama was able to make an open three quickly off of a pick and pop play.  On the downside, he also struggled to consistently knock down long-range jumpers from the arc.  He also displayed fairly average playmaking skills in this game.  He was able to pass out of the post to find an open shooter once.  When posting up another time, he threw a lazy pass back that got intercepted another time.

Plus, he also did a good job of rebounding the basketball.  He was able to leap up to haul in plenty of boards on both ends of the floor.  He also played solid defense in this match.  Wembanyama did a terrific job of blocking shots, as he would often swat shots off of drives and in the post due to possessing good athleticism, length, and timing.  He also managed to block a mid-range floater to himself, and he also would get his hands on passes to get steals and deflections.  He also would actively contest shots off of drives as well as in the post to force misses.  On the downside, he would tend to sag too far off of shooters, as he would sag into drop coverages, which would lead him to allow opponents to score on open jumpers.  He also would tend to be too aggressive in contesting shots, which would lead him to bite on pump fakes and commit fouls.  He also would get outmuscled when defending stronger players in the post, as he had trouble holding position down low.

In general, Victor Wembanyama played very well in this game, and he excelled as a scorer, shot blocker, and defender when he was on the court.  He will need to continue to improve his outside shot and discipline defensively.  He could end up being the top pick in the 2023 draft, and Wembanyama is a very talented and skilled player that could end up being like a skinnier version of Minnesota Timberwolves’ All-Star center, Karl-Anthony Towns in the NBA.

United States’ guard, Jaden Ivey also had a strong showing in his team’s win over France, and based on the way he played in this game, he could be due for a breakout sophomore season at Purdue next year. He primarily excelled at scoring on hustle plays in this game.  Ivey would often score on speedy drives in transition, and he also drove in to score on a high-flying dunk on the break another time.  He also managed to score on a thunderous dunk off of a backdoor cut.

He also showed a solid ability to score off the dribble.  Ivey showed a knack for using quick crossover moves to score on speedy, acrobatic layups, and he looked to be the most athletic player at this event.  Sometimes though, he would try to force the issue a bit too much, which led him to get his shots blocked a couple of times.  He also hoisted up a three, but he ended up missing on a step back three from beyond the arc.

He also showcased perhaps adequate playmaking skills.  Ivey was able to throw a bounce pass to set up a score for a teammate on the break.  On the other hand, he also threw an inaccurate interior pass that sailed out of bounds another time. Also, he showed a solid ability to rebound the basketball.  He would chase down balls to get multiple boards on both ends of the floor.  On the downside, there was one play where he committed an over the back foul when going for an offensive rebound once.

Plus, Ivey also played satisfactory defense in this contest.  Ivey would frequently jump passes to get steals, and he also would actively defend opposing ball handlers and jump on loose balls to help force additional ball-handling turnovers.  He also managed to block a shot off of a drive to a teammate due to possessing very good athleticism and timing.  On the downside, he would get outmuscled when defending in the post, which would lead him to commit touch fouls.  He also was called for a reach-in foul when trying to jump a pass another time.  He also gave up too much space to a shooter, which led him to allow an opponent to score on a three-point shot.

In summary, Jaden Ivey is a tremendously athletic swingman that can slash to the basket to score, and he also is a solid help defender, but he will need to improve his jump shot and playmaking skills.  Ivey could project to be a solid defender at the NBA level, and he is a first round prospect for the 2022 draft, as he may have a similar game to Minnesota Timberwolves’ guard, Josh Okogie in the association.

7-1 center, Chet Holmgren had a decent showing for the United States in his team’s win over France.  He didn’t quite dominate in this game, but he showed off versatile scoring skills, and he also passed and defended well when he was on the court. Holmgren shot the ball fairly well whenever he would decide to hoist up shots from beyond the arc.  He moved off the ball to make a quick, open spot-up three off the catch.  On the other hand, he missed on another spot-up three later on. He also showed that he can score on hustle plays.  Holmgren ran the floor to score on an emphatic dunk.  Another time though, he ran the floor, but he missed on an alley-oop layup on the break.

He also showed off a satisfactory ability to score off the dribble.  Holmgren drove the baseline to score patiently off the glass with his left hand.  He also showed a knack for drawing fouls upon his defenders to get to the free throw line.  However, he would sometimes try to take tough, contested shots, which would lead to misses in traffic, especially when he would not get foul calls.  He also struggled to score in the post, and he missed on a tough, fadeaway jumper from the baseline once.

