Little by little the new wickers of the Leyma Coruña, which again will be a candidate for everything. Very important renovations such as that of Zach Monaghan and Javi Vega are complemented by elite signings in the competition such as bases Álex Hernández and Mo Soluade. But the Coruña team has also opted for secondary role players such as Mikel Sanz or possible revelations such as Kadre Gray. Another name that has joined the orange team is that of the American Nick Ward (1997 / 206 cm)A plump ‘five’ with a talented NCAA pedigree who has been in the pro for two years.
With a good reputation in High School, the 16/17 arrived at Michigan State, where he knew how to take advantage of his minutes and immediately took an important role despite being Freshman (19 mi, 13.8 pt, 6.5 re, 1.5 ta). The following season he did not disappoint and was again one of the most prominent in the Big Ten, valuing jumping into the draft after his good averages (19 mi, 12.4 pt, 7.1 re, 1.3 a). His junior year (18/19) would be his last university, returning to achieve good averages with the Spartans (21 mi, 12.9 pt, 6.0 re, 1.3 a), although a hand injury slowed him down somewhat, his team arriving also to the Final Four. He was invited in the Pre-Draft tournaments to the G-League Player Invitational, but was not drafted and after playing with Atlanta Hawks the NBA Summer League (6.6 pt, 6.4 re) decided to jump to Europe to debut in the professionalism after receiving a good offer.
In August 2019 he signed in Israel with Hapoel Galil Gilboa, but did not make his official debut despite having played friendlies, leaving for Turkey to stay two months at Belediyespor in the second division (4 pa, 22.0 pt , 6.3 d) before getting the call from the Hawks to return to their G-League affiliate team, where he shone with his ability to add. Before the pandemic stopped everything, Ward credited averages of 13.3 points and 6.7 rebounds in the 20 minutes he was on the track with College Park SkyHawks.
Last 20/21 he returned to Turkey with the season started (İstanbul Basket), but it would only last the first 4 games (32 mi, 21.3 pt, 8.3 re, 0.8 a) before his team replaced him. From that moment on, he would not play again until the CEBL began, of which we have already spoken, where he is being one of the main stars of his Ottawa BlackJacks, acting as a starting center, and to date he has played ten games with averages from 27 mi, 18.7 pt, 9.4 re, 1.3 ta ..
If you want to know more about his game, we will tell you that it is a low ‘five’ but with wide shoulders and many kilos in the area that make it difficult to move him. Left-handed, but able to use his right hand, he surprises with his good touch, being a good finisher; In addition, he knows how to play in the low post with his back to the basket (he takes a lot of fouls) and finishes the game of blocking and continuation (good% T2), being certainly mobile for his weight despite lacking explosiveness. He can score from 3-5 meters, although it is not his strong suit. It is not very big, but it does have a good size, bouncing very well in its space and counting on good timing to plug. Its style is reminiscent of the old fashioned way. Without much face play, he can suffer against athletic players and when they take him out of his area of influence in defense he suffers from his lack of lateral movement. You don’t need to play many minutes to produce.
It will be necessary to see in what physical conditions it arrives and if it will take the optimal state. Another important point is how you will adapt to the arbitrations and if you will not lose yourself in useless complaints about doubtful fouls not called. You must stay focused to get the best out of your game and avoid unnecessary fouls. Without a doubt, I must admit that Nick Ward is a signing that I did not expect for LEB Oro, but at the same time I am happy to see such a talent in our competition. Last year Sergio García was looking for a talented physical team, although it would not be enough between injuries and doubts in static. I do not know if Ward will make huge differences and, without knowing the entire squad, in theory he would come to occupy the role of Nwogbo. It will be necessary to see his physical condition and his level in defense, but he is easy to add, he can create problems for opponents in the post and he is a good rebounder thanks to his size, with the addition of not having to be infinitely on the court to contribute .
