Gabriele Procida is one of the more interesting international prospects who should be in the 2022 NBA draft after flirting with the draft in 2021.

 

Procida is a 19 year old 6’7" 215 pound wing that is one of the top NBA prospects in his home country of Italy.

 

Procida is an uber confident shooter that is not afraid to let it fly from behind the line.. In his first season as a rotation player in Italy’s top division, he attempted nearly 3 attempts per game from deep in only 15 minutes. 

 

And the results were positive as he connected on 38.8% of his 3 point attempts. Including  a very small sample size of only 6 attempts during the 2019-20 season, Procida has shot 39.5% from behind the line in 35 career games. 

 

His outside shooting is the skill set he’ll likely hang his hat on in the NBA, he is more than just a shooter..

 

I maybe going to go out on a limb here, but I’m willing to bet there are not 10 international wing prospect that are in Procida’s class as an athlete. 

 

Not only is he a high level bouncy finisher, it translates to games. I’ve seen plenty of guys who are high flyers in the pre game layup line, but they struggle to apply their athleticism in games. This.. Is not the case for Procida as he’s known for making highlight reel plays when the lights are on and butts are in the seats.

 

At this point in his career, I would not say scoring off the dribble is a strength… But I do believe he has the potential to be an effective scorer off the dribble once he improves his ball handling and creativity. Despite lacking a tight handle, he has the quickness to beat slower defenders off the dribble and his shooting will put him in position to attack closeouts..

 

Procida also shows flashes that he could develop into a solid pull up shooter off the bounce.. He shot a respectable 36.1% on pull up jumpers on 36 attempts…

 

Another area where Procida can carve out a niche in the NBA is as a transition scorer and distributor. He’s has all the tools to excel in the open court and collect easy buckets running the floor and filling the lanes. He’s also capable of initiating the break and making plays for teammates in transition.

 

When I watched his film, the skill set that stood to me the most was how hard he plays and how his motor is always running. His effort plays really pop when you take a deep dive into what he brings to the table. I do believe playing hard is a skill set and it’s one of the ways he can add value to a team. His energy is most obvious on the offensive glass where he’s a really good rebounder for a wing. 

 

Almost every game he makes an extra effort hustle or energy play that results in an extra possession for his team.

 

He also plays hard and moves well off the ball to get open. There are often plays where he's running around the floor Rip Hamilton or Allen Iverson style trying to get open. 

 

Procida is not known for his playmaking and passing instincts, but he occasionally, occasionally shows flashes and court vision that give you hope that he can on day develop into a serviceable pick & roll ball handler..

 

He still has a ways to go but I don’t think it’s a long shot that he can at develop and round out his game so he’s more than athlete that can knock down 3’s. 

 

But these clips are encouraging and show his promise as a playmaker.

 

As far as areas I’d like to see him improve on, I’ll start with ball handling.. He has a decent handle but I’ll be looking to see if he’s improved over the summer and if he’d shows a tighter handle in the 2021-22 season. He has a tendency to play our of control and be a little loose with the ball. 

 

I also want to see him improve as a finisher around the rim. He’s not the most efficient finisher and I believe his lack of strength and playing out of control are the main reasons he misses bunnies around the basket. 

 

Added strength and better pace should help him increase his percentage and become a better finisher. 

 

Last season his assists and turnovers numbers were equal so I’m hoping he can improve to at least a 2:1 AST ratio 

 

But he just turned 19 so he has plenty of time to develop and improve his game and if he can make these suggested adjustments this season he could possibly be a 1st round pick in the 2022 NBA draft.

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Rafael Barlowe - August 21, 2021