Game Analysis: Roman Siulepa vs. France | 2025 FIBA U-19 World Cup
Evaluating the Australian prospect in the FIBA Under-19 World Cup against France.
Roman Siulepa is what happens when rugby meets basketball.
I’ve considered the 18-year-old forward to be the most intriguing Australian prospect for a couple of years now, and it seems as though hoops will finally become his full-time focus moving forward.
The reason why I say intriguing rather than best is largely because of Siulepa’s rugby background, which is available at the end of this article. His highs are high — and they’ve been on display at the FIBA Under-19 World Cup and previous youth tournaments — but there is still a lot to work on. Siulepa is being linked to Pitt.
Here is a breakdown of his U-19 Worlds game (and win) against France from July 1, 2025:
BOX SCORE: 19 PTS (7/13 FG, 0/0 3P, 5/6 FT), 8 REB (4o), 0 AST to 4 TOV, 1 STL, 2 BLK, 5 PF in 23 MINS
Tournament averages until this game: 20 PTS, 11 REB (4.3o), 0.3 AST, 3 TOV, 0.7 STL, 1.3 BLK, 3.3 PF on 42.3 FG%, 51.7 FT% (15/29) in 30 MINS per game
Roman Siulepa is very difficult to contain when he drives downhill, tucks the ball under his arm, and buries his shoulder into the defender. He is effectively using rugby moves on a basketball court, which makes a lot of sense and has a pathway towards being quite effective.
Siulepa gets low to the ground, keeps the ball close to his body despite the development his handle needs, and is strong enough to rip through or burst past defenders. The Australian prospect primarily uses his physicality to create space and advantages.
For example, Siulepa easily dislodges Noa Kouakou-Heugue in the second clip above but misses the bunny. Still, he’s moved the Frenchman so far out of the way that Siulepa can collect his own miss, go back up, and score.
Siulepa usually gets to his spots — more or less, at minimum — but his execution is predictable and his final results are inconsistent.
The 18-year-old is very much a drive-first prospect. Sometimes, it seems like the Aussie sportsman is drive-exclusive. When the ball is in Siulepa’s hands, he is almost always looking to put his head down, go right, and attack the rim.
Siulepa is a powerful athlete, but his strength makes him more of a bulldozer than an aerial threat. His touch is only okay, and he lacks an in-between game. The Queensland native doesn’t have a pull-up, either.
Siulepa has shot 51.2 FG% (420/821) for his career until now, per Cerebro Sports, alongside a 53.9 TS%. That should be better.
I’m interested in seeing whether Siulepa can leverage his force off the ball. His mass and acceleration are good fits if he’s cutting or attacking off the catch.
With the former, Siulepa’s lack of shooting can be offset by greater off-ball activity. However, I have a suspicion that he might be more used to moving with the ball based on his rugby background.
Siulepa would probably need to shoot to some extent in order to tap into the latter. He takes advantage of an undisciplined defender in the clip above, but he does a solid job at finishing through contact and getting the and-1.
I’m not sure that Siulepa will attack closeouts much (he likely won’t draw them); however, he could be used stampeding or curling. That’s thinking optimistically, though.
He could also take advantage of defenders sagging off of him to pick up steam on his drives, but I don’t buy his touch.
Another option is using that runway to crash the boards, like Adou Thiero did last season.
Siulepa has the hands and body to be a factor on the glass. He’s a decent rebounder.
Siulepa’s handle must keep improving in order to maximize his slashing.
He keeps the ball parallel to him thanks to his rugby-esque tuck-ins, but his actual ballhandling is incredibly rudimentary. The 2006-born forward struggles at using his left hand and chaining moves together.
Some big leaps are still needed.
Ditto for Siulepa’s passing, which remains raw. He needs to focus on drive+kick reads because he will touch the paint.
I’ve heard some buzz that Siulepa’s shot has gradually been improving. He didn’t take any threes in this game, but he confidently knocked down 5 of his 6 free throws.
The Aussie prospect is shooting 51.7% from the free throw line in this tournament so far, though. It seems like he got into a rhythm in this game, but Siulepa needs to be much more consistent from the charity stripe.