Also, Holmgren displayed solid playmaking skills.  He passes and handles the ball well, and he also has good court vision.  He did a very good job of consistently finding cutters to set up scoring chances for them.  He also was able to make a drive and kick pass to notch an assist, and he also threw a long outlet pass to set up a score for a teammate on the break.  Sometimes though, he would telegraph his entry passes, which would end up getting intercepted by his defenders.

He didn’t grab many rebounds in this game, but Holmgren was able to get a board on each end of the floor.  On one play though, he didn’t box out his man, as he allowed his opponent to score on a tip dunk.  Plus, Holmgren played good defense in this game.  He would actively contest jumpers as well as shots in the paint to force plenty of misses.  He has good length and positioning that allows him to frequently get stops for his team.  On the downside, he would sometimes be too aggressive in contesting shots, which would lead him to commit fouls when defending in the paint.  Another time, he was caught ball watching as he over-helped in the paint, and he was late to rotate and allowed an opponent to score on an open corner three once.

Overall, Chet Holmgren played fairly well in his team’s win over France.  He had a strong tournament showing overall.  He is a very talented prospect whose all-around skills, most namely his playmaking and defensive skills could make him a likely bet to be the top pick in the 2022 draft.  He has a similar game to Kristaps Porziņģis when he was with the New York Knicks, and Holmgren has the skills to end up being a very good player in the NBA.

Louisiana Tech’s 6-7 big man, Kenneth Lofton played very well for the United States in his team’s win over France.  He is a very strong, physical bruiser that showed a knack for scoring and rebounding in the paint, and he would often outmuscle his opponents to do so. Lofton showed a satisfactory ability to score in the post.  He would often back down his man and use spin moves and strong drop step moves to score around the basket.  He also showed a knack for drawing fouls upon his defenders to get to the free throw line, though he struggled to make his foul shots.  Sometimes he struggled to score against taller, quicker opponents, as he had a couple of his shots blocked, and he also missed a couple of other times in traffic.

He also generally excelled at scoring on put backs after grabbing offensive rebounds for his team.  Also, Lofton used an overhead ball fake to score on a crafty layup off of an aggressive, baseline drive to the hoop.  He also passed the ball well, and he was able to pass out of the post to set up a score for an open shooter to notch an assist.

He also did a good job of rebounding the basketball.  Lofton was able to haul in multiple boards on both ends of the floor.  On one play though, he was called for an over the back foul when pursuing an offensive rebound once.  He also played adequate defense in this game.  He would tend to poke balls away from his opponents to help his team get steals.  On the downside, he also would sometimes commit fouls when defending out on the perimeter as well as in the post.  Another time, he sagged too far back on a switch, as he didn’t contest a long two, and ended up allowing a score that time.

Overall, Kenneth Lofton is a strong, mobile big man that can score and rebound in the paint.  He has great strength that enables him to overpower his opponents, and he played well in this game.  He’ll need to show NBA teams that he can adjust to playing more of an NBA style game, as he’ll need to extend his shooting range and show that he can guard quicker players on the defensive end.  He could be due for a breakout sophomore season in college basketball, and he likely would project to be a second round prospect for the 2022 draft.

TCU’s point guard, Mike Miles also had a strong showing to help lead the United States to a win over France.  He showed off solid all-around skills to help his team get the victory. Miles shot the ball well in this game.  He showed off versatile scoring skills, and he particularly showed a knack for scoring on pull-up jumpers from the mid-range.  He also was able to make a quick, corner three.  Plus, he also drove in to score on a thunderous dunk on the break.  He also drew free throws on a strong drive to the hoop another time.  On the downside, sometimes he would take tough, contested shots that would miss in traffic, and he also had his shots blocked a couple of times.

He also showed off solid playmaking skills in this game.  Miles played unselfishly, and he would throw long, outlet passes to set up scores for his teammates on the break.  He also did a very good job of rebounding the basketball.  He also played solid defense.  Miles would get his hands on passes to get steals, and he also jumped on a loose ball to help his team get another.  He also would contest threes to force misses, and he also successfully drew a charge when defending in the post.  A couple of times though, he ended up getting beat off the dribble to allow scores to the opposition.

Overall, Mike Miles played very well, and is an athletic combo guard that had a solid, all-around showing to help lead the United States to get the win over France.  He may be an underrated prospect for the 2022 draft, and his solid athletic gifts, combined with his shooting and scoring skills could enable him to excel as a role player in the NBA one day.

