Take the sp in Fanspo and replace it with a b. You get Fanbo (+Zeng). I am certainly a fan of him. If young Giannis and Ziaire Williams had a baby, it would be Zeng. I am not taking this man lightly either. Due to my scouting ignorance or simple lack of knowledge, I have ignored him until know. Fortunately, he is impossible to miss. You might be thinking this: "Oh, well, he must have put up 30 ppg for some big DI school." Nope. He averaged 3.8 points for a raw developmental G League team. Don't hold me to it, but after watching some film, I believe that Zeng is one of the most talented players that I've ever seen.

His game begins and ends with his size and length. As a 6'11" wing, he fits the into the "trendy" mold. However, he certainly has not been trending. His name hasn't been out in the open for a very long time. It is truly a travesty. I was totally unbeknownst of his existence until fairly recently. Not that I learned about him yesterday, but we have taken and are taking way too long to start paying him some respect. All that many front offices care about in today's NBA is potential, size for position, and length. As the man himself Kevin Durant put it,

[to be the best player in the NBA] “Size For Position, Shotmaking, Efficiency, IQ, Consistency, Being Able To Guard Multiple Positions, A Willing Passer, Coachable, Energetic… In My Humble Opinion.”

Yes, if it hasn't hit you, Fanbo Zeng has nearly all of those attributes. Surely Durant isn't the only source you could use, but he pretty well nailed it when it comes to scouting the draft. Whether it's his gorgeous shooting stroke, or willingness to get messy, Zeng makes winning plays. Purely from popping up youtube and watching highlights, you can see that he is an outstanding offensive rebounder. He is always diving for the ball and he doesn't ever worry about himself. This may be why he didn't out up flashy stats with the G League Ignite. He would rather let his teammate shoot a wide open shot than himself. It isn't for his lack of shooting ability either. He has one of the most pure shots that we have seen for a few years. It really isn't often that an elite marksmen from deep comes out of the draft. Without a doubt, Fanbo can be THAT guy.

At the ripe young age of 19 years old, he can still blossom into a star. With so much talent on the Ignite roster, nobody ever anticipated him having a large role. With a creative coach, he'll truly become magnificent. While immediate contributors like Herb Jones are always nice, it's fun to take on a project every know and then. It may be a bit like a dad and a bookshelf. Sure, you could go out and buy one for a few hundred bucks. Yet, I can guarantee you that just about any dad with extra time would rather build one from scratch. While it may seem like a strange comparison, NBA general managers are similar. Many of them prefer to go out and get a veteran free agent. Still, young developing teams may thirst for a player like Fanbo. He has so much raw talent that is just waiting to be unlocked. It is honestly hard to legitimately explain his game. It's like watching a magic spell brewing, with frogs jumping out of the cauldron. There are so many little sparks flying around that are pointing to the young kid becoming a star. Get on the train now, before it's history. Watch Fanbo become the next generational, impeccable, undeniable basketball talent.

NBA Comparison: PG13

Projected Draft Range: 50-Undrafted

Height 6'11

Weight 200 lbs

Wingspan Estimated 7'2

DOB 1/11/03 (Draft Age: 19)

Pre-Draft Team G-League Ignite

Offense

• Lefty shooter who projects to be a lights out C&S guy with the potential to do a little more.

• Projectable frame, needs to add some strength and be stronger with the ball.

• Flashes of a turnaround mid range game.

• Overall a heads up cutter along the baseline.

• Not a mover with a ton of burst.

• Upside in PnP as well as a rolling lob threat.

• Isn't soft, but will take some adjusting to the NBA physicality.

• Does a little bit of bang around the cup. Decent fluidity and traces of a post game.

• Most areas of his game outside of shooting are in their beginning phases of development. A project player with a fair amount of upside.

Defense

• Some flashes of a real ability to be a weak side help rim protector.

• Not terrible in space, but certainly not a great later mover. Probably guards 4-5, most 3's. Struggled with any guards who have a bag and burst. Decent projectability as a mover.

• Can be better at using his length on close outs by having a higher sense of urgency.

Swing Factors

• Defensive ability - At times he looked like an exciting weak side protector and a guy who has hints of switchability, other times it was a major concern if he could effect shooters on his closeouts and if he is going to be a consistent liability in space due to lateral movement. In order to secure his role on a club, being a max effort, aware weak side rim protector will go a long way.

• Consistency - Everything to this point with Zeng is flashes and there isn't an overwhelming sample size to go off of. Even as a shooter there were a fair amount of airballs. At times he looks out of sorts, his effort isn't max on closeouts and nothing is done with the consistency of an NBA rotation player. Youth and inexperience play a large role, but for Zeng to evolve to a next level contributor consistency has to manifest. It can begin with perimeter shooting, defensive effort and awareness. If those are in place you start to feel more comfortable about the long term future.

Role

• A project player stretch big with glimpses of a two-way projectability.

• LOW: Zeng fails to find any sort of consistency and goes overseas where he has a successful career.

• HIGH: Zeng's shooting manifests and he becomes a knockdown guy especially in the corners. He starts to become usable in PnP scenarios and his body matures into that of an NBA player where he can handle the physicality and hold his own. He begins to move better laterally and comfortably guards 3-5 and isn't always on an island vs smaller guard switch situations. As a finisher around the basket Zeng makes major strides and even has a little bag inside ten. Defensively teams love his presence as a weak side shot blocker and as somebody who helps secure the rim protection. Eventually Fanbo becomes a starter.

Modern combo forward who can space the floor. For his size, his handle is very smooth, clean jumper, able to protect the rim at 6'11". High IQ with decent passing.

Needs to improve footwork and his defense. Again, for his size, he should be a much improved defender, but he lacks on that side of the ball, both perimeter and interior.