George Papagiannis Report

                      Born July 3rd 1997, George Papagiannis is a young center who currently plays for Panathinaikos B.C in Athens, Greece. At 2.18 meters tall (7'2) and 275 pounds he has N.B.A size and N.B.A potential. Papagiannis is a talented basketball player who features a great frame to go along with an extremely advanced skill set. He has a great post game, even compared to players at pro level. He has been playing pro ever since he was 14 and 2.11 meters (6'11) at the time. He was the youngest player in Greece's professional basketball history. In the U16 European Championship Papagiannis averaged 14.3 points a game and 10.3 rebounds, he also led his team in blocked shots. Same thing happened last year at the U17, he led his team into bracket play just to fall short 83-73 to the U.S.A, Papagiannis had 16 points and 11 rebounds. Last year Papagiannis went to the U.S and spent his junior year of high school at Westtown high and was the star of the basketball team. He also played in the best high school basketball league in the country, the well known Nike E.Y.B.L, he played with Team Takeover (D.C) and averaged nearly a double double, while leading his team in blocked shots. After his junior year he signed a contract with Panathinaikos B.C. This summer he is representing Greece in both the U19 FIBA basketball world championship and the U18 FIBA basketball European championship. So far in the U19 division the 17 year old is leading his team in rebounding with 11 a game, is second in points behind Oregon bound Tyler dorsey with 10.8 and leads his team and the rest of the players in the tournament with 4 a game. He played multiple N.B.A veterans from European powerhouses Olympiakos and Panathinaikos at such a young age. Currently playing for Panathinaikos, one of the best teams in Europe Papagiannis gains experience which no other 17 year old players about to enter the N.B.A have. Papagiannis has great footwork and a lot of poise on the block. His go to move is the jump hook which he nearly ever misses and if that isn't open he has counter moves which he rarely has to use. He is a great defender, and has been ever since he started playing pro basketball at 14. Because of his great foot work he can guard smaller players on the perimeter. His defensive awareness draws comparisons to N.B.A Allstar and 2014 Defensive player of the year Joakim Noah. Unlike Noah, Papagiannis has a well developed offensive game, that stretches out to 15 feet from the basket. Also like, Noah, Papagiannis is a good passing big man. Because of his poise on the block, Papagiannis is able to find cutting team mates if he can't find an opening in the defense for him to score. Best case scenario the young Greek could end up like Arvydas Sabonis, Pau Gasol, Patrick Ewing, or maybe even Kareem Abdul Jabbar. It would be a real shock if Papagiannis isn't a top ten pick when he goes for the draft.