Wisconsin-Milwaukee’s incoming freshman forward, Patrick Baldwin Jr. played fairly well for the United States in his team’s win over France.  He didn’t play much, but he showed off a solid ability to knock down jumpers, as well as to make plays on both ends of the court. Baldwin excelled as a spot-up shooter from beyond the arc.  He ran off the ball to make a quick open three early on.  He also was able to make an open, spot-up three off the catch from way out another time.  Plus, he also ran the floor to score on an emphatic dunk in transition.

On the downside, he was also fairly turnover prone on offense.  On one good play, he was able to handle the ball, dribble it around, and then throw an accurate entry pass once.  However, he tended to throw inaccurate passes in this game.  When posting up, he threw a hasty pass back that got intercepted.  He also threw an inaccurate, hasty pass that sailed out of bounds due to miscommunication later on.

While he didn’t grab many rebounds in this game, Baldwin was able to chase down rebounds to get a board on each end of the floor.  He played fairly average defense.  He would contest jumpers to force misses.  On the downside, he would tend to be undisciplined when contesting shots off the dribble, which would lead him to commit fouls.  On one play late in this match, he bit on a pump fake, which led him to foul an opponent on a long two from the baseline to give up the basket and an extra free throw that time.

Overall, Patrick Baldwin Jr. is an athletic shooter that could be an interesting player to watch in college basketball for the upcoming season.  He will need to improve his playmaking skills and defense, and he will need to be a more assertive player on offense, but his ability to shoot and score, combined with his size and athleticism could make him a first round prospect for the 2022 draft.

United States’ 6-3 guard, Adam Miller had his ups and downs in his team’s win over France.  He played very well in the first half, as he primarily excelled as a scorer off the dribble, and he was able to attack the rim to score at will on offense in that time frame. He showed a solid ability to score off the dribble.  Miller used a pump fake to score on a smooth layup once.  He also used a hesitation move to score on a crafty layup another time.  Plus, he also scored on a high-flying dunk off of a quick drive in transition.  On the downside, he can sometimes tend to take tough, off-balanced shots that can lead to misses. He also managed to draw free throws on a backdoor cut once.  Miller also made a pull-up jumper from the mid-range.  On the downside, he struggled more to knock down outside shots, and he missed on all of his three-point attempts in this game.

Miller also displayed satisfactory playmaking skills.  He can throw swift, accurate passes off the dribble as well as in transition.  He was able to make a quick, drive and kick pass to notch an assist.  He also threw an accurate lob pass to set up a scoring chance for a teammate on the break.  When handling the ball once, he had a ball poked away from him that led him to turn the ball over.

Also, Miller showed a solid ability to rebound the basketball.  He would chase down balls to get multiple boards on both ends of the floor.  However, he seemed to be fairly average at best defensively.  For the positives, he is an active help defender.  He would poke balls and jump on loose balls to get steals for his team.  He also managed to successfully challenge a shot in the post to force a miss, and Miller would apply considerable ball pressure when guarding opposing ball handlers out on the perimeter.

However, he would struggle to defend opponents off the dribble, as he would get beat, which would lead him and his team to commit touch fouls as a result.  He gave up too much space to allow an opponent to score on a deep three another time.  On another play, he didn’t communicate any kind of switch when his team was defending a screen, as the other guard didn’t know to stay to defend a shooter or not, and it led his team to allow a dunk off of a roll.

Overall, Adam Miller is a very athletic combo guard that can score the basketball, but he will need to be a more consistent player in games.  If he can knock down more jump shots and improve his playmaking and defensive skills, he could increase his odds to end up being a second round pick in the 2022 draft.

France’s Matthew Strazel put forth an uneven performance in his team’s loss to the United States.  He played very well in the first half, as he excelled as a shooter, facilitator, and defender.  He then got hurt midway in the third quarter.  He came back to play in the fourth quarter, but he was not very effective late in this match, as he struggled to knock down shots and was turnover prone when he came back in the game.

Strazel is a solid shooter that has unlimited range to knock down shots from long range.  He showed a knack to score on three-pointers in the first half.  He ran the floor to make an open corner three in transition.  Strazel then made a quick three-point shot from way out.  On the downside, he struggled to consistently create his own shot off the dribble, and he had trouble connecting on pull-up threes, especially in the second half.

He also flashed the ability to score off the dribble.  Strazel used a quick rip move as he went left to score on a quick layup.  He also showed that he can draw fouls upon his defenders when handling the basketball.  However, he would sometimes tend to take tough shots, which would lead to misses, and he seemed to struggle to consistently get to the rim when trying to make plays on offense.

