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Luigi Datome

Luigi Datome profile
Height: 6'9" (206 cm)
Weight: 210 lbs (95 kg)
Position: SF
Hometown: Montebelluna, Italy
Current Team: Milano
Win - Loss: 12 - 17

Articles

Reebok Eurocamp Summary, Part Two

Jonathan Givony
Jonathan Givony
Jun 12, 2009, 02:16 am
Fresh off a breakout season in the Italian league, where he was a major contributor on a strong Lottomatica Roma team, Luigi Datome didn’t have quite as good a performance in this Eurocamp as he may have hoped considering his experience-level. Datome was aggressive offensively, sometimes overly so, settling for some very difficult off-balance shots from mid-range and beyond the arc. His ball-handling skills looked limited, particularly with his left hand, which didn’t stop him from driving straight into traffic at times. He also struggled quite a bit trying to defend his man on the perimeter, exposing his average lateral quickness in the process. It’s not hard to see that Datome has talent, he can get up and finish around the basket, make difficult shots inside and outside the arc, and has fairly advanced scoring instincts, but he’s still trying to put it all together at this point. He still has a chance to be a leading player in the Italian league, but his NBA potential looks limited.

European Roundup: Casspi Coming Along

Jonathan Givony
Jonathan Givony
Matt Williams
Matt Williams
Mar 08, 2009, 03:10 am
After spending last season on loan to Italian League bottom feeders Legea Scafati (now in the second division), Luigi Datome was again loaned by Montepaschi Siena, this time to Lottomatica Roma (for two years) in an effort to regain the momentum that had placed him firmly on the NBA radar a couple of years ago. Despite the success Datome found in junior play early in his career, he hasn’t progressed as expected, especially in recent seasons, as he’s struggled to find consistent playing time. He’s proven to be a relatively efficient role-player for Roma this season, but for a prospect once seemed like a potential NBA draft pick, he isn’t showing the type of dynamic play that had scouts excited about him when he was a teenager.

The most attractive aspect of Datome’s game remains his outside shooting stroke. His form is very smooth, and though he doesn’t display great elevation, his 6-8 height allows him to get his shot of without much trouble. On the season, he’s hitting 43.3% (26/60 in 28 games) of his three point attempts, and has proven to be a very solid catch and shoot option. Despite his ability to hit shots with his feet set, Datome’s s weaknesses on the offensive end are never more apparent than when he is forced to put the ball on the floor.

Datome is an average athlete by NBA standards, and his lack of foot speed, coupled with his questionable ball-handling ability, makes it nearly impossible for him to create his own shot. Though he’ll knock down an occasional tough pull up jumper with a hand in his face, he is forced to alter nearly every shot he takes off the dribble. He has an especially hard time scoring against quicker and stronger defenders, not showing a very functional crossover and avoiding contact in the lane. The lack of improvement in his one-on-one game has been one of the biggest limiting factors in his development as a player, as nearly half of his field goal attempts come from behind the arc, and he gets to the free throw line only 1.4 times per game.

When Datome has managed to get to the rim this season, something that hasn’t occurred very frequently, he’s finished at a good rate. He does a solid job getting some looks by running the floor in transition, where he shows a good understanding for spacing and fills the open lane when a defender steps up to stop the ball. He’s also a solid offensive rebounder, using his length to earn some easy looks. Unfortunately, he creates very few of the looks he gets near the basket on his own, and often struggles when forced to deal with contact in traffic.

On the defensive end, Datome’s lack of lateral quickness is very apparent. He doesn’t always get in a low stance, making it even harder for him to keep up with the quicker players that he is often matched up against on the wing. Though he will have a good possession from time to time, his lack of consistency defending the perimeter hurts him. He doesn’t always close out hard, and has a very hard time defending stronger players in the paint. His length allows him to deflect some passes, tip some shots, and even come up with the occasional block, but his lack of consistency and effort makes it impossible for him to do those things regularly.

