|
|
|
|
|
|
| Nicolo Melli |
|---|
 |
|
|
|
|
| adidas Nations Experience 2008: European Prospects
August 16, 2008
After a somewhat disappointing performance at the Reebok Eurocamp in Treviso (going up against players far older than him we must point out), it was good to be able to see Melli compete against players in his own age group (or in this case, sometimes a year older).
The results were somewhat mixed, as Melli started off the camp very slow, but got better as it went on, showing some intriguing tools, but also quite a bit of room for improvement as is expected considering his tender age of 17.
Melli is a versatile player, capable of (and very much enjoying apparently) grabbing a rebounding and bringing the ball up-court himself. He is a good ball-handler and a solid passer, also showing a nice stroke from outside, and some very basic ability to play with his back to the basket in the post. He is pretty skilled for his size (6-9) and shows a good frame too. Athletically he is good, but definitely not great, and his touch and all-around feel for the game leave a lot of room for optimism regarding his future development.
With that said, there are definitely some concerns to share as well. Melli often looks extremely tentative on the court, going through long stretches of unproductiveness, playing very passive, even soft to a certain extent, looking afraid to throw his body around and put himself in harm’s way. This is exactly where the wide-spread comparisons with Danilo Gallinari appear to come up short. He’s a very average finisher around the basket, struggling badly in particular if asked to finish through contact, and is an even worse defender—showing concerning lateral quickness that raises serious question marks about his ability to guard the perimeter down the road. Melli is definitely stuck between the 3 and the 4 at the moment, showing the size and the frame of a PF, but the skill-set and mentality of a SF—but not enough aggressiveness or athleticism to guard either spot effectively.
Melli will continue to play for his hometown club of Reggio Emilia in the Italian second division--Lega Due—this season. Teams like Tau Vitoria and Armani Jeans Milano (amongst many others) have been linked with his signature this summer, but it appears that he’ll spend one more season getting playing time at a fairly solid level of competition.
 [Read Full Article]
U-18 European Championship: From a Distance
August 6, 2008
Much like happened with Jodar, Nicolo Melli wasn’t too much of an offensive reference for Italy. Actually, both have similarities in the sense that they are forwards placed at the four position in this category. Still, Melli looks a little bit more naturally skilled playing off the dribble. He showed the ability to put the ball on the floor with both hands, although he probably lacked aggressiveness attacking the rim and he’s not the most explosive guy around to get by his opponents. Instead, his mid-range jumper looks pretty consistent, which still can’t be said of his long-range stroke.
[Read Full Article]
2008 Reebok Eurocamp in Treviso, Days Three and Four
June 10, 2008
Also present here was 1991 born Italian Nicolo Melli, who had quite a bit of hype coming into this camp after an excellent final game in the playoffs of Lega Due (16 points and 15 rebounds). Unfortunately for him, he barely managed to show anything going up against players mostly 4-5 years older than him, looking very tentative and even apologetic on one occasion when he accidently knocked a player to the ground. He put the ball on the floor a few times with either hand, knocked down a 3-pointer in the final game, but for the most part tried to stay out of people’s way, not really seeing a great deal of playing time, but not exactly showing much to prove that he deserves more when he did step on the court.
Melli has a mature frame, and good size at 6-9 if he ever will be able to make the transition to the small forward position, but he didn’t show a great deal of athleticism or incredible upside to perhaps backup the strong reputation the preceded him. Then again, he’s only 17 years old, so clearly, time is on his side.
[Read Full Article]
| |
|
|
