Scouting Report and Video Analysis: George de Paula

George de Paula

Age: 21

Team: Paulistano

NBB per game stats: 10.9 points, 4.1 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 1.2 steals, 0.4 blocks, 2.2 turnovers, 37.1% FG, 32.6% 3PT and 75.5% FT in 27.1 minutes.

Position:

Listed Position: Point Guard

Offensive Versatility: Combo Guard

Defensive Versatility: Tall guard who can switch in every perimeter position

Archetype: Defensive Tolls + Non-Shooter

Physical Measurements:

Height: 6'6"

Wingspan: 7'0"

Weight: 201 pounds

Team Context

Georginho played the whole season through Paulistano, that currently is disputing NBB finals, firts division of brazilian basketball domestic league. The team was the sixth placed in regular season and is coached by Gustavo di Conti, one of the most respected coaches of the country. Due to budget limitations, Paulistano’s investment was aimed in young guys coming from other clubs (Georginho and Lucas Silva from Pinheiros, Yago Matheus from Palmeiras), surrounded by some veterans in big and forward positions, besides Arthur Pecos, which was already part of the roster.

He was listed the whole season as starter point guard, being one of the featured player in the roster, however with lower performance in the final part of the season. Usually he started the matches as lead guard, surrounded by shooters like Lucas Dias and Hure playing in the max space possible. Howerer, the sixth man was Arthur Pecos, a ball dominant playmaker point guard, who took the ball out of his hands. In this case, Georginho was secondary playmaker.

Defensive Tools and Current Impact

Georginho has impressive measures at any level considering his guard position, possessing the largest wingspan in Draft Express Database, elite size and huge hands. In NBB, he is taller than most guards in 4–6 inches, beyond albatross length. Considering that his lateral agility is respectable, it’s a impressive prospect in physical tools.

About the use of his tools, George is a bit timid, he lacks notion about his size and length and not always use his tools to frighten matchups, different from Frank Ntilikina, with similar physical measures, but best rated for the scouts. For NBB guards, is too dificult to shot over him, beyond size and length offer versatility to play in shooting guard/small forward positions in offensive end, also suggesting defensive versatility and switch potencial.

That said, Georginho is far from elite level defender, very raw in some spots, with a few polished skills at this stage of development. In Pick-and-Roll D, has difficulty to battle against screener, he prefers to contour the screen, but with a bad tecnique, giving advantages to ballhandler. When he tries to battle against the screen, usually he dies due his lack of strenght and tecnique.

Off the ball he is relatively worse. Due his lack of strength and awareness in displacements between screens, he is killed in screens and give to dynamic shooters a lot of of space.

Sometimes he lacks attention in transition D. Look at this play: Inattentive, he backs to defense with his head down and Ronald Ramon has time and space to shot an open transition 3.

Another inattentive play: He is defending Basquete Cearense’s wing in the corner, but few steps away, trusting in his wingspan to contest the shot. When Henrique Coelho drives, Georginho enters in the paint and the shooter has time and space to shot open 3. This help defense is a bit exaggerated, Coelho isn’t a slasher, already had a center in the help and the opposing big wasn’t roll hard to the rim.

The lacks of strength also make him a target in switches versus centers. He can’t battle for space in the paint.

In individual defense, he not always slide his feet quick enough to stay in front of faster guards. Probably his lateral agility is overrated, besides not being so explosive.

Playmaking

In offensive end, George’s best skill is his playmaking ability. He’s not that agressive player, he doesn’t usually force plays for himself and likes to involve his teammates. He does his best in transition, with long strides and good speed in open court, he keeps head up to assist or finish and still has flashes of advanced ballhanding.

About his passing arsenal, he uses his size advantage to see over the top and is capable to control de pace in Pick-and-Roll and see spaces for shooters, good in drive-and-kicks, using his long strides to find spaces and kickout.

Paulistano run few plays to position him in low post and use his size to work as post playmaker.

Although he does better as lead guard, he not usually holds the ball in his hands and has quick reasoning to do extra passes or antecipate the D seeing cutters.

Georginho still had flashes that he can create without a ball screen, keeping head up to feed shooters and even already did hook passes.

However, his Assist/TO rate isn’t impressive for several issues. His ballhandling need to improve in tight spaces and he’s not confortable against pressure D, tending to force long passes without direction that generate turnovers, and sometimes drives without a plan. He needs to improve his decision making to raise his playmaking ability to another level.

Creating for Himself

In terms of scoring polish, he’s is very raw. By lack of advanced ball control and elite explosiveness, not always create separation and doesn’t yet have strenght and finesse to finish at the rim as slasher. He tends to drive left (he is left-handed), but still need learn to absord contact and change his body in mid-air. Also he’s not an agressive player in dribble penetration, something that could be better considering NBB athletic level. When he can attack the basket with space even dunk over people and has a considerable first step.

In mismatches situations, he lacks of wiggle and advanced ball control to shake the bigs, not always his fluidity and long strides are enough.

His mid-range game is pratically non existent at this stage, he shows no touch in floaters and ability to stop in a dime and shot.

In this play, Georginho has space to shot or try a runner, but he kill his dribble and force the pass to the big that was blocked.

In this another play, Arthur Pecos pass to him and he immediatly attack the closeout, but without space to operate he stepbacks. At this moment, the ideal would be shot, but he isn’t confident and force a difficult pass to the big and make the turnover.

If he hesitate to much in mid-range, this is different in 3-point range. He likes to pull up both right and left if D sag off with agressiveness, with mixed results due his low percentages game by game.

His shooting form is historically considered a weakness, even though he is improving. The mechanics is slow and has a low release point, a bit robotic, which limits his dynamism as shooter, look at slow motion:

Even in catch-and-shot his shot isn’t consistent, not always in the same form, needs time and space. He’s not a options spacing the floor or running off screen, defense tends to ignore him off the ball. He didn’t show instincts as cutter to overcome this.

Because his physical tools, upside on D and efficient passing, probably Georginho have value in second round, but his game still need major improvements to do impact in NBA. Tall and long guards has been valuable in the league, from more established players like George Hill and Shaun Livingston to young guys like Dante Exum, Emanuel Mudiay, DeJounte Murray, Wade Baldwin and Frank Ntilikina. In the current scenario, George is secound-rounder, but with tools to grow and develop in time.