| Paulao Prestes |
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| Team: CB Murcia, International |
| Physicals | Positions | Rankings | Salary | Misc |
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H: 6' 10"
W: 265 lbs
Bday: 02/15/1988
(21 Years Old)
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Current: C
NBA: C
Possible: C
| Rank 13 in International '88
| Agent: Herb Rudoy
PULLED OUT
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High School:
Hometown: Monte Aprazivel, Brazil
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| Basic Per Game Statistics - Comprehensive Stats - Statistical Top 25s |
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|  Roundup: Tsintsadze at his Best
January 23, 2008
It looks like the LEB Plata (Spanish third division), the league where Paulao Prestes regularly plays, was too weak for the Brazilian center. This past weekend he had 21 points, 14 rebounds and 4 blocks to lead Auxarquia (a team linked with his rights holders--Unicaja) over Ourense. He actually averages 17.1 points and 9.9 rebounds throughout the season. So pretty much dominating the minors, Prestes has lately been given the chance to enjoy some playing time in the Euroleague with Unicaja, taking advantage to deliver a few productive performances. This past week, he had 9 points and 5 rebounds in only 13 minutes of action. The guy is a stat stuffer, as he already showed in the past U-19 World Championships.
Where does his productivity come from? It mostly revolves around his strength, and his knowledge and willingness to use it. Prestes is a very strong player, with decent size (listed 6-10 barefoot, it looks more like his size with shoes) and a great wingspan. He’s also a physical guy, especially on the offensive end, strong on his knees, and able to easily hold position down low. He’s not very athletic, but he’s quite coordinated, showing nice mobility and running the court decently.
The Brazilian is a center all the way on both ends of the court. When it comes to scoring, he feels more comfortable the closer he gets to the basket. If he steps out to the perimeter, it will be to receive and pass the ball or to set a pick. He always continues his screens by rolling towards the basket. He does a good job moving off the ball and looks active trying to establish position on the low block. Once having received the ball there, he likes to work with his left shoulder trying to release the ball with his right hand, ultimately becoming pretty predictable. He’s pretty effective scoring around the basket, but doesn’t really enjoy a traditional hook shot. It’s more like a very short one-handed shot that he takes almost completely facing the basket, and often using the glass. If he’s not close enough to the basket, he will likely pass the ball back to the perimeter or go for a turnaround jumper with mixed results, particularly inconsistent if he tries any kind of fade-away move. Pretty solid from the charity stripe, Paulao shows fluid mechanics that likely translate in a decent-to-nice mid-range jumper, but he’s not very prolific in this department just yet.
Prestes has been able to regularly deliver his offensive stuff in the LEB Plata, where there’s limited size, while squads like Le Mans or Armani Jeans Milano in the Euroleague (against whom he has been productive) don’t precisely stand out for having big centers or great inside power. It remains to be seen how he fares against bigger opponents, if he will be able to release his shots over his rivals relying on his wingspan as he does now.
Defense is another area where he draws mixed feelings. On the positive side, his strength allows him to battle in the paint against any player, also showing nice positioning and attitude. However, he’s not particularly quick moving laterally, and struggles when he’s forced to step out on the perimeter, while he’s not much of an intimidator. A skilled or big match-up will be able to score over him, as he’s not that big for a center, and barely gets off his feet from standstill positions.
To summarize, we don’t see great NBA potential in him. Besides working as much as possible on conditioning, he needs to gain versatility on the offensive end, working with his left hand in the low post, developing more effective shots against bigger players, establishing a solid mid-range jumper, and trying to make up for his defensive shortcomings with more physical defense. Anyway, he looks like a very solid player in the making for the European scene.
 [Read Full Article]
U-19 World Championship Review: Big Men
August 29, 2007
Overcoming the loss of Vitor Faverani, Paulao Prestes emerged in this tournament as one of the most dominant inside players. A strong and physical big man, at this level Prestes is a dangerous weapon that his intensity and character on court takes care of promoting. Actually, he even took care of yelling his teammates whenever he was not happy about something they did.
Paulao is a very inside guy, who does most of the damage in the surroundings of the basket. He easily gains position down low and asks for the ball to play in the post. Not the most skilled guy there, still he shows effective moves where the good use of his strong body stands out. Prestes loves using contact to gain advantages against his weaker rivals. He does not enjoy a great soft touch around the basket, but can settle for right-handed hooks, short turnaround jumpers or just overpower his rivals on his way to a layup. He was the foundation of the Brazilian game as his sole presence balanced their inside-outside game, and provided more opportunities for his teammates. Actually, he did a pretty nice job finding the open man on the perimeter from the low post, even on the weak side.
Defensively, he is pretty physical down low, although he suffers against more mobile defenders. He is not particularly athletic, and his lateral quickness is just average. On the other hand, he is pretty effective gaining position for the rebound, and he showed a certain nose to grab it, gaining massive production as a result. Anyway, his potential seems limited by the fact that, at 6-10, with his athleticism and his center-oriented skills, he is an undersized guy.
[Read Full Article]
U-19 World Championship: It’s Serbia!
July 26, 2007
The championship’s top scorer, with 23 points per game, and rebounder averaging 14.7 captures (the only player in double digits in this department!) while leading Brazil into the semifinals, Paulao Prestes was definitely a monster in the paint and the centerpiece of his team’s success, much more than just a stat filler.
His battle with Andrew Ogilvy in the quarterfinals was a definite highlight in the championship. The best centers face to face. Ogilvy might be taller than the 6-10 Brazilian, but Paulao is a stronger player, more physical, and he took advantage of it.
 | | Paulao strong on the paint |
Ogilvy suffered on defense to contest the physical attacks coming from Prestes. The Brazilian player is not a finesse player in the low post; his repertoire of moves is limited, but he uses his strong body pretty well to get the job done, and the Aussie is not the most physical defender around. Paulao also won the battle in the rebounding area, easily gaining the best position thanks to his massive body. On the other hand, Ogilvy abused him by putting the ball on the floor to beat Paulao off the dribble using his superior quickness. Prestes is pretty slow in terms of lateral mobility, which combined with his skill repertoire, leaves his options pretty narrow positional-wise: he’s a center all the way, not greatly athletic and a bit undersized at 6-10.
But it was still enough to result in domination in many stretches in this tournament.
[Read Full Article]
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