Player Spotlight: Akram Naji - France's teen sensation

SKOPJE (North Macedonia) - In his first FIBA competition, Akram Naji has impressed with his physical profile and his all-around offensive game.

The French guard led the Group Phase in assists, while also ranking in the top five in scoring - averaging 17.3 points per game on efficient shooting percentages: 54.3 percent from the field and 50.0 percent from three-point range.

As the 16-year-old continues his campaign in Skopje, FIBA contributor Ignacio Rissotto takes the opportunity to dive into the tape and evaluate his game.

OFFENSE - AN UNSTOPPABLE ENGINE

The first thing that stands out when diving into Naji's tape is how difficult it is for opponents to contain him on drives.

Listed at 1.93m and possessing a really strong frame for his age, Naji moves with tremendous speed with the ball, making him really hard to stop for opposing guards due to the level of momentum he generates going to the rim. If his sheer size and speed weren't enough, Naji also shows an aggressive mentality, consistently looking for contact on the way to the basket in order to draw fouls.

What makes Naji successful as a driver is not just his strength to play through contact, but also his level of touch to finish through it. He has shot 56 percent from inside the arc in the tournament, mainly on tough, off-balance shots that he is able to convert due to his impressive level of hangtime and touch of movement.

While having the ability to convert those tough shots in the paint is a really interesting weapon, Naji is forced to take those attempts due to his limitations to dribble in traffic. The Elan Chalon guard plays with good pace, being able to change speeds and directions on his way to the rim, but his handle still needs some development, as he can get the ball stolen in crowded areas, lacking a level of reactiveness to execute counters on the move. This forces him into picking up his dribble a few feet away from the rim and throwing up tough floaters and off-balance layups.

When it comes to his perimeter scoring, Naji is a versatile and confident shotmaker off the dribble who is especially prolific at exploiting pick-and-roll coverages: if the ball defender goes under on a screen, Naji will square up and let his shot fly with no hesitation. Despite not having the most developed isolation game, Naji does a good job in these situations of utilizing his footwork and handling ability to create space for his jumpers.

While the sample size is still small (just 10 attempts through three games in the tournament) and he could certainly be more consistent with his mechanics, his moments of shooting off the dribble and his touch both in the paint and in the perimeter bode well for his projection as a shooter at the next level.

While it can be argued that he's not a traditional floor general, Naji is currently leading the competition in assists per game - being really effective at utilizing the gravity he generates as a driver, both in transition and in the half-court, to attract multiple defenders and set up open shots for his teammates. While most of these passes are simple drive-and-kicks, he shows an interesting level of vision on the move, utilizing his size to find teammates over the top of the defense, being timely and accurate to make passes as a pick-and-roll ball-handler and manipulating defenders with eye fakes and making no-look passes.

The other side of the coin is that Naji can attempt risky passes at times and throw the ball right into traffic. One of the areas for improvement is to be more reactive and less premeditated with his reads, as he can at times lock into his first passing read and throw a careless pass even after defenders adjust to him, which leads to turnovers.

DEFENSE - RELENTLESS MOTOR

On defense, it all starts with his strong frame as well. Being tasked with defending opposing guards, both on and off the ball, Naji utilizes his difference in size and strength to bother opposing ball-handlers. He's able to get low, in a stance as an on-ball defender and contain drivers extremely well, as they aren't able to create any space out of physicality.

Off the ball, he shows good timing to find the ball in the passing lanes and to take digs at the ball as a help defender, which leads to opposing drivers getting tangled up and turning the ball over.

The approach to the defensive side of the court is also important here, Naji is someone who is consistently communicating with teammates on defense and someone who simply plays with a lot of effort on that end of the floor, routinely attempting plays outside of his comfort zone.

OUTLOOK

The list of recent French guards to stand out at FIBA competitions shows an absolute embarrassment of riches at that position. Names like Killian Hayes, Theo Maledon, Joel Ayayi and Frank Ntilikina made their way to the NBA while others like Ilane Fibleuil, Illan Pietrus and reigning FIBA U20 European Championship MVP Illias Kamardine are having auspicious starts to their pro and college careers.

With his performance so far in Skopje, where he has shown a combination of size, speed, offensive versatility and defensive production that is rare for his age, it shouldn't be a surprise if Naji is the next name on that list.

FIBA