He also displayed fairly average playmaking skills.  When he was playing well, Strazel would play patiently, as he would excel at making swift, drive and kick passes as well as interior passes to rack up assists.  When he played poorly, he would tend to over-dribble, as he would then get balls poked away by his defenders to commit turnovers.  He also threw an inaccurate pass that was dropped out of bounds in transition another time.

Though he didn’t grab many rebounds, Strazel was able to get a defensive board once, as he then quickly pushed the ball up the floor.  He also played adequate defense in this game.  Strazel would poke balls away from opposing ball handlers to get steals, and he would actively defend them to force ball handling turnovers.  He also intercepted a pass to get a steal another time.  However, he also tended to get beat off the dribble as well as on misdirection plays, and he would have trouble staying in front of his man, which would lead his team to allow scores.

Overall, it was basically a tale of two halves for Matthew Strazel.  He shined in the first half, and he showed off a solid jump shot, and he also tended to make sound basketball plays in that time span.  In the second half however, he struggled with his jump shot, he tended to over-dribble, and he also had trouble defending quicker players on the defensive end. 

He’s played at high levels in professional basketball, as he’s consistently been getting minutes in France’s top league, the French Jeep Elite, as well as in the Euroleague.  On the other hand, Strazel doesn’t possess ideal size or physical tools to play the point at the NBA level.  He’s most likely a borderline second round candidate whenever he enters the NBA draft, if things go as expected.  Strazel will likely need to rely on his solid jump shot and playmaking skills to give himself the best chance of making it to the NBA level.  If he does make it to the NBA, he could project to be an offensive minded, backup point guard at that level one day.

Rudy Demahis Ballou played fairly well for France in his team’s loss to the United States.  He’s a 6-3 athletic combo guard that showed off versatile scoring skills.  He excelled at making pull-up threes to show his shooting prowess, and he also showed that he can go to his left to draw fouls when taking the ball to the rim.  However, he struggled more to score when driving to the basket, as he would tend to miss shots in traffic when he would not get foul calls.

He also displayed adequate playmaking skills.  Ballou is an unselfish player that would find the open man to notch assists.  On the other hand, there was one play where he had a ball poked away from him to commit a turnover.  He also did a decent job of rebounding the basketball.  He also played solid defense in this game.  Ballou also would jump on loose balls to help his team get steals, and he also would contest shots on drives to force misses. 

Overall, Rudy Demahis Ballou is an athletic combo guard that can score and defend when he is on the floor.  He’ll need to show that he can consistently shoot the ball well, but he may be an intriguing prospect that could be a player to watch in the future.

France’s 6-5 guard, Louis Lesmond also played well in his team’s loss to the United States.  He excelled as a shooter and defender in this game.  Lesmond showed a knack for making quick threes, as he can do so off the catch and dribble, and he also ran off the ball to knock one down early on.  Plus, he also was able to make an open long two-point shot.

He also defended fairly well.  He would get his hands on passes to get steals, and he also would close out on shooters to force misses.  On the downside, there was one play where he got beat on a cut, which forced his teammate to rotate to commit a foul that time. Overall, Lesmond is a skilled sharpshooter that can shoot and defend when he is on the floor.  He may not possess ideal physical tools, but he is a solid offensive player that could project into a 3 and D role in the NBA if he can continue to play well and hone his game.

France’s 6-7 forward, Clement Frisch also played fairly well in his team’s loss to the United States.  He showed off versatile scoring skills in this game.  Frisch showed a knack for scoring on quick, spot-up threes off the catch.  He also managed to throw down a dunk off of a drive in transition.  He also showed off solid low-post scoring skills.  When posting up once, he used a spin move, as he then pivoted to score on a stepthrough floater.  However, he struggled to get all the way to the basket when trying to score off the dribble, and he also missed on a couple of pull-up, mid-range jumpers.

He also can be turnover prone on offense.  On one good play, Frisch was able to make a quick drive and kick pass to set up a scoring chance for a teammate.  However, he would sometimes struggle to create separation when looking to score on one-on-one situations.  When posting up once, he swung his elbows, which led him to commit an offensive foul and a turnover. 

Also, Frisch was able to get several rebounds to help get his fair share of boards in this game.  He also played decent defense in this game.  Frisch was able to jump a pass to get a steal.  He also would contest shots off of drives and in the post to force misses.  Sometimes though, he would miss on steal attempts, and he would get beat off the dribble at times, which would put his team in compromised situations.

Overall, Clement Frisch is a skilled sharpshooter that can score from anywhere on the floor.  He may not possess ideal physical tools, but his ability to knock down shoots could allow him to project into a shooting specialist role in the NBA one day.