Game Analysis: Tyran Stokes vs. Italy | FIBA U-17 World Cup
The Notre Dame Sherman Oaks transfer continues to make a case for top prospect in the 2026 high school class.
Tyran Stokes 🇺🇸 had his best performance of the FIBA U-17 World Cup in the final, adding 17 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists, and 4 stocks to beat Italy.
Stokes, who belongs to the high school class of 2026, is one of the best prospects in his age group. He will continue to receive plenty of attention before he goes to college.
FIBA and USAB list Stokes at 6-foot-7, but after evaluating him in person, I’d wager that he is probably more in the 6-foot-6 ballpark.
The Notre Dame Sherman Oaks prospect has a filled out, yet explosive frame, although there might be some conversations over his ideal playing weight in the years to come.
To be clear, I do not think this is holding Stokes back right now but it’s worth keeping in mind. 247 Sports has the 16-year-old at 245 pounds, while RealGM has him at 230 pounds.
Stokes is a wrecking ball when he gets downhill. The USA playmaker is armed with an explosive first step and a stocky build that allows him to play and finish through contact.
Stokes’ handle is not overly creative — and I’ve seen him have issues creating against a set half-court defense off the dribble — but, when paired with his excellent body control, his drives really stand out.
Stokes was a natural fit for the USA's transition-heavy game generated off the team's relentless defense.
He’s a powerful athlete whose strength and motor make him annoying to play against.
It’s genuinely strenuous for defenders to guard Stokes since he’ll be getting up and down the floor, calling for lobs, burying his shoulder into his marker, or using his body to carve out space.
If there’s one nitpick, it’s that Stokes’ conditioning can still improve but he’s the one tiring guys out most of the time right now. This is more so for the next level.
Stokes’ production and achievements until now have been impressive. It’s important to remember that he’s still relatively raw, though.
Here, I don’t mean in terms of high-level reps. Stokes is getting those as well as he can for a class of 2026 prospect. I mean continuing to polish his overall game.
Stokes is not selfish, but he can sometimes force things if he hasn’t gotten a touch in a while or he’s missed a few shots in a row. He’s a little too full-throttle at this stage.
Looking ahead, there’s still a better balance to be struck in terms of letting the game come to him.
Defensively, I’ll keep it brief since there weren’t too many takeaways for most USA U-17 prospects — but I liked Stokes’ defensive mobility and motor in this tournament.
How he moves around is impressive — north-to-south in a straight line, but also up-and-down vertically — at his build. This isn’t worth reading too much into right now, though.
Tyran Stokes is my #2 prospect in the high school class of 2026, right behind Brandon McCoy.
I’m very intrigued by his combination of youth, power, production, ballhandling, and pull-up flashes (although these remain a big work in progress).
At the same time, Stokes needs to refine his self-creation and I feel like he’s still finding his eventual role.
Right now, I feel like it’s as a do-it-all, wide-shouldered playmaker in the Dillon Jones mold (to name a recent NBA prospect), but that’s not an easy niche to carve out.