At this point, it is difficult to look at Datome as anything other than a marginal roleplayer, since he hasn’t developed the skills to dictate otherwise. The years he spent riding the pine in Siena didn’t help his development in the least bit, and unless he makes some major progress with Roma, it is hard to see Datome being viewed as an incredibly interesting prospect when he becomes automatically eligible this June.

2007 RBK Eurocamp: Day Three

Luis Fernández
Luis Fernández
Jonathan Givony
Jonathan Givony
Jun 12, 2007, 07:41 am
Datome came with the Italian U-20 team to play against a selection of players from the EuroCamp, and as expected, he stepped up as the leader of his National Team. After a bit of a disappointing season, not getting any playing time in Siena and being loaned to Legea Scafati, where he didn't particularly blossom, it was a nice opportunity to vindicate himself in front of a large contingency of NBA and European scouts.

Datome showed most of his array of weapons here. He was incisive attacking the basket, showing a good first step, excellent quickness and a nose for looking for the rim. Indeed he drew a consensus "oooh" with a one-handed reverse dunk off a baseline drive. He also showed his deep touch, even if he was inconsistent from the perimeter. We missed a bit of his mid-range game, where he's pretty effective in off-the-dribble jumpers, although he knocked down a nice short bank shot after hanging up in the air.

Even if not a great creator on the offensive end, he surely understands the game and passes the ball pretty well within the offensive flow. Very active in the rebounding department, his uses his athleticism, reactivity and length to come up with rebounds on both ends of the court, actually providing him with a few second-chance points from the offensive glass. His activity extended to the defensive department, either on his man or in rotations, staying alert in the passing lines. He's a competitive player that barely saves any degree of intensity to get the job done.

Blogging Through Israel (part two)

Mike Schmidt
Mike Schmidt
Nov 09, 2006, 04:01 am
Luigi Datome was the player I was most excited about seeing entering the game. He was impressive during the 2006 Nike Hoop Summit, and could very well be a first round pick in the draft within a couple years. Unfortunately, Datome is coming off an ankle injury, and didn’t see any minutes during the game. According to the Montepaschi coach, he’s 3 to 4 weeks away from being back in game shape. Datome first broke out in the U18 European Championships in 2005, where he displayed a large improvement in all aspects of his game, especially his perimeter shot. He is now a very proficient perimeter shooter, with good athleticism and the ability to create some mid-range shots off the dribble. He currently lacks lateral quickness which will limit his defensive ability.

A Look Back At The U-20 European Championships (Part Two)

Luis Fernández
Luis Fernández
Sep 22, 2006, 02:00 am
This was a so-so tournament for Datome, as he was expected to make a bigger impact. He wasn’t even able to lead Italy in scoring, although we have to take into account that he was a first-year player. Still he delivered several drops of his excellent skill set and intriguing potential. He shot the ball well, showing nice range and that ability to release the ball off the dribble from mid-range while hanging up in the air. Perhaps he was a little less aggressive (or active) than usual attacking the basket, but whenever he did, he exhibited his athleticism and footwork. That athleticism, and some nice explosiveness, was on display in different settings, resulting particularly spectacular whenever he went to block a shot. All in all, from what we’ve seen, we can’t say that this tournament has hurt his stock, although neither has it helped it.

2006 Nike Hoop Summit Game Recap

Mike Schmidt
Mike Schmidt
Apr 10, 2006, 03:47 am
Datome displayed great shooting touch throughout the week, and though not everything was falling for him during the game, still displayed good potential as a pro player. The most impressive facet of his game at this point is his three point shooting. He has a smooth stroke, and releases the ball quickly while getting a lot of elevation. Datome also displayed a good feel for the game, making some nice passes to open teammates, and making some crafty moves to get himself some shots. Though they didn’t drop, he made some moves across the middle where he outsmarted the defense and jumped high above them to shield his shot from getting blocked. Datome is a surprisingly good leaper, and even dunked on a player in practice. His lateral quickness isn’t great, however, which may hinder his ability to get to the hoop and play defense in the NBA. Luigi’s smarts with the ball may make up for his lack of quickness on the offensive end, though. Of the shots Datome missed in the game, you couldn’t really go back and state that more than one of them was a bad shot. With the exception of a 13 foot off-balance air-ball, every shot he took had a good chance of going in the hoop. Datome told DraftExpress that there is no way he was going to declare for the draft this year, but when he does declare, there should be a great deal of interest in him. Luigi Datome’s advanced offensive game give him the edge over his opponents, and his shooting will be very valuable in the NBA.

