2024 NBA Draft: Breaking Down Izan Almansa’s Two-Way Impact

The 2024 NBA Draft cycle is well underway ever since we got a live look at G League Ignite play a couple of exhibition games in their preseason. One guy that has helped his stock more than anyone else during this summer is Izan Almansa. He played two seasons for OTE before electing to take his talents to the G League and play for Team Ignite. Almansa was extremely productive in his games versus the Perth Wildcats. Let’s dive into what makes the all-around big man a projected lottery pick.

Offense

Almansa isn’t a prospect that will go out and consistently score 20 points and make his impact with just scoring the ball. What makes him so good offensively is his all-around impact and versatility on this end of the floor. When watching him play you can just see how natural the game comes to him and his high IQ on the offensive end. The 6-foot-10 big man is a really good passer for someone at his position as he can make great passes out of the low post, short roll and other scenarios.

He does a great job of playing an unselfish style of basketball which results in his team winning games. What makes him a little unique is how effective he is with his floater inside the paint. He has a really soft touch around the rim which leaves some scouts optimistic that he could eventually develop a 3-point jumper, similar to how Al Horford did in his career. The shooting is still a work in progress but there’s hope that he eventually develops an outside jumper to help him transition into the way the NBA is evolving.

Overall Almansa is one of the more unique bigs in the draft due to how effective he is while not being some highlight machine. The way he plays is simple but super efficient which is why he’s projected to be a lottery pick and potentially even a top ten pick.

Defense

Almansa isn’t considered your typical lockdown defender or elite rim protecting big man but he’s such a good defender due to how solid he is at every aspect defensively. The mobile big man has shown he’s able to defend out in space on occasions which makes him a bit switchable which is a very valuable skill for big men to have on the defensive end.

He does a great job of defending without fouling as he’s really good at contesting shots inside the paint by staying vertical and using every inch of his standing reach. As stated above, Almansa is such a high IQ big man which is shown both offensively and defensively as he routinely is making the right play.

When watching him play it always seems like he’s making the right play which is why he has seen great success early in his career. The Spanish big man isn’t your typical two-way player but that’s what scouts love about him is how effective he is without having the ball in his hands and it’s why we could very well see him as a lottery pick in the 2024 NBA Draft.

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