Registration change in Palmer Mediterranean Soul Palma without modifying your project of a young team that grows based on work and opportunities. Its good 2020/2021 season meant that the club was unable to maintain its key pieces, being renewed only a vital Pol Figueras in the ‘one’, Milan Šuškavčević (who will sadly miss the season following his preseason knee injury) and Olle lundqvist, practically unprecedented last season due to injuries. But the project led by the Tomàs-Pérez duo, with Pepe Laso behind, not for the machinery, and thus several young people from leagues such as LEB Plata and EBA have come to their ranks, such as dark, Peñarroya, Feliu, Kostadinov and Kayinda.
With the bet that we already analyzed from Ikpeze to the fifth, the collaboration agreement of the club with a certain sports agency has made possible the arrival of three Argentine promises to LEB Oro. Be careful, because we are talking about three weight players, with a presence in the Argentine national team at certain times and with a huge future. The arrival of Maximum Fjellerup, a world runner-up in 2019, is a declaration of intent, a player who can make a difference. From Andorra he arrives on loan Fausto Ruesga, a young man combo forward that the final stretch of last season arrived and he will have a good test bench in the Gold to show where his level is. Close the trio Bautista Lugarini, a player with excellent projection and who may be a surprise if his individual progression during this course is the one that is sensed.
Despite being known players, with a lot of information on the networks about them, we have preferred to look for someone who knows them in the first person to act as an authorized voice. Nobody better than Raul Ruscitti, alma mater of Prospects Argentina, to analyze the Argentine trident of the Palmesan group.
Maximum Fjellerup
Escort-Forward / 1997/196 cm
Stats 20/21 (32 PT, 28 PT): 26 mi, 10.3 pt (27% T3), 6.0 re, 1.8 as
Definitely the most accomplished of the three young Argentines who arrive this season at Palmer Alma Mediterránea Palma, also the oldest by a wide difference. Maxi becomes a fundamental piece in the National League champion with San Lorenzo, an absolute elite team on the continent. In addition, he is current runner-up in the world with Argentina in 2019 being the youngest player on the squad and earning a place in Sergio Hernández’s rotation even in the decisive matches against Serbia, France and Spain. I wouldn’t be surprised if he gets a place in the Endesa League sooner rather than later.
Since he was little he was always the most outstanding player of his generation, which allowed him to play two junior world championships, with outstanding participation in both. That earned him the recruitment of Bahía Basket, the prestigious program directed by Pepe Sánchez that has had in its ranks, among others, Juan Pablo Vaulet and Leandro Bolmaro. He was champion and MVP of the Development League and played five National Leagues with the top team from 2013 (aged 16) to 2018.
San Lorenzo, one of the teams with the largest budget in the National League, came for him for the 2018-19 season as one of the most valuable U23 chips on the market and to replace Gabriel Deck’s departure for Real Madrid. There he played three editions of the National League, two intercontinental cups and three BCL Americas. The first years his role was secondary in a roster full of veterans and stars from the region. But last season, their role expanded along with that of José Vildoza and despite not having been the same dominant team of yesteryear, San Lorenzo returned to take the title, the fifth in a row.
Maxi was one of the centerpieces of the offense finishing with the best scoring average of his career. Being a physically gifted player, elite athlete, he is a constant threat in the open field. His speed, explosion and body control allow him to stack opponents with the dribble and finish on the other side. It is extremely strong, the contact does not alter its definition and it usually takes advantage of it to rectify in the air and finish with actions of notorious elegance.
His side as a playmaker is underrated. He has the ability to generate advantage and manage it, always having his teammates on the radar. If on an offensive level your main strength is the ease of reaching the paint with or without the ball, then your weakest point is still the throw. Especially the external. While he has improved it in recent years, feeling more comfortable in mid-range pull-up situations, the 3p shot represents a debt in his game. Although he has not stopped trying for that, with an average of three attempts per game last season. His technique still requires too much movement and strength before he takes the shot.
Defensively, its impact will be immediate. He earned a spot in the Senior Team rotation as a half-minute defensive specialist for Pato Garino, and became one of the best perimeter defenders in the National League. The combination of agility, strength and length, added to his engine and predisposition, make him very solid in the 1vs1. He is seen enjoying himself on the defensive side. Also, and no small thing, his rebounding predisposition is fantastic for a guard. One of the best defensive rebounding guards out there, undoubtedly the best in the league. Even alert to sweep the basket and avoid a conversion. In that area, it has no comparison. In addition, it allows him to take the rebound and go out in transition as a ball carrier, where he represents a great threat, perhaps his best version.
