Here are eight top talents to keep an eye on at the Adidas NextGen EuroLeague Ulm
NextGen EuroLeague Ulm: Players to watch
Article
4 Mins read
The Adidas NextGen EuroLeague 2024-25 season makes its next stop this weekend in Ulm with the German city hosting the event for the first time. The tournament features past continental champions U18 FC Barcelona and U18 Zalgiris Kaunas as well as host club U18 ratiopharm Ulm, U18 ALBA Berlin, U18 Dubai Basketball, U18 LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne, U18 Olympiacos Piraeus and U18 Next Gen Team Ulm.
The teams will compete over three days at the Orange Campus in Ulm from February 7 to 9 with the goal of reaching the NextGen EuroLeague Finals, which will be played at the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Final Four in May.
Here are some of the names to look out for from the teams in Ulm.
Lukas Klein – U18 ALBA Berlin
Lukas Klein will be making his debut in the NextGen EuroLeague after moving to ALBA from Bayer Leverkusen last summer. The 2008-born big man won the German U16 JBBL league Defensive Player of the Year last season, after which he averaged 7.0 points, 6.4 rebounds and 1.7 blocks at the FIBA U16 EuroBasket 2024. This season the center is collecting 7.4 points and 6.1 rebounds in the U19 NBBL league and had two appearances in the ProB third division with Lot Bernau – eight months after playing in the U16 league. Klein still needs to add weight to his body but he is getting better every day due to his knowledge of the game, IQ and good hands.
Tomislav Vuckovic – U18 Dubai Basketball
Tomislav Vuckovic will be competing for the first time in the NextGen EuroLeague. He collected 14.4 points, 4.1 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 1.1 blocks for Croatia at the FIBA U16 EuroBasket 2024. The 2008-born Croatian moved to Dubai from KA Mrav Zagreb and had been averaging 25.4 points in the Croatian U17 league. This season he tallied 8.0 points, 4.3 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 3.3 steals in the U19 ABA League. He is a sharpshooter who understands the game and has good anticipation and athleticism.
Mathieu Grujicic – U18 FC Barcelona
Mathieu Grujicic will be playing in his third NextGen season after the 2022-23 campaign with his first big club, ALBA Berlin. The point guard, who moved to Barcelona in 2023, averaged 15.2 points and 3.0 rebounds at the Belgrade qualifier last season. He helped ALBA to the German U16 JBBL title and was the Final Four MVP. Grujicic averaged 14.9 points, 5.7 rebounds and 2.4 steals in helping Germany finish fifth at the FIBA U16 EuroBasket 2023 to help the country qualify for the FIBA U17 World Cup for the first time. This season Grujicic is one of the main leaders of the second team with 14.0 points, 5.8 rebounds and 2.2 assists - including twice in the last five games hitting 4 three-pointers. Grujicic is great at creating scoring situations on 1on1 and off screens. He has good touch near the rim and wide range in the catch-and-shoot and pull-ups. He loves to play through contact. He’s improving his ball handling to add the pick-and-roll. He also gained a lot of activity on his defense on the ball and understands off-ball positioning. Grujicic should focus on his shot selection and be regular with the basics to be the best version of himself.
Davi Remagen – U18 Next Gen Team Ulm
Davi Remagen will be making his NextGen debut. He starred for Germany at the FIBA U16 EuroBasket 2023 with 14.0 points, 3.7 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 2.1 steals. Remagen has struggled with injuries, missing the entire 2023-24 season and most of the 2020-21 and 2021-22 campaigns for the RheinStars Köln. When he was healthy, the point guard shined and won the U16 JBBL 2022-23 league MVP after averaging 31.7 points, 12.7 rebounds, 6.3 assists and 2.7 steals in the season and guiding his club to the JBBL Final Four for the first time. Back healthy for this season, he is collecting 7.4 points, 2.2 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 1.2 steals in the ProB third division this season while dominating the U19 league with 28.2 points, 5.2 rebounds, 5.0 assists and 2.6 steals. Remagen has elite scoring ability with his speed and offensive skillset. The dynamic guard has a strong explosive frame and good ball-handling, allowing him to finish through contact. He is a relentless attacker of the rim with a great motor. Remagen also has a great impact at the defensive end.
Georgios Bourneles – U18 Olympiacos Piraeus
Georgios Bourneles is one of the few Olympiacos players with past NextGen experience as he had 4.8 points and 1.8 rebounds in Paris last season. The guard has yet to play for the Greek national team, but he already made his senior team debut for Olympiacos in November against PAOK Thessaloniki. Bourneles has averaged 19.0 points with 35 percent on three-pointers, 4.4 rebounds and 4.0 assists in the Greek U18 league. Bourneles is a point guard with a very good pull up shot, reads the game very well, and is strong on defense with leadership characteristics.
Adam Atamna – U18 LDLC ASVEL Villeurbanne
Adam Atamna will be playing at his third NextGen tournament after he picked up 9.5 points, 2.5 rebounds and 1.5 steals in two games in Dubai, having been unable to show his full potential due to a broken hand. The guard played for France at the FIBA U16 EuroBasket 2023 and won bronze as he averaged 6.3 points and 1.7 assists. After dominating the French U21 league last season at age 16, Atamna was sent to play with LyonSO in the third division NM1 and is averaging 9.4 points, 2.7 rebounds and 1.9 assists. Atamna has great maturity in his game and a strong understanding of it. His main offensive weapon today is his shooting, making him a formidable attacker. He also has the ability to organize and structure the game.
Teo Milicic – U18 ratiopharm Ulm
Teo Milicic will be making his NextGen debut. He comes from a strong basketball family as his father Igor Milicic is the Polish national team head coach while his older brother Igor Milicic Jr. plays for Tennessee in the NCAA and with the Polish senior national team, and 2006-born brother Zoran Milicic plays for Ulm and was in the NextGen tournament last year. Teo helped Ulm reach the U16 JBBL league Semi-Finals last season. Milicic this season is averaging 18.8 points, 5.5 rebounds, 4.8 assists and 2.5 steals in the NBBL and 11.7 points, 3.0 rebounds and 3.1 assists in the Regionalliga fourth division. He can score in multiple ways, is extremely competitive, has a great work ethic and is a leader on the court – an extension of the coach and extremely vocal. He has a great motor at both ends and his high IQ allows him to read the game at a high level. Milicic still needs to improve his three-point shot and become more patient.
Dominykas Daubaris – U18 Zalgiris Kaunas
Dominykas Daubaris did not play in the NextGen EuroLeague last season after getting into two games in 2022-23 in Munich. The forward big man had averaged 7.0 points and 4.7 rebounds at the FIBA U16 EuroBasket 2023 but then missed all of last season with a knee injury. He has returned this season and is averaging 5.3 points and 2.1 rebounds in the NKL second division. The 2.08 meter Daubaris is a versatile stretch big with a lot of upside. His low-post presence combined with floor stretching abilities makes him a true opponent’s headache. He also has intangibles such as calmness, natural basketball IQ and solid work ethic.