As the semifinal of the European under 20 Championships between Turkey and Serbia raged on, it became apparent that Emircan Kosut and Nikola Jankovic were an odd match. Technically, they were both playing the same position – power forward. This where their similarities ended though. Jankovic is a bruiser. His game is all about establishing position inside, whether he is posting up or going after the offensive board. Kosut clearly struggled with the physicality of his opponent. He is taller, longer and jumps higher but those attributes didn’t really help him as Jankovic – who also happens to be one year older – pushed him around on the low block.

However, the winner of this match up is also the one facing the biggest transition process as a professional basketball player. Jankovic’s physical attributes are impressive, but not sufficient for life as an elite power forward in European basketball. Those nifty left hand finishes on the low block that served him so well in this tournament will not come as easily against the length of senior competition; his face up game is underdeveloped as he never seemed comfortable putting the ball on the floor; his shooting range is limited to the painted area (as evidenced by his horrendous free throw percentage). In short, the Serbian big man should consider making the jump to center. He might be undersized for a center, but undersized centers are all the rage in Euroleague (the NBA is out of the question at this point) and he could maximize his rebounding and interior scoring potential if he moves closer to the basket.

Kosut, on the other hand has fewer things to figure out. He needs to add a few pounds and turn his solid shooting mechanism into a consistent three point threat, but he is a power forward, regardless of the level of competition. His impressive wingspan would be a great asset in close outs against spread offense sets, while his ball handling skills could develop into an extra source of creativity for his team. Simply put, this match up captured the essence of junior tournaments: it doesn’t matter what you do or how much you produce. It’s how your game translates to a higher level.

This is not only about position, but also role. With Ioannis Papapetrou and some dude named Giannis Antetokounmpo out of the tournament, hosts Greece relied heavily on Eleftherios Bochorides for shot creation, but his inconsistent play raised a seemingly important position: which position is the best fit for Bochorides’ skills set? Given his size, which allows him to cover both guard positions, it could be argued that this is a debate worth having. However, thinking about basketball in purely positional terms is not particularly helpful for player development. Bochorides should be concerned more about his skills and role and less about his position. As a set-the-table point guard he needs to stop picking up his dribble at the wrong time and fumbling simple passes that get the offense going. As a shot-creating lead guard he must extend his passing range – most of his assists come on passes from the perimeter – in order to complement his athletic finishes at the rim. Once he gets to the paint he looks almost exclusively for his own shot instead of drawing the defense and dishing. And no matter where he plays he should add a higher release point to his jumper and stop fading to his right when he pulls up.

Similar questions about position could be raised about Jedi (I’m never calling him Cedi again) Osman, but his play made it clear that his role is well – defined: Osman creates offense with smooth, fluid forays to the hoop, draws a bunch of shooting fouls and works well within the flow of a given set. Then again context matters – Bochorides had less support in terms of both execution and talent around him. Osman, surrounded by pick and roll connoisseur Kartal Özmizrak, point forward Metecan Birsen and jack of all trades Tayfun Erülkü, could afford to pick his spots more than his Greek counterpart.

Speaking of context, this type of competition makes the evaluation of big man evaluation particularly tricky. Pick and roll guards are hard to find at this early age (Boris Dallo was particularly underwhelming in this area) and national teams do not spend enough time together to develop solid two-man game actions. This means that centers spend more time playing with their back to the basket. Results were mixed. Giorgos Diamantakos displayed solid footwork and a soft touch, but doesn’t really know how to read double teams. Mouhammadou Jaiteh had a physical advantage over just about every other center, but he would often try to go through the defense, a strategy that often led to turnovers or contested misses. Guillermo Hernangomez showed some promise as a face up threat – both as shooter and a passer. But he also took unnecessary risks and tended to drift occasionally. Still, it’s hard to project the development of that trio, given how little they were tested in pick and roll situations on both ends of the floor.

And there you have it. A few criteria on how to evaluate young players – position, role and context. Just don’t forget, this is still a game. This is why Matic Rebec, an undersized guard who could struggle to get his shot off against senior competition, was just as significant as any of the guys mentioned above. The reason why we care about such tournaments is simple – we’re looking for guys to watch in the future. Rebec, on the other hand was all about the present. I have no idea how his career is going to unfold – Aleksej Nikolic, his backcourt mate in Slovenia, looks like a better prospect thanks to his combination of size and shooting touch. But in mid-July 2014, Rebec reminded us why we are watching the game in the first place. It’s only fair, then, that this recap closes with him: