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| (Photo Credit: SLAM Philippines) |
Name: Unique Naboa
Age: 18
School/Team: LSGH Greenies
Years of eligibility left: 0 (Graduating)
Committed to: CSB Blazers
Height: 5'8"
Position: Point Guard
Projected Position: Point Guard
Quick Hits
Strengths:
- Strong body
- Crafty with the basketball
- Has great control for a Point Guard his age
- High basketball IQ
Weaknesses:
- Height and lack of length
- Lacks athleticism
- Inconsistent outside shooting
- Very limited upside
Prince Rivero. Kobe Paras. Ricci Rivero. JBoy Gob.
Those names are among the very best La Salle Greenhills standouts in recent memory. Prince and JBoy were both dominant bigs who were either too strong or too polished for High School big man to handle, while Kobe and Ricci were athletic freaks who jumped out of the gym.
Unique Naboa doesn't fit any of those categories. He has a strong body, but he's by no means the physical freak that Prince was, nor the athlete which Ricci was.
Despite that, he's arguably one of the most underrated prospects in the Class of 2017. Most of the press with regards to LSGH had Troy Mallillin in it, but Unique deserves some love as well.
But can his game translate to the college level, where he'll be playing for a CSB program looking to bounce back from a dismal 1-17 stint last season? To answer that, we'll be analyzing four key components of a player's game: Offense, Defense, Physical Tools and Basketball IQ/Intangibles.
Offense
As a High School player, Naboa averaged 14 points a game despite being sidelined for a part of NCAA Season 92. Considering that he played with the MVP in Troy Mallillin and swiss army knife Joel Cagulangan, averaging that much points is quite a feat in itself. But just how did Naboa get his buckets?
Unique's game offensively is predicated with his crafty style of play and High Basketball IQ. He isn't crafty in a sense that he uses fancy dribble moves to get to the hole. He does this by being smart with the basketball, calculating his movements well to either create for himself, or his teammates. He rarely makes bad decisions with the basketball as well, knowing when to shoot and when to pass.
If you were to give the kid an option with what he would rather do, surely, Naboa would rather choose to pass. There's two reasons behind that. For one, he doesn't have a consistent jumper just yet. He can hit it from time to time, but that's the problem. As a guard in this day and age, it isn't just enough to hit a jump shot from time to time. You have to be a threat, and most defenses would rather pack the paint when defending Unique. The second reason is that, he's a pass first point guard. In a day where most guards would rather choose to shoot, that's a great quality to have,
In CSB, don't expect Unique to be a game-changing rookie like a Kiefer Ravena or even a Baser Amer. He'll be a solid point guard who prioritizes setting up his teammates, and that's a good thing. Just don't expect him to magically turn CSB into a title contender.
Defense
If you want to be a good defender, you have to start with effort. After the effort, you have to have the smarts as well. Naboa happens to have both of those. But why can't we brand Naboa as an elite defender?
His physical tools.
We'll expound more on that later on, but the reality of it is that, because Unique isn't the tallest nor longest guy out there, his defense is very limited. He has the strength to defend bigs down low, but he doesn't have the length to bother their shots. So make him defend guards right? Sure, that makes a ton of sense, but don't expect him to shut anyone down since he doesn't have the length and foot speed to do so.
As a help defender, once again, Unique is just okay. He has decent enough timing and is smart enough to know when to double a player or when to attack passing lanes, but his lack of length really limits what he can do on the defensive end.
All in all, Unique is an okay defender. He won't shut anyone down, but at the same time, he's not that big of a liability that you have to surely put him on the bench during clutch situations.
Physical Tools
This is the very core of Unique's weaknesses. His length (or the lack of it).
Let's face it, in basketball, size still matters. It isn't the king that it was before, but having good physical tools is still key to becoming at the very least, a good basketball player. Skills matter too, but if you have the physical tools to match the skills which you have, then that's an even better combination.
No doubt about it, Unique is a very skilled player. Because of his skill alone, he can already crack a rotation of pretty much any collegiate team. But since he lacks the physical tools necessary, his ceiling is then limited.
If there's a good thing that can be pulled out of Naboa with regards to his physical tools, it's his strong frame. It simply screams college ready. As early as now, he can already take the hits which the collegiate game brings.
Intangibles/Basketball IQ
If there's something which should excite coaches with regards to Unique, it has to be his high basketball IQ.
Despite his lack of length, Unique is still a very heady player who makes up for his lack of size with great understanding for the game of basketball. Naboa knows that he can't just barrel his way into the paint just because of his strong frame. He rarely forces the issue. Instead, he goes for the best option when looking for a basket for his team.
As a leader, he isn't the most vocal out there, but he's good nonetheless. He's a great point guard and teammate, who will always prioritize setting his teammates up for baskets rather than trying to chuck lup as many shots as possible for his own personal gain.
Overall
Unique Naboa is a court general through and through. He has the basketball IQ and the skill to be a good point guard in the collegiate level. However, his lack of good physical tools hinder him from taking that step to be a great one.
Even though that's the case, Unique isn't a hopeless case. By any means. His high IQ and skillset make him a backup point guard at the very least, and developing his jumper will only make an even deadlier player.
Just don't expect him to be the savior who will magically turn things around for the CSB Blazers' program. Unique is an important spoke on the wheel on the journey towards the desired turnaround of the College of St. Benilde.
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