Melwin Pantzar — Trust the process
THE SPANISH HUB — Liga Endesa Newcomers Edition
MELWIN PATRICK PANTZAR — Surne Bilbao Basket, Spain
Hometown: Stockholm, Sweden / DOB: 04.20 2000 / 6’3–190lbs
STATLINE: 14.5pts, 3.9ast, 3.8rbs, 1.6stl / 41.8 FG%, 33.3 3P%, 79.8 FT% / 1.95 A:TO ratio / 25:48MIN at Real Valladolid — LEB Oro 39GP
ROLE — BANKABLE SKILL: Two-Way Point Guard— Slashing + Up-Tempo Off.
SWING SKILL: 3pt-shooting D MATCHUP: 1–2 spots+ degree of switchability
Already a well known and established Swedish international at the age of 23, Melwin Patrick Pantzar will get his break in the Liga Endesa (formely Liga ACB) this upcoming season after signing a two-year deal with Bilbao Basket. The tenacious ball guard epitomises the “trust the process” moto as well as any other young baller in Europe right now. A product of the prolific Real Madrid youth set-up, Pantzar was once a member of the Adidas NGT royalty sharing the spotlight with the likes of Usman Garuba, Ziga Samar, Amar Sylla or Mario Nakic. Since making his ACB debut with Real in 2018 (and after a short loan stint in Manresa) Pantzar chose to learn the ropes with Real Valladolid for almost three full campaigns and more than a hundred games in the LEB Oro, putting the work in and eventually becoming the best player in the second Spanish tier last year.
GAME PROFILE
Standing at 6’3, with a well-built upper body and agile, Pantzar is a slasher through and true who loves to run offense at speed and can certainly play defense. Besides transition/early offense and catch-and-drive opportunities, it’s usual for Pantzar to call a screen in half court, pick a mismatch and a ‘hesi’ move, and then lower the shoulder and put pressure at the rim with long steps and toughness (5pts/game in pick-and-roll and handoffs by InStat). Be careful trying to stop him when he drives in a straight line: Pantzar has a powerful frame and isn’t afraid of bumping into bodies. He draws over 6 fouls per night and is an 80% shooter from the charity stripe. He also makes a 40% of his attempts at the hoop (mostly right-handed ones) although the touch on his floater is improvable. Ultimately, Pantzar is a productive playmaker too that creates advantages for others with his gravity and athletic tools, and has a thing for the jump-pass once he steps into the paint.
Unsurprisingly, turnovers can be a bit of an issue when your primary ball handler is an all-around driver who can easily go all gas no brakes. The Swedish floor general is on the right track though, still learning how to control the tempo, move the rock around or get it into the post, and accordingly choose the right moment to break downhill and take over the game. In that sense Pantzar has already shown a degree of flexibility in LEB Oro (and with Sweden to some extent alongside Barra Njie). He frequently comes off the bench for Real Valladolid providing what the team needs while taking turns at the point with the Dominican international Michael Torres. The ability to adjust to different roles on both ends is surely appreciated in Bilbao where Pantzar will likely split a good chunk of usage with the veteran Alex Renfroe and the Estonian combo Kristian Kullamae.
In addition to mastering his playmaking and self-creation, a jump-shot improvement would bolster Pantzar’s profile and versatility, and would bring more opportunities to see game-time at both guard spots. For instance, a consistent threat from deep will force defenders to go over the screen around the clock and open the lane even more for his dribble. It would also multiply his value as floor stretcher and spot-up option especially from the corners. Pantzar has shown nice flashes of shooting footwork with his pull up off the bounce, especially off the hop, but he could still raise his release point slightly and reduce the variability of his one-motion form in order to increase confidence, volume and percentages from range.
There’s no question in my book that Pantzar can make a real impact since day one in the ACB, especially on his own end and on the ball. The Swedish guard brings international FIBA experience, is physical with a high-motor and rebounds in abundance for a guy of his size. On top of these, he possesses tangible traits: length and quick hands on point-of-attack, strength to put a body on bigger guys, and lateral movement and legs to stay in front. Mix all together and you’ll find strong indicators of a versatile defensive playmaker in the backcourt who’s able to navigate and chase his man through picks or switch a bit, closeout shooters, make rotations, help his big man, and anticipate passing lanes. Obviously Pantzar will need some time to figure out Bilbao’s defensive schemes and get used to the flow and the speed of the game at high level, but the package is already there for the taking, and will help him to turn stops into easy buckets and earn a role and serious minutes in the process.
In case you are still wondering, Pantzar’s assignment on Luka Doncic during the FIBA World Cup qualifiers in the summer of 2022 is a powerful reminder of his stopper upside.
SUMMARY
While there is always a risk in bringing in youth to the toughest domestic league in the FIBA world, we can all agree Bilbao Basket has moved swiftly and smartly on this one. Pantzar looks like one of the safest bets around regarding homegrown young talent, and he’ll be paired with a know-how and well-travelled American point-guard like Alex Renfroe. The 37yo Renfroe has bags of experience and a trick or two to teach, and could work wonders to sharpen up and polish the Swede’s first-team mentality, high energy and physical approach. There is of course a strong Scandinavian connection in Bilbao too, with big men Denzell Anderson and Tryggvi Hlinason already in the club’s books, and fellow Swedish international guards like Luke Hakanson and Tobias Borg have recently suited up for the ‘Men In Black’. And finally we cant forget that Bilbao will be playing in Europe this season via the FIBA Euro Cup, which can translate into plenty of opportunities for Pantzar and much needed playing-time to make mistakes, shake them off and learn through them.
We can’t wait to see him slicing defenses all the way to the rack and then putting pressure on his man down the court on the next play. Or maybe exploiting Sacha Killeya-Jones’ raw athleticism in a pick-and roll partnership and taking on larger matchups in the following defensive possession.
However you look at it, Melwin Pantzar has come to the Liga Endesa party to stay.
