Semen Antonov

Undersized power forward Semen Antonov made a very good impression in this tournament, being a consistent scoring presence for his Russian team and coming up with several truly excellent games.

Antonov shows a very strong and developed frame, not being a great athlete but still being capable of making plays around the rim. He runs the floor pretty well and does a good job of getting the most of his physical tools, even if he may not be the most agile player in the world. He’s fairly limited in the low post if he needs to create shots for himself, but finishes at a good percentage inside (58% 2P) thanks to his good hands and balance.

The best part of Antonov’s game comes when he can receive the ball close to the basket and go up with a power move. He also possesses a reliable shooting stroke, especially from the mid-range area, even if he can also step out and knock down 3-pointers. He attempted almost three shots per game from beyond the arc, converting on a streaky 33%. He did a good job knocking down his free throws as well at 76%.

His passing skills aren’t at that same level unfortunately, resulting in him accumulating three turnovers per game. Nonetheless, he appears to have a good feel for the game, and generally looks to be aware of his limitations. As an added bonus, he sets very good screens.

Antonov is an above average rebounder at this level of competition, even if there is room for improvement if he’d be willing to box out all the time. On defense he can’t rely on great footspeed, but he does bring toughness and intensity, which helps him compensate much in that area. Still he’s not much of an intimidator around the rim, and his excellent strength should allow him to do a better job defending in the post. Sometimes he got backed down too easily instead of trying to hold his ground on the block.

Antonov will really need to work hard to overcome his limited size. If he can improve on some of his other weak points, he should have a very nice future ahead of him at the professional level.