Now this guy:
Leandrinho Barbosa
SHOOTING GUARD | (6-4, 185) | BRAZIL
Positives: Barbosa is considered the best player in Brazil. He's very long and an explosive athlete. The thing that has scouts buzzing is the speed at which Barbosa plays for someone his size. He's constantly attacking the basket on offense, and aggressively harassing his man on defense. With his long arms (6-foot-10 wingspan) he gets an unusual amount of steals and blocks for a point guard.
Negatives: He has an unusual hitch in his outside shot. He shoots a high percentage in Brazil, but teams are worried that he'll struggle to get it off in the pros. He can be a little wild at times. No one has a great handle on the level of competition he's been playing against in Brazil.
Summary: How quickly can Barbosa learn English? That's the biggest question in most scout's minds. One Western Conference coach claims that he loves Barbosa, but he's afraid to draft him early because of the language barrier. Your point guard must be able to communicate with the coach and his teammates. His agent has him in English lessons for two hours a day; he better make it four. He could go anwhere from the late lottery to late first round.
I did not think basketball was widely played in Brasil! I had not heard much about men's basketball in Brasil since the days of Oscar Schmidt. Is basketball widely played in Brasil?
I am glad to see it! However, it is interesting that this article points out that the language barrier is one of the biggest obstacles...I remember that being the same issue with Nene...but he sure seems to have proven them wrong....of course point guard is a much more communication driven position than forward. I hope this Leandrinho can work it out.
