Scouting the NBA Academy Games: Modou Fall Thiam, Mading Kuany, Jeiminson Marquez, Gonzalo Fernández
Evaluating four prospects from the 2025 NBA Academy Games.
The NBA Academy Games is one of my favorite youth events of the year.
The tournament usually goes by pretty quietly. It’s hosted in an unassuming gym in Atlanta, GA. Evaluators and coaches are spread out in the bleachers. The only sounds you hear are sneakers squeaking on hardwood, coaches barking out orders, and (hopefully) defenders calling out assignments. Most players are unknown, and some are meeting for the first time. It’s a distant shout from the glitz and glam of Summer League in Las Vegas or the NBA Draft in Brooklyn.
Look at the Academy Games’ alumni, though: Ulrich Chomche, Johnny Furphy, Josh Giddey, Khaman Maluach, Ajay Mitchell, Tidjane Salaun, Alex Toohey, Amari Williams…
All of these players are in the NBA now. The list of NCAA players is extensive, as well. Many will carve out long professional careers.
In other words, the NBA Academy Games is fertile ground across all levels for prospects from all around the world.
Here are four prospects who caught my eye — one each from Africa, Europe, Oceania, and South America:
Birthday: Feb 28, 2006
Class of: 2025
Height: 6-foot-7
Team: NBA Academy Latin America
From: Venezuela 🇻🇪
Stats: 11.7 PTS, 7 REB, 2.5 AST to 3.5 TOV, 0.8 STL, 2.2 BLK, 2.7 PF on 51.9 FG% (28/54) / 27.3 3P% (3/11) / 91.7 FT% (11/12) in 6 GP (154 mins)
Role: Athletic off-ball wing
Swing skill: Spot-ups
Venezuelan prospect Jeiminson Marquez is an athletic wing (he’s most likely to play the 3) who will add value with his rebounding, cutting, and flashes of spot-up shooting and off-ball defense. He has functional hops and length that can show up on both sides of the ball.
However, Marquez doesn’t offer self-creation, is still finding his feet as a scorer on offense, and needs to keep channeling his explosion more productively.
Marquez can definitely be a mid-to-high major recruit at the D-I level (could immediately go to a high major, but I’d probably prefer him to start at a “smaller” school where he can develop more quietly), but it doesn’t seem like there’s any buzz on that front.
If he’s not going to pursue the NCAA pathway, the 19-year-old would be a very interesting developmental bet for the Mexico City Capitanes in the G League. Otherwise, maybe a low-pressure situation in Europe where he can get reps vs. pros would make sense (Cedevita, London, Espoirs, Spain’s new Under-22 league…).
Solid positional size and length with very real bounce.
Had a handful of poster dunks.
Added value as a rebounder on both ends, but especially with his offensive boards.
On defense, had chasedown/transition blocks. Also blocked pull-ups and spot-ups.
Rangy defender. Probably switchy 2-4 if he gets strong enough.
Tracks and crashes the glass. Intentional about rebounding.
Will constantly beat rivals to the spot after sprinting in from the perimeter.
A little reckless, but not in a dangerous way.
Makes multiple efforts, although can’t always secure the ball or finish.
Above-the-rim athleticism is evident, but can’t always channel it as a scorer.
Lacks touch? Missed bunnies.
Angles at the rim need to improve. Can block himself off. As a whole, prone to getting blocked right now.
Wish he dunked even more.
Ball sometimes slips out of his hands unforced on drives.
Didn’t really show any self-creation at this event.
Offense came off cuts, spot-ups, offensive rebounds, and in transition.
Has never displayed glimpses of this, honestly. At least that I’ve seen with Venezuela or in the NBA Academy system.
22 PTS per game at the 2024 U-18 Americas.
Can’t be hesitant with his catch-and-shoot threes. Needs to let it fly.
Spot-up shooting might be his swing skill more than anything else.
Has the tools to attack closeouts.
More of a scorer than a passer, but some interesting playmaking flashes.
Some creative drop-offs to the dunker.
Nice zip on his passes once he touched the paint.
Birthday: July 10, 2007
Class of: 2026
Height: 6-foot-8
Team: NBA Global Academy
From: Australia 🇦🇺
Stats: 8.2 PTS, 4.7 REB, 0.5 AST to 2.3 TOV, 0.2 STL, 1.2 BLK, 1.8 PF on 39.1 FG% (18/46) / 40.7 3P% (11/27) / 50 FT% (2/4) in 6 GP (137 mins)
Role: Off-ball wing
Swing skill: Two-point scoring
I’ve been intrigued by Mading Kuany since the first time I saw him at the 2023 U-16 Asia Cup and 2023 NBA Academy Games. Since then, I’ve watched the 2007-born wing at the 2024 Games, the U-17 World Cup, and the U-19 World Cup. He’s long, slim, and bouncy with the ability to shoot threes and throw down thunderous dunks. In the former area, Kuany is now demonstrating more consistency on tougher looks.
