2025 NBA Draft: How Izan Almansa Looked In NBL Season Debut

Izan Almansa made his NBL debut for Perth.

Feb 18, 2024; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Team ELY guard Trevelin Queen (21) of the Osceola Magic shoots the ball defended by Team BallIsLife forward Izan Almansa (33) G League Ignite during the G-League Next Up game at Indiana Convention Center. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images / Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images

The NBL regular season is off and running as we have had almost every team in the NBL has played a game. One of the most interesting prospects Izan Almansa had a really impressive debut in limited minutes. Let’s dive into his positives and negatives.

Almansa came off the bench in his first game of the season for the Perth Wildcats. This was expected because he’s a young prospect that is brand new to a squad that’s looking to win right now. Nonetheless the Spanish prospect looked quite impressive in his debut. What stood out the most was his defensive versatility and ability to defend out in space effectively.

There were multiple times where Almansa switched a ball-screen and contained the ball-handlers off the dribble. He does so many things well on defense that it makes him an awesome defensive prospect despite not having an elite defensive skill. 

The motor and effort was there which is good to see from a young big man playing in such a physical league. He still needs to add strength and weight if he plans on playing center at the next level though. Offensively he looked fine as made some simple passes and nice touch shots around the rim.

He’s not someone that has elite athleticism, physical tools or great upside, but he’s someone who does so many things well that he will almost always be guaranteed to make winning plays when he’s on the court on either end of the floor.

If he becomes a better floor spacer or overall scorer then he undoubtedly will be in first round conversations yet again. Almansa dropped ten points, one rebound and one steal in his debut in a total of 14 minutes of action. We should all be excited to see what he has in store for the rest of the season.

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