Valdir Manuel

Valdir Manuel, 6'8, Sunrise Christian Academy, Angola, 1999

Jonathan Givony

Strengths:
-Long armed PF with good athleticism
-Tough guy with a big time motor. Has a huge will to make his presence felt on the court
-Consistent impact on the offensive glass. Uses quickness, length and aggressiveness to go out of his area regularly. Flies around and makes plays
-Finishes well around the basket, has some explosiveness off both one and two feet
-Shows a budding skill-level in different areas. Handles the ball in transition. Will make an occasional 3-pointer.
-Surprises you occasionally with his ability to pass the ball
-No-nonsense type of defense. Pushes guys around. Makes plays using his tools and energy.
-Only 16 years old so may still grow.

Weaknesses:
-Slightly undersized for a big man, with just an average frame
-Bull in a china shop. Doesn't always know his limitations. Tries to make everything happen all the time
-Jump-shot needs a lot of work mechanically to develop into a reliable weapon. Tends to pull the string and shoot a moon ball, with a low release.
-Shot-selection and decision making is a major work in progress.
-Plays off his instincts. Fundamentals aren't great on either end of the floor
-Doesn't always display the best body language. Take no prisoner type of attitude. Not always a willing passer

Outlook: Produced consistently at this camp, having some very impressive moments, despite being, on paper, one of the younger players in attendance. Playing high school basketball in Wichita after starting off in Texas. Should get recruited at the highest levels of college basketball. NBA potential will likely be dictated by how he evolves physically and skill-wise in the next few years.

-Valdir Manuel is the youngest player in attendance. Turning 17 in May, the Angolan center averaged 8.1 points and 7.4 rebounds at the 2014 U17 World Championship, where he played up a year. It will be interesting to track how his body has progressed, as he showed a huge wingspan, solid athleticism and the ability to make an occasional perimeter jump-shot at that tournament, but possessed a very narrow frame then and looked somewhat wild at times.