The problem is that Kuany has never produced (in volume or at all, really) that much on either end. Kuany’s averages, in any setting, are always very modest. To give you an idea, the Aussie wing averaged 1.2 points in 5.7 minutes during this month’s U-19 World Cup.
It’s very simple, but Kuany needs to do more on both sides of the ball because his two-way tools definitely exist and his process is generally acceptable. Kuany needs to streamline his shooting, create more plays on defense, develop his handle even if it’s just in a straight line, and become more adept at operating in traffic.
Kuany has NBA athleticism, but he doesn’t have the game yet. I’d like to see the 18-year-old develop at a mid-major school, or he could be brought along slowly in the NBL (kind of like Wani Swaka Lo Buluk or Akoldah Gak). It's worth pointing out that Mading’s older brother Kuany Kuany played for Cal and VCU, and he’s previously mentioned wanting to play in Europe, but college is his priority right now.
Play finishing wing.
Catch-and-shoot threes. Was mostly a spot-up shooter before imo, but starting to really drill threes off movement now.
Biggest point of improvement I noticed year-to-year.
Transition opportunities.
Some offensive rebounding.
Length is a factor on defense.
Makes a difference on tight contests.
Can cover ground quickly with his wingspan and long strides.
Good first jump. Not sure if great, but gets up when he has a runway.
Wish he got even more blocks, but keep in mind that he’s more of a 3 than a 4.
Very skinny. Impediment on both ends.
Thin frame. Narrow shoulders.
Lower body needs to fill out. Very skinny legs. Quads and calves need more power still. Ideally more flexibility, as well.
On offense, can’t stay rooted to spots or beat defenders.
Gets knocked off balance if he bumps. Finds it challenging to score in the paint.
On defense, length can only offset his lack of strength up to a point. Tough to deal with stronger 3s and 4s, which will happen plenty of the time at the next level.
Gets moved on- and off-ball (like being ineffective on tags or vertical challenges, for instance).
No self-creation.
Shot diet is basically spot-ups and clean-up opportunities.
Will leak out in transition.
Can get an offensive rebound once in a while. Want to see him pursue boards more aggressively.
No playmaking for others.
0.5 AST to 2.3 TOV.
Not a one-event thing. Has historically been the case.
Again, see the first bullet point. Primarily a play finisher.
Does he have enough ancillary skills?
36.8 2P% (7/19) is poor.
Birthday: May 25, 2005
Class of: 2025
Height: 6-foot-5
Team: NBA Academy Africa
From: Senegal 🇸🇳
Stats: 10.2 PTS, 3.6 REB, 3.2 AST to 3.2 TOV, 2.8 STL, 0.4 BLK, 1.8 PF on 39.2 FG% (20/51) / 25 3P% (6/24) / 45.5 FT% (5/11) in 5 GP (167 mins)
Role: Transition playmaker
Swing skill: Half-court development
Modou Fall Thiam is a fluid, rangy swingman who excels in transition, picks up steals in the passing lanes, and shows glimpses of complementary passing. However, the Senegalese prospect is already 20 years old, and he really struggles in the half-court. His ballhandling, passing, and self-creation are largely limited to the open court.
Thiam is already a high-major D-I recruit — he visited Southern California and LSU in Feb. 2024, as well as SMU that October — following in the footsteps of fellow NBA Academy Africa and Games alumni Thierry Darlan (offers from Kansas, Arizona, etc.), Khaman Maluach (Duke, UCLA...), Ulrich Chomche (Arizona, Washington), and Khadim Mboup (BYU). He would be my lowest-ranked prospect in that list, though, as he still needs years of polish.
If I could advise Thiam, I’d probably opt for a school with a lower profile but maybe more stability and a greater incentive to develop him (that is, probably not finding it “easy” to attract top HS talent/college transfers). Something like Santa Clara offering Darlan or Davidson recruiting Alex Toohey.
The NBA seems far-fetched right now, but the G League or a solid European league after a few years of NCAA development seems realistic.
Long-limbed. Frame is on the narrower, slender side.
How much can he fill out?
Can he play with and through contact at the next level?
Dynamic in transition.
Can grab-and-go.
Loves a high gather/floatover to his left.
Rangy. Covers ground with his strides.
Tosses lob passes in the open court with decent, albeit improvable, accuracy.
Limited in the half-court.
Nearly everything came in transition.
Dribble/pass/shoot skills are inconsistent against a set defense.
Can toggle between playing on/off-ball, but doesn’t do either at a sufficiently high level.
Willing pull-up shooter, but still inefficient.
Misses seem to be short fairly often — or at least to the point where I picked up on this.
Very fluid.
