ORADEA (Romania) - Through three games in Oradea, Benjamin Berrouet has already surpassed the lofty expectations that surrounded him entering the tournament.
The 16-year-old entered the FIBA U16 EuroBasket tournament with plenty of hype, in part because of his performance in last year’s edition, where he led Latvia in scoring and rebounding en route to a sixth-place finish, but also because of what he has been doing on the other side of the Atlantic.
Rated as one of the top prospects in the high school class of 2028, with some outlets ranking him inside the top five, Berrouet has impressed across both the high school and AAU ranks while consistently producing highlight-reel plays.
In this FIBA U16 EuroBasket, however, Berrouet has made it clear that his impact goes well beyond the highlights. He leads the competition in scoring and rebounding while ranking second in blocks, and his production has translated directly to winning, with Latvia sitting at 3-0 and looking like a legitimate title contender in Oradea.
With his historic Group Phase performance now in the books, and as Latvia prepares for a Round of 16 matchup against defending champions Serbia, we look at Berrouet’s game and his projection to the next level in this Player Spotlight.
Interior offense
The first thing that stands out about Berrouet is his massive size. He’s currently listed at 2.03m (6ft 8in) with a reported 104kg (230lb) frame, making him extremely imposing physically for opposing defenders.
But he’s not just big and strong; he’s also extremely quick, fluid and mobile for his size, which makes him a tremendous mismatch.
It all starts in the paint.
Berrouet can tower over opponents and collect rebounds with a level of productivity rarely seen at the U16 level, but his dominance on the glass isn't simply a product of his size. His quick vertical pop allows him to get off the ground and high-point rebounds before opponents can reach them, while his motor makes him relentless in pursuit of the ball.
His footwork and ability to carve out space are also impressive. He identifies open areas around the paint, beats opponents to those spots and, once he establishes position, uses his strength to box them out, making it nearly impossible for opponents to recover position, as it’s extremely difficult to overpower him.
That size and strength are not only factors as a rebounder, but also as a finisher around the basket. Berrouet has shot a tremendous 75.6 percent around the basket, which is even more impressive considering that he hasn’t had that many dunks throughout the tournament.
Most of his finishes have come on layups, hook shots and other finishes around the restricted area.
Here, his strength, physicality and vertical leaping ability all shine through. He’s masterful at absorbing contact and finishing through it, rarely, if ever, being thrown off balance, while his elite extension and flexibility allow him to finish from awkward angles. He also has the touch to convert difficult layups and hook shots off movement.
Berrouet’s dominance as a rebounder and finisher has also shaped the way Latvia plays.
The team has outrebounded opponents by 41 total rebounds, which in turn creates freedom on the perimeter: Latvia has launched 28 more three-pointers than its opponents, knowing that Berrouet gives them an elite chance to clean up misses and generate extra possessions.
Despite being a lethal weapon in the paint for Latvia, with his combination of physicality and finesse, there’s still another level that Berrouet could reach in this tournament, as most of his opportunities at the rim have come in transition or off offensive rebounds.
If Latvia find a way to target him more consistently in the pick-and-roll, it could unlock another dimension of his offensive game, as he possesses the size, vertical pop and finishing versatility to be a dangerous lob threat.
Ball-handling and footwork
Berrouet has also shown that he doesn’t necessarily need teammates to create for him, as he has the ability to create for himself, particularly in transition.
He moves extremely well for a player his size, displaying a tremendous combination of size, speed and fluidity with the ball in his hands, and is capable of executing changes of direction and crossovers before using his long strides to get downhill and finish at the rim.
That physicality has also turned Berrouet into a foul magnet, as he goes to the line about 10.7 times per game. He’s not only a threat to finish through contact, but also to get to the free-throw line because of it, and he has been very good at cashing in on those opportunities; converting 71.9 percent of his attempts from the line.
His ability to handle the ball isn’t limited to transition. He has also shown an ability to operate in the half court, even though he doesn’t get many isolation drives per game.
He can attack mismatches, putting the ball on the floor, executing crossovers and beating bigger, slower opponents who have a hard time staying in front of him due to his quickness.
