Michael Rataj playing in FIBA U20
Jul 18, 2022 12:57:43 GMT -8
sonomabeav, aicandme, and 1 more like this
Post by beaverstever on Jul 18, 2022 12:57:43 GMT -8
Played Turkey and lost by 1 on a terrible foul call against Rataj to set up Turkey's winning free throws. Rataj had an impressive 4th quarter, where he largely led a comeback from down 15 to take the lead.
Turkey has Adem Bona, who is a 5-star recruit that UCLA got over Kentucky. He's surely a 1-and-done given is extremely rare size and athleticism combo, and was clearly the best player on the floor. Rataj got rotated onto him pretty often, and handled his own against him well. To me Rataj looked like the player with the most upside on the floor outside of Bona.
I'm pretty happy with Rataj - seems like a good get. His game is a bit raw, particularly some of his angles and decision-making, but he's been taught the right way to play the game, is fundamentally sound, and is always looking for a way to help the team. He was 3rd in the team's scoring, and led the team in rebounds, steals and blocks in this game despite coming off the bench (which is puzzling to me why he's not starting). He has active hands, understands defensive rotations, and has a really good combination of size and athleticism, likes to both slash and post-up, and his 3-ball looks sound. I expect he'll contribute next year and will get minutes based on what I saw in this game.
Watch the game here, particularly recommend 4th quarter:
Turkey has Adem Bona, who is a 5-star recruit that UCLA got over Kentucky. He's surely a 1-and-done given is extremely rare size and athleticism combo, and was clearly the best player on the floor. Rataj got rotated onto him pretty often, and handled his own against him well. To me Rataj looked like the player with the most upside on the floor outside of Bona.
I'm pretty happy with Rataj - seems like a good get. His game is a bit raw, particularly some of his angles and decision-making, but he's been taught the right way to play the game, is fundamentally sound, and is always looking for a way to help the team. He was 3rd in the team's scoring, and led the team in rebounds, steals and blocks in this game despite coming off the bench (which is puzzling to me why he's not starting). He has active hands, understands defensive rotations, and has a really good combination of size and athleticism, likes to both slash and post-up, and his 3-ball looks sound. I expect he'll contribute next year and will get minutes based on what I saw in this game.
Watch the game here, particularly recommend 4th quarter:
