Gabriel Pozzato, when functional athleticism and skill meet
The Italian wonderkid had an incredible freshman season and I decided to analyse his through athleticism's prism as he enters his sophomore season as a potential breakout candidate.
Athleticism is a term casually thrown around in every scouting report for players who are flashy dunkers on fast breaks, but having functional athleticism is much more complex and valuable for a player.
Evansville’s Gabriel Pozzato; a 6-foot-7 freshman from Rome, Italy; checks all the marks of being a functional athlete.
Before getting into his ability to fly into the paint or his flashy finishes above the rim, Pozzato has a fluidity to his game that is truly eye-catching. He’s a lengthy wing with broad shoulders and a solid physical build. Despite looking rather thin, he possesses a really wiry strength.
When operating in the lane, his footwork stands out. It’s on point, but what draws attention is his agility and flexibility. This part of his game is reminiscent of current Bulls forwards and 2024 NBA Draft seventh-overall pick, Matas Buzelis, and given his past experiences in swimming. For Buzelis, swimming was essential for his development, and with how reminiscent Pozzato’s movements are to Buzelis, it’s possible he has ties to another sport or practice.
Pozzato is an incredible over-the-rim finisher. He can get up anytime, has great bounce off one or two feet and can quickly get up in traffic. His 6-foot-11 wingspan enables him to finish over defenders.
In transition, he is a great lob threat. Being a great vertical athlete, with excellent speed makes it easy for him to overlap everyone and finish alone at the rim. When a ball comes loose, or Pozzato notices offensive players being too slow to get back, he’s oftentimes the first down the floor.
Excluding dunks, he’s still an incredible finisher around the rim, especially in the halfcourt. In his freshman season, Pozzato shot 64 percent on 75 half-court rim attempts, with 14 of his 48 makes being slams.
He jumps early and high, so finishing through contact doesn’t bother him, allowing him to create space in the lane by bumping his opponent’s torso.
Overall he’s a great finisher who still needs to work on his touch when side by side with a defender, but his versatility in finishing, sweet touch, crafty footwork and incredible athleticism are all the tools needed for an efficient finishing threat.
It’s pretty obvious that his athleticism is a real, functional thing and that it will be sustainable considering how efficient and how often he dunks the ball. In conjunction with his strengths around the rim, Pozzato will have no problem impacting the game on day one at the next level as an off-ball mover.
His cutting ability and off-ball movement make him a great off-ball threat but he’s also an efficient spot-up shooter, his explosiveness enables him to create space for himself, and his release point being high makes it hard for opponents to efficiently contest his shots.
As a shooter, Pozzato is currently good enough to get by, but not necessarily someone defenders are looking to take out of the game from beyond the arc. His 30-of-89 clip on catch-and-shoot three-pointers and 70.5% free throw percentage suggest there’s room to grow as a shooter, but that he’s not poor in that regard.
On defense, his main draw is his active hands, although he could stand to lighten his feet a bit. He’s someone ball handlers have made a habit of blowing by, choosing to defend with his upper body instead of his lower body.
However, Pozzato is a great off-ball defender. He’s got some real awareness and can close out at lightspeed. In the future, he could be a great shot-blocker as a second-row help defender with his wingspan and bounce. If he adapts his footwork on offense to the defensive end, he would be even better when closing out but could potentially have way more impact on the ball.
Pozzato was one of the best European freshmen in all college basketball this past season and entered the transfer portal recently. He’s more than ready for the NBA as an athlete but still needs to refine his game to be a true surefire draft pick.
The athleticism will get him in the door, but refining the rest could put the ceiling sky high, with Pozzato possessing real first-round potential. One of his most interesting traits is how versatile he can be on offense.
He knows how to score and scores in all possible ways. He’s solid as a spot-up shooter, working to knock down off-the-dribble jumpers, attacks the rim extremely well, and has already earned his fair share of on-ball usage because of it. Finally, his advanced skill set as a driver and the athleticism with which he attacks the basket is the real driving force for him.
Pozzato has the traits to make it far, and his promising freshman season at Evansville will look to lead into an even more promising sophomore campaign, turning heads on the regular.