Ersin Demir

If there's a obvious rotational piece for the Bucks already, it's Rafael Castro. He should find minutes in Milwaukee's frontcourt. Moves tremendously well for a seven-footer. Tremendous hands, which he proves again with 4 steals.

Make that a 33-piece from Soliman, on top of his 12 boards and 5 stocks. Still a few minutes left. Breath-taking performance.He's making up for a inconsistent tournament today.

France is destroying Canada at the moment. Surprising to say the least. Nathan Soliman (15 & 7 so far) is the star of the show. #FIBAU17

Taylor Hendricks with a fantastic transition dime to Cameron Boozer. I'm so happy he's at a rebuilding Grizzlies squad now. I'm banking on him to be a impactful player for them this season.

For every JUCO coach looking to add a starting point guard, Donald Watts III is your guy. I vouch for him. Shot selection needs work, but his ability to run the offense is the value you're getting. Contact him @DonaldWattsIII1

College coaches: if you're looking for a head start in terms of knowing international prospects before they turn into mainstream names -- Ersin's NBA Draft Newsletter will bring great value to your decision-making. At $6/month or $60/year, you get full access to all articles.

Darius Karutasu has been putting up a All-Tournament level performance for Türkiye at the FIBA U17 World Cup. 26.0 PTS | 10.2 REB | 2.8 STL on 55.7%/45.5%/81.8% I wrote about the wonderkid almost two years ago here: edemirnba.substack.com/p/internationa… (Paid article)

@SalihKa68367338 @scout1spects Ergin Ataman has to promote them to the senior squad and keep them there for years to come. If Kutluay tightens his handles + develop counters against the hard-hedges and blitzes thrown at him, he's going to be a top point guard in the NBA. Next season will determine everything.

@scout1spects @EDemirNBA I dont think that either. I even dare to claim that we wont see them in the youth section anymore.

Congratulations to Serbia. Fantastic halfcourt defense. They kept hedging and blitzing Kutluay who stood out with his P&R playmaking. They kept fouling him but it didn't lead to a comfortable comeback No hard feelings toward Briant with the moving screen. That decided everything

@coachnatebdraft Morez Johnson's physicality and motor are unmatched. He's by far the best prospect in this class on that end. But what are his offensive weapons? That's the question he'll mostly have to answer. If everything clicks, he's going to be an All-Star in the future.

What real edge(s) does Caleb Wilson have over Morez? Handle and passing for sure But what else? How bankable is the shot for Caleb compared to Morez, from anywhere on the floor (not just from 3)? How possible is it Morez ends up the better player?

Can't wait to visit New York City again. If someone tells you it's unsafe, don't believe them. New Yorkers were the most kind folks I've encountered outside The Netherlands. Especially in Brooklyn. That's where I had the most fun. Plus: the food is elite!

@SalihKa68367338 Cani sagolsun abi. Iyi mac cikardi ama cok raw maalesef

Besir o hatayi yapmasaydi biz bu maci cevirmistik ama iste uzunlarin bu kadar ham olmasi bir yerde patliyor.

@plotloser He was tremendous. The physicality difference in crunch time never made it a question for Serbia. Kutluay was cooking in the second half but those threes that all missed early in the game cost this team the chances to win The crowd was great. Happy how this u17 team was embraced

@EDemirNBA Miladinovic was the decisive factor in my opinion, his mobility, length, and strength on defence completely changes the game. When he's off, Kusturica has to keep an eye on the paint, and Bjelica gets into foul trouble quickly

@scout1spects Besir's defense on the perimeter was legit. I think he has NBA potential but he's still very raw. Motor and fluidity definitely puts him on all high-major college radars. We missed Noyan Tolan on the wing today. He was going to be the Kusturica stopper. Heart-breaking injury.

@EDemirNBA Beşir had some big moments in this game though. Hustling, grabing some tough rebs, playing a good defense. The result in youth competitions is still less important than producing players for the senior NT, and you'll certainly have some good pros from this generation.

First half too many open threes that missed. But take away Kutluay and Karutasu and we simply didn't have the personnel to beat this loaded Serbia squad. I wish them the best of luck against Team USA tomorrow. For us it's getting the bronze medal on our own home floor.

@Barlowe500 Feel like this team has at least six dudes who can step up when the team needs them to. I'm all-in on Beckham Black. Game looks too easy for him, even today shots not falling but he's responding with 5 steals.

@EDemirNBA Hahah. I knew you were trippin when I saw that post. USA really doesn’t turn up until gold medal game. Better than the team with AJ and Boozer and Stokes?

It won't surprise me if Australia wins the FIBA U17 World Cup. They have quality on all positions and will give every other top team a serious fight. Today's win against Serbia was them making a statement. Yahya Basaran is a name to watch.

@Barlowe500 My take aged like milk haha. This Team USA is simply elite. If Black and Boumtje Boumtje play bad, 3-4 other dudes will step up. Best U17 team I've seen since doing this line of work.

@EDemirNBA Over USA?

Never been more excited for a youth team game than tonight's battle against Srbija. Ömer Kutluay and Darius Karutasu are playing like high lottery picks. Hopefully we'll see them get minutes with the senior team this summer as well.

It's sad to see how much the media is working overtime to ruin Jaylen Brown's reputation. Let's hope the city of Philadelphia will embrace him and give him the treatment he deserves.