If not featuring the very most intriguing prospects, the point guard position probably delivered the largest amount of interesting players in these championships. It especially deserves to be mentioned the splendid 1989-born generation, a year where, for the moment, point guards seem to be en vogue.
Zygimantas Janavicius
Lithuania, PG, 6-3, 02/20/1989; 12.8 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 5.3 apg
Janavicius was the best point guard in the championship, being rightfully rewarded with a spot in the all-tournament team. A first-year junior, he led Lithuania to the final with an impressive display, especially for a kid as young as him. Last year, in the European U-16 Championships, he had already shined playing on a very talented team that made it to the semifinals, and he has managed to reproduce that leading role, even improving it, while playing against older guys. He has certainly made nice strides in the last year.
The basics of Janavicius game revolves around splitting defenses and dishing the ball to his teammates. In this fashion, he ended up as the clear-cut assist leader in the tournament, although he eventually might have forced a bit too much looking for a way to the basket. Still, in general he has succeeded setting the tempo of the game, running when needed, sharing the ball, and showing good criteria.
The Lithuanian point guard enjoys a nice physical profile. He has good size for his position, nice strength considering his age and not a bad frame, while his body still shows some decent potential to keep developing. Janavicius is a quick player, with some explosiveness, not a superb leaper or a tremendous athlete, but with the tools to potentially hold on in top competition.
A very good ball-handler, he can consistently beat his matchups using either hand, showing nice footwork and body control while quickly slashing towards the basket. Very left-handed when it comes to finishing around the rim, Janavicius barely uses his right unless hes fully open, which sometimes causes him troubles when he faces opposition going by his right and hasnt found anybody to send the ball to. Thats usually his first option (definitely when he goes to his right), to pass the ball to some open mate taking advantage of the defensive moves that his penetrations cause. Hes well aware of the situation of his teammates, feeding equally well somebody in the paint or another one on the three-point line, even on the weak side.
Shooting is another realistic option. Hes pretty good coming off the dribble from the mid-range area, where he looks rather smooth and comfortable transforming his quickness into his left-handed jumper. Hes also reliable from three-point land, where he can also fire off the dribble. All in all, he shows good mechanics, not awfully quick, but neither slow.
On defense, hes a solid guy, with nice lateral movement, who keeps his hands active on help defense to steal balls.
His talent and excellent performance, as well as the lack of a reliable replacement off the bench, made him indispensable on court for Lithuania. The semifinal against Turkey was good proof, as after being fouled out still with a few minutes left in the clock, Lithuania started burning a wealthy lead playing totally out of control, and risking a game that they had virtually won.
The basics of Janavicius game revolves around splitting defenses and dishing the ball to his teammates. In this fashion, he ended up as the clear-cut assist leader in the tournament, although he eventually might have forced a bit too much looking for a way to the basket. Still, in general he has succeeded setting the tempo of the game, running when needed, sharing the ball, and showing good criteria.
The Lithuanian point guard enjoys a nice physical profile. He has good size for his position, nice strength considering his age and not a bad frame, while his body still shows some decent potential to keep developing. Janavicius is a quick player, with some explosiveness, not a superb leaper or a tremendous athlete, but with the tools to potentially hold on in top competition.
A very good ball-handler, he can consistently beat his matchups using either hand, showing nice footwork and body control while quickly slashing towards the basket. Very left-handed when it comes to finishing around the rim, Janavicius barely uses his right unless hes fully open, which sometimes causes him troubles when he faces opposition going by his right and hasnt found anybody to send the ball to. Thats usually his first option (definitely when he goes to his right), to pass the ball to some open mate taking advantage of the defensive moves that his penetrations cause. Hes well aware of the situation of his teammates, feeding equally well somebody in the paint or another one on the three-point line, even on the weak side.
Shooting is another realistic option. Hes pretty good coming off the dribble from the mid-range area, where he looks rather smooth and comfortable transforming his quickness into his left-handed jumper. Hes also reliable from three-point land, where he can also fire off the dribble. All in all, he shows good mechanics, not awfully quick, but neither slow.
On defense, hes a solid guy, with nice lateral movement, who keeps his hands active on help defense to steal balls.
His talent and excellent performance, as well as the lack of a reliable replacement off the bench, made him indispensable on court for Lithuania. The semifinal against Turkey was good proof, as after being fouled out still with a few minutes left in the clock, Lithuania started burning a wealthy lead playing totally out of control, and risking a game that they had virtually won.