RBK Treviso Eurocamp 2006: A First Look June 12, 2006 Ponkrashov was billed in advance as one of the most interesting players to see in the camp. He has had his coming out party last summer by playing a decisive role in Russia’s triumph in the U-20 European Championships, and he even made it to the Senior National Team for the 2005 Eurobasket. This last season, he earned major playing time in the Russian SuperLeague with Spartak St. Petersburg.
Anyway, contrary to Marquinhos, Ponkrasov is a real playmaker in spite of his 6-7 size (listed here as 6-8 with shoes), and his body that looks like that of a forward’s. He sees the court really well, easily being the best passer of the camp, at least from what the competition allows the players to show. In the end, with everybody constantly going up and down the court, and offenses lasting a few seconds, it’s hard to evaluate the players’ ability to distribute the ball and set the proper game rhythm. So for Anton, much more than distributing the ball, it has been a matter of delivering the definitive pass, where he has succeeded by showing excellent court vision and timing dishing the ball, both in the set offense and in transition.
Ponkrashov is a quicker player than his physical build would suggest. He has a surprisingly mature and quite strong body, with broad shoulders, more like what power forwards show at these early ages (he’s only 20 years old after all). His lateral defensive movement is not bad, but still he suffers staying in front of quick guards, even if he delivers pretty good intensity. Also, his size doesn’t help him to handle the ball comfortably whenever he’s defended by a small, quick and aggressive player, although he rarely gives up the ball.
Left handed, Anton looked a bit predictable when he slashed to the hoop. Driving to the left, chances are he will try to finish himself with a long layup; if he drives to the right, he usually settles for either a reverse move to regain his left or a pass. His perimeter shooting looked reliable, even off the dribble, rounding quite an intriguing skill set. [Read Full Article]
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