Introducing the Future of International Basketball: F.C. Barcelona & Real Madrid U16s - Tier 2 Prospects

Diving into the remaining prospects with potential NBA futures from the Spanish giants' youth programs.

In our previous piece, we looked at six potential NBA prospects playing for F.C. Barcelona and Real Madrid at the u16 level. As we mentioned, both teams are characterized by outstanding talent and depth. With that in mind, we’re back for Part Two. This time, we’re analyzing what we’ve dubbed Tier 2 prospects — players with some NBA appeal but with limitations that may hinder their chances to make it at the highest level.

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Ömer Kutluay (Real Madrid, 2009)

Standing at 6’4, with plus length and a very characteristic, herky-jerky way of moving around the court with the ball in his hands, Turkish PG Ömer Kutluay profiles as a primary perimeter generator at whatever level he ends up playing. Kutluay is, first and foremost, an on-ball pick-and-roll maestro with some off-the-dribble shooting upside and an excellent passing vision and vocabulary. He consistently makes excellent reads, generating shots for himself and others coming off screens, finding the roller, cutters or weakside shooters with ease, finding crevices in the defense and leveraging his ball-handling, agility and shot making to get his teammates involved too. 

Already a standout player for Real Madrid U16 last season as a U15 player, Kutluay has continued making strides in his game and had an excellent summer for Turkey’s U16 NT, somewhat surprisingly leading the FIBA U16 Euro in scoring with 19 points per game (FT: Albeit in only 4 games, as he spent part of the tournament out with injury). He’s not a traditional NBA prospect as he doesn’t have high-end strength or athleticism, but he does have positional size for a PG, the skillset to go with it and four years of development ahead of a possible NBA draft selection in June of 2028.

- RZ

Real Madrid’s Ömer Kutluay

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