"Devin Booker, his mid-range game is amazing" - NBA Academy India graduate Riyanshu Negi reveals he wants to model his game around the Phoenix Suns star

The NBA Academy India has produced some noteworthy talents in the last few years, including Princepal Singh, who plied his trade for G League Ignite, and Lalnehpua Chhakchhuak, who will be attending a college program in the U.S. on a basketball scholarship this year.

NBA India Academy alum Riyanshu Negi opens up about his favorite player in the NBA

Riyanshu Negi

NBA Academy India graduate Riyanshu Negi has committed to Crandell University in New Brunswick, Canada. Negi most recently played for DME Sports Academy in Florida.

He will now join Jagshaanbir Singh, Pranav Prince, Amaan Sandhu, Harshwardhan Tomar, and Lalhnehpuia Chhakchhuak on the list of NBA academy India players who have committed to high-school, prep school, and collegiate basketball programs in the U.S. or Canada.

Riyanshu Negi is the fourth @NBAIndia Academy student-athlete to commit to a US high-school or college basketball program. But at 6'3", the shooting guard is not like his compatriots who have moved to USA hoping to play in the #NBA some day. | By @jestalthttps://t.co/7srBkLOMPj

— Firstpost Sports (@FirstpostSports) December 13, 2020

Sportskeeda recently got an opportunity to catch up with Riyanshu, who revealed the areas of his game he is looking to improve:

"I really want to work on my body and really want to play defense. As a 6'3/6'4 guard, I know I can really shoot but I want to play defense. Really excited to work on that part of the game and you know, defense wins championships. I'm all about winning and I am going to put in the work on defense."

The conversation then moved on to the subject of which player Riyanshu Negi wants to model his game around, to which the budding starlet replied:

"I used to watch Derrick Rose as a kid, but understood that he is a good player to watch but I ain't athletic like him. Then I started watching CJ McCollum, and you know, he is 6'3/6'4 and pretty skillful. He has a really good jumper, and I also like Devin Booker, I think his mid-range game is amazing. Defensively, I recently started watching Jrue Holiday's game."

Riyanshu Negi, a shooting guard by nature, has featured in various international basketball events. He was a part of the 2017 and 2018 NBA Academy Games and the 2017 NBA Asia Pacific Camp in China. Negi joined the NBA Academy India back in 2017, honing his basketball skills with the prestigious institution for four years.

20-21 SEASON HIGHLIGHTS.@coachDennisDiaz @CoachPete25@WesamAlSoushttps://t.co/w7xGzDRVSz

— Riyanshu Negi (@RiyanshuNegi) April 2, 2021

The NBA Academy has done a stellar job of producing quality basketball players for the nation. The expectation is that the list of academy players committing to colleges in the West will keep on increasing every year.

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