Nike Hoop Summit Preview: International Team

Luis Fernández
Luis Fernández
Giancarlo Giampietro
Giancarlo Giampietro
Carlo Sandrinelli
Carlo Sandrinelli
Apr 07, 2006, 07:37 pm
Datome is probably the most experienced player in this year's Hoop Summit, having played meaningful minutes for Siena, a decent Euroleague team. Although his role on the team has become less important lately, in the first months of the season he enjoyed some very good outings, showing he is on his way to becoming a legit small forward, after being more of a 4 throughout his career at junior level. Standing between 6'8" and 6'9", Datome has perfect size for a SF, (even if he needs to add some muscle) and enjoys a nice overall athleticism: he's very fluid running the floor, has a fairly quick first step and a good vertical leap. He has good shooting touch out to the 3-point line, and the form on his jumper has been improving over the past two seasons; he likes to slash to the basket as well, and he finishes strong. Datome still has to work to improve his ball-handling skills, though. Defensively speaking, his attitude looks OK. His length and athleticism could allow him to become a good defender on SFs, but right now he may still lack a bit of lateral quickness (The fact that in Europe it's often another SG who plays at the 3 doesn't help him). He's an active player, and can be dangerous on the offensive boards. Generally speaking, he's a very solid and complete player at junior level, and the matchup between him and the athletic forwards of the US team could be one of the most interesting aspects of this game.

Euroleague Stock Watch Part 2 (Stock Up)

Kristian Hohnjec
Kristian Hohnjec
Almantas Kiveris
Almantas Kiveris
Carlo Sandrinelli
Carlo Sandrinelli
Dec 23, 2005, 12:25 am
The way this 18-year old kid started the season surprised almost everyone in Italy. Even though he had a very nice outing in the under 18 European Championships last summer (being the leader of a strong team which ended up on the podium and included other interesting prospects as Gallinari, Bruttini or Cuccarolo), most people expected him to earn very little playing time, especially knowing coach Carlo Recalcati's thoughts about playing youngsters. It must have been Datome's improvements in all aspects of the game that impressed him. Although not showing much consistency, which is fully understandable for a young guy playing his first pro season, Datome recorded some very nice games. He shows no fear and always tries hard to contribute, earning a spot in Siena's already deep rotation, and currently averaging 18 minutes per game in the Italian League.

It's interesting how Datome, who has a 'workhorse' reputation and seems very mature for his age, is successfully completing the transition into becoming a small forward, improving in all the required facets of his game. His shot is yet not consistent enough, but he seems to have a soft touch and in the future could become a capable threat from the perimeter. His release has become quicker, too. Datome’s court vision and basketball IQ are good as well, as he seems to know what to do in most situations and displays decent passing skills.

His athleticism is excellent, running the floor like a deer, and showing a very good first step and an impressive vertical leap. His body still hasn't fully developed though; he's still skinny and can get outmuscled by stronger opponents. He also needs to improve his ball-handling skills in order to take better advantage of his physical tools to beat his man off the dribble.

On the defensive end, he has all the tools to become a defensive stopper at the 3 spot, but is lacking experience. Right now he tries hard, but needs to stay more focused and still suffers a bit when the game gets physical.

It is still too early to start thinking about an American future for him, as he's still a project. He's well ahead in the process of becoming a small forward compared to former Italian draft prospect Stefano Mancinelli at the same age, and he could very well have NBA potential. Time will tell, since we're talking about a player born in 1987...

