Andriy Lebedintsev

Perhaps the most interesting first-year cadet seen here besides Dejan Musli is Andriy Lebedintsev. As surprising as it might sound, this kid is already a veteran in this category. Last summer, still not being a cadet, he already played the U-16 European Championships that took place in León, a very rare circumstance given the enormous differences that only one year of development produces at these ages, although we have to mention that the head coach of that squad was none other than his own father.

Anyway, Lebedintsev looks now like a veteran in terms of production, while he's also a leader on the Ukrainian squad. However, he also shows serious signs of his youth running the point. Setting the tempo of the game or distributing the ball, both departments figure among his weaknesses. He's a guy who basically knows one pace, running, while he has a higher vocation for scoring than for passing the ball. Also, it's no good sign that he leads the turnover list while not being such a prolific passer. He takes many risks driving the ball, and the defenses focus on him given the amount of game he absorbs.

But not everything is bad. He's a quick guy with decent size for his age at 6-2. A good ball handler, he gets past his defender rather easily to find scoring opportunities. He's a particularly nice mid-range shooter off the dribble, a usual resource whenever he sees too much traffic to finish under the rim (even if he's actually aggressive if he needs to go inside). He enjoys three-point range with some decent accuracy. Although not the most usual thing to see, he's not bad driving and dishing the ball. A real menace in the steals department, he has quick hands and reads the passing lanes pretty well. He's quite an electric guy on both ends of the court.

Maturity, that's a major issue for Lebedintsev. However, having celebrated his 15th birth date just a week ago, time is not any problem for him. For starters, he will be a serious candidate to lead next summer's edition in scoring.