A player we covered in considerable depth last season, Pablo Aguilar opted not to stay in the NBA draft after declaring in late April. He was having a tremendous year for CB Granada at this point last year, and while he hasn't performed poorly for the new team he was loaned to after being signed by Real Madrid this summer--CAI Zaragozahe hasn't been quite as productive either.
The biggest change for Aguilar from last season has been the role he plays offensively. 68% of his field goal attempts now come from 3-point range, as opposed to last year, where less than half of his shots were from behind the arc. Though he has a good-looking stroke, his shooting percentages from long-range have dipped considerably this year, from to 36.4% to a much less flattering 31.8%. For a player who relies so heavily on his perimeter stroke as almost his sole source of offensive production, this is a devastating development. Last season Aguilar would mix up his game a bit more and get himself to the free throw line on occasion. This year, he's attempted only 9 free throws in 213 minutes.
Closer to the rim, many of the things that we noted about Aguilar's last season game remain true, even if his usage is down. He's a very smart passer, can catch and finish, and will play within the team concept, but he doesn't create his own shot, isn't dynamic with his dribble, and hasn't been a factor on the glass since he's been pigeon-holed as a one-dimensional spot-up shooter of sorts. Aguilar's already underwhelming rebounding rate is down even further from last season, which likely makes him even less attractive to NBA teams.
We can draw similar conclusions about his defensive ability. He's competitive, and his high basketball IQ allows him to be in the right place at the right time more often than not, but it's questionable how he's fare against bigger power forwards, and his lateral quickness could be a major concern on the perimeter at the NBA level. Scouts question his toughness and ability to make his mark in traffic and on the glass, two areas where Aguilar's lack of assertiveness limits him severely.
Though Aguilar has not been quite as good this season as he was last year, he's still a quality role-player who does all of the little things. He's unfortunately not playing very well in his draft-eligible year, but he could still garner some NBA attention thanks to his ability to stretch the floor from the power forward spot.
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