Fausto Ruesga
Eaves / 2000/201 cm
Statistics 20/21 (35 PJ, 34 PT): 30 mi, 12.7 pt (32.8% T3), 8.1 re
The forward comes on loan from MoraBanc Andorra, where he arrived at the end of last season after having had the best year of his career. His explosion is part of a version of Bahía Basket that had him as the undisputed starter, an important part of the offense of a team that won only four games (4-36 his record) and ended up relegated.
Member of a generation of ’00 full of talent in Argentina, Ruesga’s early years do not resemble those of Fjellerup. He was not a high profile player in training, but his growth year after year has been brutal. He got his first call-up in the Youth Teams for the South American U17 as a secondary role player and finished the U19 World Cup as the starter of a team that included Juan Ignacio Marcos (Barcelona), Francisco Farabello (TCU), Leandro Bolmaro (Minnesota Timberwolves) and Francisco Cáffaro (Virginia).
He played three editions of the National League with Bahía Basket where his role has grown considerably. Your cover letter is intangibles. Fausto’s athletic prowess is absolutely unusual for Argentine-born players. His power and jumping ability make him a forceful finisher on the rim even at the next level. In fact, he has been a double gold medal in the Youth Olympic Games, winning the dunk tournament and the 3 × 3 contest, where he showed off his power and versatility.
On an offensive level, his impact on the game is overwhelming, in part, thanks to his work without the ball. You don’t need the ball to be productive. Counterattacks, cuts to the basket and offensive rebounds are his main focus, especially the latter. To that must be added a drastic improvement in his three-point shot on a firm footing from reception. He contributes a lot and hardly touches the ball. In attack, he is unlikely to fit the role of generator. Rather, it will be in charge of receiving that game to define. He can behave like an inside player, the paint is an ecosystem where he feels extremely comfortable, but his threat with the launch will allow him to open space to his teammates.
All that offensive versatility carries over to the defensive side as well. You can defend multiple positions. He fits sensationally into the famous 3 & D role. As a 1vs1 defender, he can contain both the perimeter and the paint, he will defend the opponent’s main offensive threat at forward positions and will help greatly with the defensive rebound, although he is not a protector of the paint by instinct.
Bautista Lugarini
Alero / 2001/203 cm
Stats 20/21 (40 FP, 28 PT): 26 mi, 9.6 pt (28% T3), 5.1 re, 2.4 as, 1.0 ro
Far from the athletic panorama of his two compatriots, Lugarini’s profile is quite different. He has always been the most outstanding player of his generation, which earned him an early draft with Bahía Basket, the same year as Bolmaro. He could have been Argentina’s main reference in the U17 World Cup played in his hometown, but he suffered an injury and could barely play for a few minutes.
The following year he was part of the U19 World Championship with the 2000 generation, giving a one-year lead. There he earned a place as a starter in the forward positions along with Ruesga. The same couple who did last season in Bahía Basket, where they played a central role. And the reality is that they complement each other wonderfully. If Ruesga is power and instinct, Lugarini is brain and skill. Both can play in both the three and the four, always open, but with the possibility of leading the low post to a favorable match.
Lugarini can and wants to have the ball in his hands. He understands the game at a high level and knows how to manage advantage when he gets it. He is not a dazzling player on the athletic level, not from the explosive and lateral movement, but from the fundamentals. He handles both profiles, has advanced footwork and knows how to use his body. In addition, in recent times he has gained weight, which allows him to be favored in contact situations close to the rim, an aspect in which he used to lose permanently.
While his outside shooting numbers don’t stand out, Lugarini has always been recognized as a player with the ability to hit the triple. His mechanics are fast and fluid, he has no problem putting together the shot from a deeper range to the three-point line. He has tried five triples per game, almost 1.2 more than Ruesga in the same offensive dynamic, despite the fact that Ruesga threw better percentages. Perhaps it is explained because with Ruesga, the defenses are more aware of his penetration and release the launch, something that clearly does not happen with Lugarini. Anyway, he will keep trying. Trust shouldn’t be a problem.
On the defensive side is where perhaps it costs him the most. His knowledge of the game allows him to be well positioned and adapt to the team’s rules, but his movements and lateral speed are not the strengths of his game, which usually pays off in the defense of more agile players. Injuries have played a major role in his career, valuable development time has been lost due to physical problems in his three previous seasons in the National League, but he has finally managed to have a healthy final season, where he played all his team’s games. .
In short, the Argentina-Palma connection is more alive than ever, with a splendid future, with the LEB Oro as an excellent test bed.