This is where his footwork really shines. He can utilize step-throughs and Euro steps to find open space and beat defenders to the punch, and he takes long strides, allowing him to pick up the ball a few feet away from the rim and still finish despite taking his final steps well outside the restricted area.
That footwork also comes into play in his post-up opportunities, where he’s masterful at utilizing spin moves to get into open space.
Playmaking for others
With him being a consistent threat to put pressure on the rim, Berrouet understandably attracts multiple defenders on each possession, and he has done a good job of utilizing that gravity to make plays for teammates.
Despite his high usage as a scorer, he has done a good job of minimizing turnovers while creating for others - averaging 4.0 assists per game against only 2.3 turnovers.
Berrouet is at his best as a stationary passer, whether catching the ball on the perimeter and finding teammates across the court or receiving it in the post and kicking it out to open shooters. His size allows him to see over the defense and make simple reads consistently.
At times, however, he would benefit from passing out of crowded drives, as his aggressiveness can get the best of him and lead him to attempt finishes over three or four defenders.
Berrouet makes the right play more often than not and has also shown flashes of advanced vision to find cutters and thread the needle through traffic.
The combination of his assist numbers, low turnover rate for his usage and flashes of advanced vision are interesting indicators that suggest he can become at least a capable ball mover at the next level.
Three-point shooting
The shooting is the final piece of the puzzle and is certainly a secondary skill for him at this point. He has shown flashes, including a couple of made threes, one of them coming off the dribble in isolation, which was particularly impressive, but Berrouet has made only two of his eight three-point attempts during the tournament.
The jury is still out on Berrouet as a shooter, but there are reasons for optimism. He’s only 16 years old and has already shown very good touch from the free-throw line and around the basket, making it reasonable to project him as at least a potential spot-up threat at the next level.
There are mechanical aspects to correct, particularly his tendency to lean back on his jumper, which can create inconsistency, but the underlying touch is there.
Defense
Defensively, Berrouet has really shined first and foremost as a rebounder, applying the same elite physical tools and motor he uses on the offensive end of the floor. He has finished each game with 10-plus defensive rebounds during the tournament, making him someone Latvia can rely on to secure the defensive glass.
His most impressive moments, however, come from his ability to protect the rim.
Berrouet is averaging 2.7 blocks per game - the second-best mark in the tournament - and this area is where his vertical leaping ability really shines, as it allows him to take off quickly and recover for blocks in transition and as a help defender, where he can simply spike the ball out of sight with a tremendous level of ferocity.
As a perimeter defender, Berrouet has made it difficult for opposing drivers to create space against him with his combination of strength and ability to move his feet on the perimeter, which has been enough to stay in front of opposing ball-handlers and cover and contest their drives all the way to the rim.
With his ability to withstand physicality and his elite movement ability for his size, I would project him as a versatile defender who can potentially contain multiple positions.
Depending on how much taller he grows, he could potentially defend threes, fours and some fives, as his strength and length should allow him to play bigger than his height.
As guards get quicker, more explosive and more skilled at higher levels of competition, however, I don't see him as a full-time point-of-attack defender at this stage, but he has certainly shown enough ability to switch on the perimeter to provide some value in occasional perimeter defensive possessions in the future.
Outlook
Through three games in Oradea, Berrouet has shown a combination of size, explosiveness, coordination and strength that is rarely seen at this level of competition, while also producing at a historic level.
His game against Czechia was only the third 30+ point, 20+ rebound performance in U16 EuroBasket history, and if he were to maintain his current averages of 27.7 points and 16.3 rebounds, he would become the only player in U16 EuroBasket history to reach both marks.
With Latvia heading into a Round of 16 matchup against reigning champions Serbia, Berrouet has more than delivered on the pre-tournament hype and firmly established himself as one of the top players not just in Europe, but in the entire world for the 2029 NBA Draft.
And, considering how unique his profile and production have been so far, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Berrouet lead Latvia toward something even more unique: its first-ever FIBA U16 EuroBasket title.
FIBA