TREVISO, Italy -- Lucas Nogueira performed well during the first day of adidas Eurocamp, and perhaps even a bit better than expected. The competition level is always to be taken into account, but he showed a maturity on the floor and a controlled athleticism that made it easy to see why he’s projected as a first round draft choice.
“It went as I had planned,” Nogueira told NBCSports.com on Sunday, with the help of some translation assistance from his agent, Aylton Tesch. “I just tried to show what I could bring to an NBA team, which is protecting the rim, finishing plays at the rim, and running the floor. Just showing my athleticism. I feel comfortable (with how it went), but I know I have a lot of room for growth.”
The translation piece was a bit odd, considering a team source said that they were able to interview Nogueira completely in English. But speaking to the media in a second language can be a trickier proposition, so the precautionary measure wasn’t exactly a surprise.
Even with the translating happening, it was clear that Nogueira understood the majority of what was being said in English, and came across as relaxed, comfortable, and intelligent.
As far as areas where he needs to improve, Nogueira seemed to be aware of what scouts have been saying about him -- especially as it relates to his size.
“Defense,” he said. “My vision of the court, and post defense. Because before I can block a shot, the offensive player will try to bang in the post. That comes into my physicality, and I’ll need to bulk up a little more. I’m also working on being more aggressive on the boards.”
The only real knock on Nogueira from scouts and NBA executives is his lack of muscle, which comes with it questions of whether or not he’ll be able to add the necessary bulk to be effective competing against bigs at the professional level. But Nogueira believes his overall talent should be able to overcome questions about his size.
“I will look to develop my body,” he said. “But at the same time, there’s something that I bring to the game that no one else does.”
Nogueira’s agent chimed in and stated the obvious -- that knocking younger players for having a slender frame is a bit silly, considering that’s the case for most prospects, especially the ones like Nogueira who approach being seven feet tall.
“He’s just 20 years old,” Tesch said. “I think he could end up having the body of like a Jermaine O’Neal or a Joakim Noah. They may not have broad shoulders, but you can see how they were able to fill in.”
Besides the physical development, Nogueira knows that he needs to continue to develop as a player. Interestingly enough, he seems fine with doing that either in Europe or the states, depending on what the team that drafts him believes will ultimately be the best course of action.
“I think that the teams play a major role in the development of young players,” Tesch said. “We’re not here to force any NBA team to take him, because he’s still 20 years old. We know that he has to develop a lot, so we have to have a team on board with that to help him through this process, whether it takes a year or two more years in Europe, that’s fine. He’d still be just 22 at that point, so there’s plenty of time.”
Nogueira maintains a positive outlook on it all, and just seems to want to be drafted by an organization that will take the time necessary to invest in his future.
“I’ll leave that up to the team that picks me,” he said. “I’m flexible about going back to Europe, or staying in the NBA depending on what they feel is best. I just want a team that has a plan for me that I can follow.”
