In my fourth edition of 'Circling the Globe', I profile Elan Chalon U21's own Sitraka Raharimanantoanina, a positionless Malagasy player with a versatile enough skillset to take his game to another level in the coming years. While he still is very much a developmental prospect for the next level, Sitraka's 6'9 (or 6'10) size, length, long speed, athleticism, and fluidity suggest that the future is very bright. Though I have no indication that he will opt to apply for the NBA draft this year, his physical profile is certainly that of a top level pro in the making.
In terms of his offensive tendencies, Sitraka is a player that thrives in transition. On tape, he is almost always the first player down the floor, which bodes well for his ability to adjust to the heightened pace of play at the NBA/G League level. At 6'9, he possesses great long speed, solid strides, and has a serviceable enough handle to blow by his man on the break.
His defense also tends to lead to offense.
When attacking the rim, Sitraka flashes elite athleticism and is enough of a vertical athlete to make plays at the rim over his opponents. In addition to purely athletic plays, the following clips show how he can counter a defensive overplay when the lane is taken away from him.
With that said, Sitraka heavily favors his left and will need to become more ambidextrous before he can hope to compete at the highest level. He also needs to implement more stop and go hesitation moves to keep his defenders off balance - this would bolster his average first step considerably (though it is certainly above average for someone his size). While Sitraka plays at a fast pace now, the game would slow down considerably if he refined his handle and took this element of his game to the next level. Continuing to perfecting his Euro step would also help.
These adjustments would be particularly evident in the halfcourt, where he is often limited to back to the basket post moves or straight line face up drives from the high post due to his inability to change directions and attack from the perimeter (outside of 1 on 1 iso situations), coupled with his underdeveloped physical profile. While he often receives the ball from beyond the three point arc due to his mobility and the threat of his shot, he currently does not create for himself as much as he likely will be able to down the road, habitually deferring to his teammates until he can secure a post up or catch the ball from the high post. As such, his offensive production is currently a bit understated, as it is a direct function of his backcourt mates' ability to throw him the ball.
To compensate when he does not have the ball in his hands, Sitraka is extremely active on the offensive glass and frequently tips the ball in or makes an athletic play to tap the ball out to his teammates.
While he is prone to an occasional concentration drop, Sitraka can grip a basketball out of the air. These big hands, coupled with his activity level, suggest that he can have an impact on the glass at the next level despite his 5.5 rpg currently. Sitraka is fundamentally sound boxing out his opponents and has a decent nose for the ball. If he were to add strength to his wiry 220 lb frame (according to realgm.com), this would help him considerably on the glass and finishing at the rim. It would also enable him to become a more dynamic post option, though I do not anticipate that he will have the lower body strength to seal his man at the next level. As such, he will likely remain a faceup post option once he has fully developed (or utilize the give and go, as shown below).
Importantly, Sitraka must improve his perimeter shooting in order to take the next leap forward as a prospect. His 31.3% three point shooting this season according to proballers.com is up from 26.6% a year ago.
However, he will need to improve the consistency of this element of his game in order to earn any minutes at the highest levels of professional basketball. As it stands now, because of his current inability to create for himself along the perimeter, Sitraka tends to rush his three point shot. The follow through is shortened at times and this has led to poor results.
He also tends to fan his follow through out to his left side at times (see workout video) While his mechanics appear fine at the top of his stroke (with the exception of the follow through at times), his knees tend to cave in a bit and this causes him to twist ever so slightly. He can stand to improve his lower body motion. With more practice and a few tweaks, he should improve considerably as a shooter in the coming years.
In terms of his unselfishness, Sitraka is a willing interior passer, and plays within the flow of his offense. He must continue to grow in his decision making as the rest of his game advances.
Despite his still-developing, yet intriguing offensive profile, the defensive side of the ball is where Sitraka can really make a name for himself. Importantly, in concert with an NBA/top flight European strength and development program, it is possible that Sitraka could eventually play spot minutes defending all five positions on the floor (to some extent) due to his lateral footspeed, length, and athleticism.
This is particularly coveted at the NBA/G League level, due to the proliferation of switches defenses. Sitraka is currently an elite help defender, whose timing and body control enable him to make excellent recovery plays. He possesses a quick second jump and does a nice job avoiding contact when blocking shots or 'walling' his man straight up and down.
In terms of his productivity on this end of the floor, Sitraka is averaging 2.0 bpg and 1.0 spg, though his impact with deflections extends far beyond these numbers.
His length is extremely disruptive in passing lanes and he also has good enough hands to 'pick the pockets' of smaller guards.
Defending the pick and roll, Sitraka's length is also disruptive and he will have the potential to switch onto just about anyone down the road.
In the post, Sitraka fights hard for position currently, but he does not yet possess the strength required to fight for position on the lower block against professional post players at the highest levels.
It is also important to see how Sitraka recovers from a positive offensive possession, yet can then go ahead and make a play on the other end.
All in all, Sitraka Raharimanantoanina is one of the more intriguing positionless players with the skillset to defend multiple positions. Though his offensive game is currently limited to straight line drives and he must continue to refine his perimeter stroke, Sitraka possesses enough upside to grow considerably in the coming years due to his speed, athleticism, and fluidity. Importantly, while he is currently developing with Elan Chalon's U21 team, he would be better served developing his 1 on 1 ball skills in the NBA's G League. Sitraka is one of the most intriguing young international prospects (that no services have profiled; similar to Minas' Gui Santos) and his development should be monitored over the next several years, provided he doesn't come over sooner.
Image Courtesy of Midi Madagasikara; Video Courtesy of Instat Sports/ESPN+
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