Player Spotlight: Guillermo Del Pino - The Spanish Sniper

SKOPJE (North Macedonia) - Spain captured their sixth FIBA U16 European Championship behind Guillermo Del Pino's 22-point Final game against Italy.

The Cordoba native was instrumental for Spain all throughout the tournament, being especially productive in the final three games of the competition, where his high-scoring heroics were key for La Roja to prevail in close contests against Slovenia and Italy.

In his first FIBA competition, Del Pino earned MVP honors and put his name in the conversation as one of the top European players in the 2007 generation - a good reason for FIBA contributor Ignacio Rissotto to dive into his game.

OFFENSE - A SNIPER FROM BEYOND THE ARC

Del Pino's shooting ability is not just his main offensive threat, it was arguably the single biggest offensive threat in the tournament. The Unicaja guard shot 42.5 percent from three-point range on 5.7 attempts per game and his proficiency as a shooter stands out not only on the stat sheet but also on tape.

Del Pino has an extremely consistent and repeatable shooting stroke, always keeping his balance, showing good alignment and a textbook follow-through. The 16-year-old guard is quick to prepare his jumper, needing little time and space to get his shot off. This, combined with his ability to move without the basketball, makes him a lethal off-ball shooter coming off screens.  

His most impressive moments come when he's shooting off the dribble. Del Pino's combination of footwork and ball-handling allowed him to create space and convert tough jumpers in ISO situations. His quickness to get into his shot out of dribble moves and his high release point makes his pull-up jumpers extremely hard to contest.

This combination of handles and footwork also helped Del Pino thrive as a driver. Even if he possesses a "shoot-first" mentality, the Unicaja guard utilizes the gravity he generates as a driver to force defenders into hard closeouts, which he was able to attack with a good level of speed and momentum. Del Pino doesn't really show the most explosive leaping ability, and certainly getting stronger would do wonders for his ability to finish plays at the rim, as he can get thrown off balance by contact around the basket, but he compensates to a degree with his ability to finish with extension and his touch on difficult layups.

When it comes to playmaking for others, Del Pino can definitely contribute in this area by making simple passes off drives, taking advantage of the gravity that he generates as a scorer. However, he has also shown some flashes of pick-and-roll passing, in which he showed accuracy and good timing to deliver the ball to teammates.

DEFENSE - A PRODUCTIVE PERIMETER DEFENDER

Standing at 1.93m and having long arms, Del Pino utilizes his optimal size to make life tough for opposing guards. He's quick to move his feet in the perimeter, which allows him to stay in front of opposing players, and he uses his long arms to cover drives and contest shots. His wingspan also comes in play as an off-ball defender, where he shows a good level of anticipation, getting in passing lanes for steals and deflections.

Del Pino can struggle with physicality when asked to cover opposing wings and forwards, but his combination of size and mobility should turn him into a productive perimeter defender.

OUTLOOK

Del Pino not only earned a U16 title and MVP honors at Skopje: he built a reputation as one of the best shooters in his generation. Everything from his mechanics, footwork, balance, touch and results, both from beyond the arc and from the free-throw line, bode well for his projection as a shooter at the next level. If he can continue to utilize his gravity as a shooter to create driving lanes for himself and open shots for teammates, he will certainly be one of the top shooting guards in Europe and a headache for opposing defenders for years to come.

FIBA