Shot is clean. Lefty. Can pull-up and spot-up. No hitch or odd mechanics.
Moves well around the floor. Coordinated.
Passing flashes.
Had a few enticing skip passes with perfect weight and placement.
Likely more passing upside to explore. Was just instructed to feed the post a lot of the time.
NBA Academy Africa team played a very egalitarian offense. Lots of ball movement. No one seemed to be high-usage.
What can he do on defense?
Usage was underwhelming, honestly. We didn’t truly get to see how he can leverage his athletic tools.
Was stashed off-ball a lot of the time, but I’m not too sure why.
Would’ve loved to see him operate at the point of attack more, pick up full court, etc.
Can explode into the passing lanes. Uses his length to be disruptive.
14 steals in 5 games played.
In a high-end outcome, seems switchable 1-through-3 in the future.
Needs to keep getting stronger. Usually on balance, but can get moved by bumps.
Birthday: May 24, 2006
Class of: 2025
Height: 6-foot-5
Team: NBA Academy Select Purple
From: Spain 🇪🇸
Stats: 10.5 PTS, 4.7 REB, 0.8 AST to 1 TOV, 0.8 STL, 0 BLK, 1.8 PF on 51.2 FG% (21/41) / 54.2 3P% (13/24) / 72.7 FT% (8/11) in 6 GP (121 mins)
Role: Three-point specialist
Swing skill: Whether he can add more than shooting threes
Spanish shooting guard Gonzalo Fernández will probably carve out a long career as a three-point specialist, but that will have to be in Europe — and it’s not a certainty that it will be at the highest levels. Fernández spaces the floor at a high level, but he needs to do more. The 19-year-old doesn’t rebound, facilitate, or create defensive events.
Fernández would be a fine addition for a low-to-mid major D-I program if he wants to play/study in the United States. This route would likely give the Huelva-born sharpshooter greater exposure than playing in Spain, as well as a different/valuable life experience. After that, he’d likely look for a shot in the Spanish first or second division.
High release point on three-point shot is tough for defenders to contest.
Very willing floor spacer.
54.2 3P% at the NBA Academy Games.
Takes movement threes.
I want to see him do this full tilt. Like, sprinting into the ball, rather than jogging or breaking into a slower-paced run.
Really lacks twitch, burst, bend, and a first step of any sorts.
Self-creation attempts didn’t go well. Either got blocked or couldn’t create space for his jumper.
Very much a below-the-rim finisher.
Reliant on scoops, and even those can be difficult against decent athletes.
He’s a guard, but needs to be set up by others.
Fernández played in the 2025 Games, but he’s not in the NBA Academy system. He played the 2024-25 season with Ciudad de Huelva (Spanish third division). Before that, Fernández played with Real Betis' youth team in the fourth division. His first steps playing basketball were at Ciudad de Moguer and Lepe Alius. He was in Spain’s squad for the 2022 FIBA U-16 Euros.
As for brandon mccoy from your last post, i love his defense. He fights through screens, picks up full court, has no problem keeping up with quick guards in space. He's also an aware off ball defender, knows where his rotations are and can come up with some stocks - either jumping the passing lane, picking someone's pocket, or blocking someone when they aren't aware that he's there. There's a willingness to play defense that i love about him. He's also an elite athlete (I think he doesn’t channel it in the most productive way on offense) with great size for a PG at 6'5 with a 6'9 wingspan. Easily one of if not the best defender in the class. But his offense is kind of a blank slate. He's not a good shooter, more like an average one, and he's not a fluid ball handler either. He can create an advantage in his sleep thanks to his monstrous first step, but when he's cut off he dosent have many counters. Dunks every time he's within range, every time (even when he's standing still in the paint), a testament to his bounce. He's not the most naunced finisher either, likes to go off of two feet way too often and dosen't finish off one foot, no same hand same foot, flashes of a two foot floater but it's not consistent yet. Just seems like a very stiff offensive player overall. I think he can use his left hand but against contact he'll always use his right, always goes to try to bully his way to the rim as a first option. As a pull up shooter, he's definently not there yet either, not a really creative dribbler, and when he gets too deep in the paint, he gets tunnel vision. I think he can make the basic reads and he knows how to play the right way. he's got some bounce passes and kickouts... not much of a mid range game though. He shot a very bad percentage outside the arc in the EYBL season a year ago, but if he can figure out his offense (finishing, shooting, pull up, handle diversification) (he JUST had 38 pts at peach jam 2 days ago) he'll be a very good player. I still have yet to watch the full game where he exploded, but his jumpshot already looks more smoother. What's interesting about him is that usually the #1 player's best side is offense, but his is his defense. His shot definently isn't broken, and he's got the base to build off of. Average for now, and he’s got solid touch with his right hand, and he definently draws fouls, he’s not bothered by contact but it does hurt his touch.