Izan Almansa, a 6-foot-10 forward from Spain, announced Tuesday on Instagram that he had declared for the 2024 NBA draft after one season with the G League Ignite.
Almansa averaged 10.5 points, 7.2 rebounds and 1.5 assists on 54.3% shooting from the field in 48 games with the Ignite. He registered five games with at least 20 points, including a season-high 23 points and five rebounds on Jan. 2.
The 18-year-old was selected to compete in the Rising Stars game at NBA All-Star Weekend as one of the top players in the G League. He also participated in the G League Next Up Game.
https://www.instagram.com/p/C6HEyWpuppx/
Almansa began playing professional basketball at 16 years old with the Real Madrid junior team in the Liga EBA. He then spent one year each with Team OTE and YNG Dreamerz at Overtime Elite before signing with the Ignite in June 2023.
He is considered a potential first-round pick, given his ability as a defender and evolving offensive game. He isn’t much of a shooter at this stage of his career, converting just 20% from 3-point range (7-of-35) this past season. He will need to improve in that area.
Almansa also boasts experience representing Spain, earning Most Valuable Player at the 2022 FIBA U17 Basketball World Cup, 2022 FIBA U18 European Championship and 2023 FIBA U19 Basketball World Cup. He averaged 16.9 points and 7.1 rebounds last year.
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