Siulepa has shot 52.9 FT% (185/350) in 71 career games (1697 minutes), per Cerebro. From deep, he is at 25.6 3P% (45/176) in total.
Roman Siulepa's defense is very mixed right now, which is to be expected for a teenage prospect.
He's still young and early enough in his development to be molded. The physical tools are there, so it'll be about ensuring that his reads also get there.
Siulepa was late on a few rotations against France. His verticality needs to improve, too.
This clip above, which features Siulepa blocking an attempted poster dunk from Kouakou-Heugue, is a good example of what he might look like at his best.
The Aussie athlete is also capable in space. Watch how Siulepa flips his hips here before blocking the drive.
This is a great under control closeout, going short to the attacker, using his chest to wall off the drive, and forcing the turnover.
Siulepa has to keep making sure that his technique stays up to standard.
Above, he loses his balance on the closeout and indirectly gives up the bucket. This sounds nitpicky, but it’s important in the bigger picture.
Finally, Siulepa can use his power to generate defensive events. This will usually mean steals, not blocks, as has been the case throughout his basketball journey.
Background:
BIRTHDAY: July 9, 2006
HEIGHT: Listed at 6-foot-7 earlier this year; FIBA listing at 6-foot-5 is outdated
WINGSPAN: 6-foot-8½
STANDING REACH: 8-foot-7½
WEIGHT: 224 pounds
PREVIOUS TEAMS: Queensland U-20 (AUS) / South West Metro Pirates (NBL1)
From Upper Mount Gravatt, Queensland, Australia. Father is Nadas. Mother is Rachel. Parents are Samoan. Mentored by 15+ year pro Jason Cadee.
Studied and played rugby at Brisbane State High School. Elite prospect in the GPS Rugby system. Previously played at the Global Youth Sevens under-18 tournament. Other family members also play rugby.
Was selected for Basketball Without Borders Asia 2022 (MVP) and 2023, Basketball Without Borders Global 2024.
Previously represented Australia at U-16 and U-17 levels.
Signed a two-year NextStars deal with the Tasmania JackJumpers in June 2024. Wanted to follow the NextStars pathway after seeing Alex Toohey and Rocco Zikarsky go through it.
NBL NextStars general manager Liam Santamaria said: “He possesses a unique combination of speed, strength, and athleticism, is a freight-train in transition, has good passing instincts and is regarded as a high-upside defender."
Was mutually released from his contract in August. He wanted to finish his high school rugby commitments, which was incompatible with Tasmania. Was also dealing with back and shoulder injuries. Subsequently received interest from other NBL teams.
Tasmania JackJumpers chairman Steve Old said: “When we first signed Roman, we agreed he could finish his schooling year in Brisbane. [He] came down for a four-day period to train [...] we did a physical on him, and it appeared he had some injuries from rugby. We asked him to commit to the club and say if he went back to Brisbane he wouldn’t continue to play rugby because we didn’t think it was going to be beneficial for his body. He chose to go back and continue to play rugby.”
Back-to-back MVP of the Australian Under-20 National Championships. In 2025, averaged 26.2 PTS, 11.3 REB, 4.3 AST on 38.2 FG%. In 2024, averaged 24.4 PTS, 8.3 REB, 4 AST to 2.3 TOV, 1.4 STL, 0.4 BLK, 2.9 PF in 28.4 MINS per game.
Made eight three-pointers in one U-20s game this year.
All-tournament team at the 2024 Albert Schweitzer Tournament (played with Rocco Zikarsky) after averaging 18.4 PTS, 6.7 REB, 2.4 AST to 2.4 TOV, 2 STL, 0.3 BLK in 26.2 MINS.
Former NBA Global Academy scholarship holder. Joined the academy in July 2022.
Played for the South West Metro Pirates in the NBL1 North. In the 2024 season, averaged 18.7 PTS, 9.1 REB, and 2 AST in 14 games. Had a season-high 37 points.
Most recently played with the NBL NextStars team at the 2025 Adidas Eurocamp in Treviso.