Lopez helping put Chaco on the map

ZARAGOZA (2016 FIBA U17 World Championship) - Chaco is not well known for basketball in Argentina. But the city in northern Argentina has produced one of the top young point guards in the country, which Lautaro Lopez is showing at the 2016 FIBA U17 World Championship. 

“It’s an honour to represent my country,” said Lopez, who is playing for the white and blue of Argentina for a second time after last summer’s FIBA Americas U16s. 

“I want to have fun here and enjoy everything that is happening, because it’s an honour to be here.”

Playing on a team missing its starting center, the playmaker from Chaco led Argentina in scoring with 20 points while also grabbing eight rebounds and picking up three assists, three steals and two blocks in the South Americans’ 74-57 loss to Lithuania. 

"I think we played the best game we have so far including the preparations. But they (Lithuania) were effective and they killed us behind the three-point line,” Lopez said. 

“But I think we played a great game and now we have to prepare for Mali.”

Mali represent Argentina’s best chance of grabbing a victory in Group B of the U17 Worlds with hosts Spain being the fourth team in the group. But that will be difficult without Argentina’s top young big man Francisco Caffaro, who missed the team’s final group of warm-ups and sat out of the U17 Worlds opener. It’s unclear if he will play against Mali. 

That has placed more scoring burden on Lopez, who knows he would be best served on the team if he were a distributing point guard who could also score instead of needing to produce points.

“I like playing the pick-and-roll,” he said.

And Lopez grew up watching some of the greats from his home land.  

“I watch a lot of Pablo Prigioni, Facundo Campazzo and Manu Ginobili. They are magicians with the ball,” he said. “Manu is my idol since i was a kid.”

Lopez also has his share of top guys from the NBA that he spends time watching. 

“I watch a lot of (Steph) Curry, but he’s not human. (Russell) Westbrook and Kyrie Irving and Chris Paul too - they all play smart and play beautiful basketball.”

Lopez’s Twitter banner features the Oklahoma City Thunder - mainly because of Westbrook. 

“I love Russell Westbrook. He’s a beast.”

Lopez knows he’s not anywhere near that level. But the 17-year-old is moving forward on his game. 

“I like to score a lot. But I am also trying to improve my passing abilities. I like to play defence but it’s hard because of my body. I’m not strong enough as the other players.”

Lopez would love to eventually land in the NBA but he believes he will first stay in Argentina and then consider Europe or college, leaning more toward the former.

“If I have two options, I like Europe better because they play hard and smart.”

Until then, it’s hard work back in Chaco - and trying to make it more well known for basketball.

FIBA