Nathan Mensah

Nathan Mensah, 6' 10 ½”, Center, 18.3 years old, Ghana, Class of 2018

Strengths
-Skinny, but has a good frame that is well proportioned and has potential to fill out in the long term.
-Measured 6'9 without shoes with a gigantic 7'4 wingspan. Appears to have a big standing reach
-Very mobile. Quick off his feet. Bouncy. Barely has to jump to dunk thanks to his reach. Sprints the floor with purpose
-Can knock down a mid-range jumper with decent mechanics and touch. Will toss in an occasional turnaround jumper.
-Has soft touch from the free throw line. Shooting 71% on 38 attempts in our database
-Length allows him to be a significant presence on the offensive glass. Competes with a high motor for rebounds. Pursues loose balls with a purpose. Not afraid to throw his body around
-Averaging 14.1 rebounds per-40 in minutes logged in our database
-Has more potential defensively than he's displaying right now. Combination of mobility, length and activity level is hard to find. Should be able to improve as he learns the game and adds polish
-Plays with a good spirit. Makes the extra pass. Competitive. Raw, but wants to play the right way

Weaknesses
-Body is at an early stage of development. Very skinny, which affects him significantly on both ends of the floor
-Limited offensively. Footwork isn't great. Often settles for the first shot he finds. Doesn't always catch the ball cleanly.
-Basketball IQ, understanding of the game is still a work in progress. Doesn't always know his limitations
-Doesn't handle contact well around the basket. Lower body a major work in progress
-Not as good of a defender as you might hope. Only averaging .5 steals and 1.8 blocks per-40 minutes in 381 minutes of game-time we have logged in our database.
-Should be entering his freshman year of college age wise, but instead has two more years of high school

Outlook Discovered at the 2014 Basketball Without Borders in South Africa, after just having started to play basketball, Mensah was late to the game, but has made significant strides every time we've seen him over the past year. Other players at this camp were further ahead of him in terms of skill-level and polish, but he has the potential to make up ground quickly in the next few years thanks to his tools, intensity level and raw talent.