Scouting Report: Asbjorn Midtgaard
Asbjorn Midtgaard is a name that can’t be missed. He is having a great season in Leiden in FIBA Europe Cup and in the Belgium-Netherlands league and is one of the best big man in both competitions. He is still quite young and has some room to improve and he is definitely a name that deserves attention.
PLAYER INFO
Position:C
Height: 213 cm (7 ft )
Date of Birth: 20/9/1997
Nationality: Danish
Current Team:
ZZ Leiden
Previous Teams:
2014–17 Horsholm 79ers
2017–20 Wichita State (NCAA)
2020–21 Grand Canyon (NCAA)
VIDEO REPORT:
OFFENSE
Shooting: A big advantage for Asbjorn over most of the bigs with similar archetype is Asbjorn’s ability to stretch the floor. He is often used as a pick & pop target and taking open shots from the top. At the moment he is not taking many three point shots per game but the development is going in the right direction and he has improved his shot by quite a lot over the years and I would say that he will become a pretty reliable stretch big in the future. With his playing style he reminds me on Aron Baynes who added three point shot to his tool bag in last seasons but Asbjorn has the advantage that he started with his shooting development way earlier than Baynes and maybe could become a better shooter too. Overall, shooting is a piece of Asbjorn’s game that could be useful on any level in Europe.
Pick & Rolls: Due to his strong body and mobility, Asbjorn can be a useful pick & roll player too. He sets strong screens that disengage the defender and hit them hard. He is able to roll or pop which makes him unpredictable and he is reading the defense well and usually responds the right way. He has soft hands and when he is rolling to the rim he is catching most of the passes. He is not explosive to be used as a lob above the rim target many times but he likes to go for dunks if he has enough space and if he is in the vicinity of the rim. He has good body control and is able to finish through contact too which is also something I like to see from a rolling big man.
Post Ups: Big part of Asbjorn’s offensive arsenal consists of his post up game. He has the strength to move bodies down low but sometimes lacks the feel where the defense is standing and can also lose orientation. His baby hook shots with his right hand have decent touch but needs more work on his left hand finishes. Because of his good footwork he is also able to pivot himself a better position and create a better scoring opportunity. Overall he has solid post up game but there is room to improve and I expect that he will make steps in the right directions in next years in this part of his game too.
Basketball IQ: Another thing is his game that can’t be overlooked is his understanding of the game and playmaking. He opens the passing lanes for team mates and offers himself on high post, looks for the balls on low post or lurks around the dunker spot to get a useful pass. He is also a very good passer for player his position and occasionally makes nice passes out of post ups. He always has an active role in offense be it as screen setter or when he gets the ball and creates.
DEFENSE
Pick & roll Defense: He does a good job in the beginning when he is tagging the ball handler but does a poor job when he needs to return to his player. Sometimes he just freezes and loses a precious second that way when he should just go back to defend the rolling big man. He is not the best athlete and he doesn’t cover a lot of ground in defense and he is not a player that could switch in pick & rolls and defend on perimeter, especially against athletic guards that know how to take a slower big to the roller coaster.
Post Up Defense: He is doing a much better job in defending post ups and closer to the rim. His strong body enables him to hold his stance and players have a hard time to move him around. He is also doing a good job with contesting the shots with holding his arms straight up. Because he is so strong he is sometimes on the edge of a foul but refs don’t whistle that too often. From time to time he can struggle to defend smaller and mobile players on post ups who can turn around quickly but he is still doing a solid job with contesting the shots.
Rim Protection: When it comes to shot blocking he is not a player that will block too many shots but as mentioned before, he tries to contest or disrupt many attempts. His block numbers aren’t telling the whole story here and he is a good rim protector even though he averages less than one block per game.
Rebounding: Asbjorn is a very good rebounder. Of course, he has the size and strength to be a dominant rebounder on that level but he is showing some good feel where the ball is going and he is at the right place to grab it. Also important to note is that he is able to get some boards in traffic and create some second chance opportunities with his offensive rebounding. I believe he would be able to collect rebounds on a higher level too.
SUMMARY
So what does the future hold for Asbjorn Midtgaard?
In my opinion he could knock on doors of some Eurocup if not even Euroleague teams in next few years. He has a lot to offer on the offensive end, not just as an interior scorer but can stretch the floor too and dish nice passes from high or low post.
In defense he is showing good potential as interior defender but not that good in defending on perimeter and in pick & rolls.
When you sum up the pluses and minuses, there are still more pluses and teams should write his name in the notebooks.
