Melvin Ajinca Scouting Report

DOB: 24-06-2004

Nationality: French

Position: Wing

Height: 6'7

Wingspan: 6'5 - 6'6.5

Weight: Unknown

Team: Saint-Quentin Basketball

Pro Comp: Ochai Agbaji

Draft range: 25-35

Strengths:

-NBA-ready body and athleticism

-Remarkable shooting form

-Great agility for somebody of his size

-High-activity off-ball player who knows when and where to relocate

Weaknesses:

-He's a big liability passing the ball

-Finishing through contact at the rim

-Having a negative wingspan limits his impact as an off-ball defender and rebounder

Question marks:

-Since he has not been a great shooter during his developmental process, still exist questions about the sustainability of his shooting talent

-It's not clear how impactful he can be in the offense if the shot is not falling

2023/24 stat line:

He ended his season averaging 10.1 PPG, 3.1 RPG, 0.5 SPG and 2.1 3PTM in 40.9/35.8/86.7 splits in all domestic competitions.

International players who get the most looks when going into an NBA Draft cycle are usually those with the highest chances of becoming an All-Star one day in the league. However, there are a good amount of overseas role players that have been crucial for a lot of teams that accomplished to win a championship. This trend can be understood under the premise that international players are a bit more of a gamble than college players considering the adaptation to the American environment and the different dynamics of the basketball that is played there, so they kind of rather take that "risk" with a potential star than in a role player. This contributes to an overestimation of some players' production in college, compared to professional basketball players overseas, which can be one of the biggest shifts in the upcoming years for NBA Draft scouting processes.

Melvin Ajinca may be one of the best international projects of a 3-and-D player. After really struggling to shoot the ball in his early developmental years, Ajinca has been shooting the ball at a high clip, which has been underlooked so far in this Draft class. Last season he played a major role in the league promotion of his team, Saint-Quentin Basketball, from LNB B to the top-tier French league, the LNB A. His impact in the game at just 18 years old was outstanding, posting just below 9 points per game and shooting 40% from three on 4.2 attempts. Then, he was one of the biggest eye-catchers in the past U19 World Cup, posting high percentiles in about every relevant measurable in the tournament like scoring (100th percentile), true shooting percentage (100th percentile), catch-and-shoot FG% (100th percentile) and opponent FG% (97th percentile).

Melvin Ajinça 🇫🇷 quand il est dans un bon soir c'est quelque chose quand même. L'impression qu'il peut shooter n'importe comment, ça rentrera quand même

Déjà 3/3 à 3pts ce soir, après un match à 19 points à 4/8 cette semaine #LeadersCuppic.twitter.com/gcWkQkLC6Y

— Tom Compayrot (@Tom_Cprt) February 16, 2024

This season, he decided to step down in mid-season after playing through a sternum injury that was significantly affecting his production and efficiency, the reason why the 31% in three-pointers that he posted this season in the league competition should not be the main factor to define his value as a shooter — erasing his last two LNB A games where he shot twice 0-6 from three, his season overall becomes a 39% 3PT. 

Ajinca is a left-handed shooter with both a very high release point and jump. His quick release may be attributed to his consistency of not pulling down the ball after receiving it, and also raising his hands with the ball even before his jump takes place, not during it. His best mechanic initiates with a jump over the tip of his feet and ends up a couple of inches above him, something that can be problematic for hard-contested shots. Despite it, he seems to be a player who doesn't bother at all if the defender takes away his air space and has been able to connect low-quality three-point shoots in the past two years. A terrific shooter on movement, his team has been able to run a lot of sets for him where he successfully navigates the screens and gets a clean look.

Can't identify a tendency of his preferred zones to shoot, but the left-wing zone might be the most challenging one for him. He's great not staying ball-watching in the perimeter, but relocating in a spot where he's available for the passer, which is something really valuable and that reveals an advanced feeling of the shooter mentality that characterizes the well-regarded players that possess that archetype.

Despite being left-handed, he's been able to dribble with both hands and in both directions, making him difficult to defend in the perimeter, even when he's not especially fast or has dribble movements to create separation between him and his primary defender. In that sense, his impressive strength helps him to stay balanced on his way to the rim but still is not enough to consider him a powerful driver. Surprisingly for a player that just had a huge muscle gain up, he got a really soft touch for floaters from multiple spots, something that would be encouraging considering he's probably going to struggle at the NBA level creating separation and getting clean layups at the rim.

One of the most underrated aspects of his game might be his athleticism, which has made him a lob threat in multiple instances. Having him as a slasher off the corner can really help a team to space the floor, all things considered. Regardless, when he's finishing at the rim, he's been inconsistent when he has to finish with contact, even sometimes against smaller players. 

His biggest weakness is his poor discipline to pass the ball, which makes him an untrustable player to run drive and kicks, and sometimes even to just simply be part of a succession of passes. It can be noted how this has been a point of emphasis in his development since he has shown steps of improvement this season compared to the last one, but will still need to be consistent on that. His jump passes were almost erased from his game since, and has been willing to overdribble to find a clean pass. 

Ajinca should be at least an average defender at the NBA level but has the potential to become a special wing-stopper using his intriguing physical tools, like his strong upper body, good size, and agility, which also allows him to be very switchable and matchup with smaller guards. Stays in front of his player using his strength through his chest, showing a great understanding of the correct angles to force tough shots or drive and kick passes. Not a defender that will get tons of steals per game considering he's not considered a disrupter playing off-ball defense, but stays composed over off-ball movements and screens and doesn't use to gamble, but just to secure his player gets the ball out of his comfort zone. 

Per Envergure.co and as we can confirm after consulting with a source familiar with the information, one of the most deflating aspects in the projection of Ajinca as a defender is his negative wingspan. Melvin Ajinca has been listed as 6'7 in multiple FIBA youth tournaments, and his wingspan is somewhere between 6'5 and 6'6.5. Having such a short wingspan will considerably hurt his potential as a wing defender and a rebounding contributor considering the average wingspan measurements for shooting guards and small forwards in the NBA are 6'9 and 6'11 per HowTheyPlay.com. Regardless, this may be encouraging about his upside as a three-point shooter and maybe his real ceiling comes as a specialist in that area who is just a net-zero defender, which is still a very valuable style of player.