The European Junior (U-18) Championships: The Small Forwards

Luis Fernández
Luis Fernández
Aug 23, 2005, 03:26 am
Even if Gallinari stole the show in the later and most important games, Datome was the consistent leader that showed Italy the way to the semifinals. If we had to choose one word to describe this small forward, it would be “scorer”. He has a fantastic instinct to put the ball in the basket in various ways. Two years before, in the European Cadet Championships of Rivas, he was indeed the top scorer of the tournament. He couldn’t repeat this achievement in Belgrade, finishing fifth this time, but he continues to look like a very nice prospect.

At 6-8, Datome has the right size to play the three spot, while enjoying a decent frame to gain the strength required to play there. He shows nice athleticism, displaying quickness in his movements and being able to play above the rim. We could say that everything is in place for him regarding his physical gifts.

As for his game, Datome is an aggressive player who is very active on the court. He looks for points with either his jumper or penetrations, indeed many times with the combination of both. His favorite play is probably to put the ball on the floor attacking his rival to set up a mid-range shot off the dribble. He enjoys a nice first step and good ball-handling skills for a forward. He can try to beat his matchup on either side, although he probably feels more comfortable going to his left to release a right-handed shot. He’s difficult to stop as he delivers a real jumper, therefore with a high release, also being able to perform a fade away movement if it’s necessary, being rather effective nevertheless. In general, Datome has quite an ability to make wild and complicated shots, even one-handed attempts in the mid-range area, being capable also to perform mid-hook shots near the basket. He’s also a nice shooter from behind the arc, but this time there’s a difference in accuracy from his static shots to his off-the-dribble attempts.

Passing the ball isn’t his best strength, but he’s a smart player who commits few mistakes. He seems to feature the right attitude, playing the game with passion. The aggressiveness we talked about regarding his offensive game is also translated to the rebounding department, showing also very good positioning, which made him the best rebounding wing player at the tournament. On defense, he was another good piece in the Italian system. He has the tools not to suffer against higher competition.

Perhaps Luigi doesn’t enjoy any off-the-charts attribute when we talk about NBA potential, but he decently fills the bill in every major department: his size and general physical set, his athleticism, his intensity on court and character, and his array of skills, all is accurate to play high level basketball. Which at the same time means that he shouldn’t relax for a minute in his development, as he doesn’t feature any outstanding characteristic to make up for the eventual flaws in his game that will come out as the competition stiffens.

Zaragoza, The Best of the Rest: Frontcourt

Luis Fernández
Luis Fernández
Sep 09, 2004, 01:00 am
The first thing you notice about this guy's game is his great instict to score. Indeed, he was last year the top scorer at the European Cadet Championship. Datome has played a lot of power forward given the lack of big men in the Italian Team, but he looks completely like a three. He's athletic, showing nice quickness and vertical leap, and loves to run the court. With the ball in his hands, he will look first to shoot or to penetrate. He has a consistent mid-range game, including great free-throw percentajes, and can also make treys, although he's rather streaky from that distance. He likes to shoot off the dribble, although he fires from static positions too, specially from the three-point area. In Zaragoza, being defended frequently by big (therefore usually slow) men, he tried many times to drive to the basket. He has a decent first step and handles enough to do it by both the right and left side, although he feels much more comfortable going to the right. Then, depending on the situation, he can stop midway to go for the jumper, or try to reach the basket, or feed a mate given the chance. Despite being a shoot-first pass-later player, he doesn't force situations, passing the ball decently. You still can see his power forward instincts by the way he looks for the offensive rebound and his nice timing blocking shots. His long arms are a good help. On defense, he usually had to fight with bigger men, trying his best in one-on-one defense, although being a little bit lazy on rotations. With their small line-up, Italy played also a lot of zone defenses. So in the end, I'm not sure about his ability to stop quick wing players with his lateral defensive movement.

Anyway, Datome is an interesting player. He has very nice upside, but nothing out-of-the-charts in my opinion. He was one of the youngest players among the tournament, and you could notice by his thin body. He's the kind of guy you can see easily develop into a very good Euro baller, but beyond that, the odds are considerably lower.

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