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Not in any ranking or draft
Height: 6'9" (206 cm)
Weight: 196 lbs (89 kg)
Position: SF/PF
Hometown: Tallinn, Estonia
Current Team: Bulls
Win - Loss: 33 - 35

Articles

2017 Baltic Sea Basketball Cup Scouting Reports

Mike Schmitz
Mike Schmitz
Jan 19, 2017, 05:12 pm
Henri Drell, 6-7, SF, Estonia, 2000

Strengths
-Impressive size, frame and fluidity for a wing prospect at 6'7”. May have even grown an inch or two. Decent length.
-Long strides to the rim in straight line drive situations
-Has potential on the defensive end thanks to his tools and fluidity.
-Shows flashes as a passer when he buys in to playing an unselfish brand of basketball
-Garnered good experience playing up a year with the U18 team at only 16 years old

Weaknesses
-Attitude still has a long ways to go. Struggles to control his emotions at times. Suffers from poor body language. Not always a great teammate. Doesn't have a great understanding of his strengths and weaknesses.
-Plays an inefficient, fairly selfish brand of basketball at times. Finished the tournament 1-of-8 from two and 1-of-4 from three. Can be a bit of a ball stopper. Wild style.
-Fluid, not overly explosive athlete.
-Gambles defensively. Doesn't always want to dig in and defend the perimeter.
-Frame still has quite a bit of room to fill out, both in his upper and lower body.
-Doesn't do anything at a high level at this stage
-Stroke is still very streaky. Ball doesn't always come out smoothly.

Outlook
Coming off of a strong U16s and a long-term agreement with Bamberg, Drell more or less crashed and burned at the Baltic Cup, which hopefully served as a sobering experience for the Estonian forward. Not only did Drell struggle to have a positive impact on the floor, but also his flaws from a mentality standpoint really stood out. His body language and reactions to adversity have a long way to go, as does his ability to play within a team structure. Drell has a lot of talent and is only 16 years old, so hopefully he's able to use an underwhelming Baltic Cup as a wake up call and do everything he can to maximize his potential moving forward, as he's still an intriguing long-term prospect.

FIBA U16 European Championship Scouting Reports

Mike Schmitz
Mike Schmitz
Aug 22, 2016, 09:47 am
Henri Drell, 6-6, SF/PF, Estonia, 2000

Strengths
-Intriguing physical profile for a wing prospect – at least 6' 6” (likely still growing, huge feet) with long arms, a very projectable frame and impressive fluidity. Long strides. Can play above the rim in space.
-Aggressive going to the rim both in transition and the half court – 22.4 points per 40 minutes. Best as a straight-line slasher, Tools allow him to finish from different angles.
-Plays with a high motor on both ends. Excellent rebounder for his position – 11.3 per 40 minutes.
- Has the tools and fluidity to be a versatile defender. Makes a lot of plays on the defensive end – 3.6 steals and 0.9 blocks per 40 minutes. Covers ground quickly on closeouts.
-Can make a spot three – 1.1 per 40. Has room to improve mechanically but he gets decent rotation and is especially good from mid-range spots.
-Very wild overall but can pass when he wants to. Didn't have a lot of help with a fairly underwhelming Estonia roster. Can find teammates over the top of the defense thanks to his size. Has some vision.
-Has some upside considering his tools, motor and budding skill set

Weaknesses
-Lacks polish offensively. Wants to handle it in isolation situations but is very high and loose with the ball. Has the handle of a face-up four, not a traditional wing.
-Very erratic decision maker. Tries to do way too much offensively resulting in wild shots or bad turnovers. All in all he plays a very inefficient game – 39.3 from 2-point range and 6.8 turnovers per 40 minutes.
-Drell is far from a reliable 3-point shooter (29.4%) as his mechanics are more consistent from mid-range spots. Can improve his shot preparation. The ball doesn't always come out all that smoothly. Banked a few threes from straight away.
-Not going to create much space off the dribble to get to his jumper at this stage, although he has the size and mid-range stroke to be a threat in that area in time.
-Very fluid but not a freaky leaper. Lower body is quite thin.
-Struggles to maintain concentration in finishing situations versus contact. Will fill out no problem but is on the light side at the moment.
-Doesn't have the best discipline defensively. While he plays hard overall, he can be more focused on getting steals than staying solid and keeping his man in front.

Outlook
Drell, who recently agreed to a six-year deal with German league champions Bamberg, proved to be one of the more interesting wing prospects at the U16s despite his lack of polish and wild nature. In Germany Drell will have to learn how to play a more patient, efficient game, which should slow things down for him and improve his long-term potential as a pro. If Drell can shoot it more consistently, improve his handle and play with more discipline, he has a real chance to eventually become the first NBA player from Estonia since Martin Muursepp, who was drafted in 1996 and played a career 83 games.

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