He was a sensation at junior level and now he is getting the hang of things in the senior game. Safe to say that the hard work that Barcelona’s Alejandro Abrines puts in day-by-day is paying off.

The 21-year-old forward was the leader of the Spain side that captured bronze in the European U20 Championships in Ljubljana back in 2012, hitting the game-winning three-pointer to secure that podium finish. A year before his jaunt in Slovenia, Abrines put in an MVP shift for the national side in their European U18 Championship-winning campaign in Poland.

Abrines’ maturity and skill set naturally caught Barcelona’s eye and they rightly signed the youngster for the 2012-13 season.

So, fresh off a highly successful junior career, Abrines, who was selected by the Oklahoma City Thunder with the 32nd pick in 2013 found himself mixing with legends such as Juan Carlos Navarro and Erazem Lorbek, as well as Ante Tomic and Marcelinho Huertas.

These days though, Abrines, now in his fourth Euroleague season is getting his deserved court time, and the improvement that the youngster is making game-by-game is noticeable.

“It has helped me a lot,” Abrines said. “The fact that you play two games a week and feel more and more important in this team helps a lot. You learn a lot in practice, but where you learn the most is competing against the best players, and those are in the Euroleague.”

Indeed, Abrines will benefit greatly from this season. A hard-working, energetic enthusiast, whose love of the game knows no limits; the Spaniard has impressed Barcelona coach Xavi Pascual long enough for the successful coach to trust him with regular minutes. Abrines has moved on from the cameos and the garbage minutes to being an integral part of the line-up.

The normally shy and reserved kid has now got a new found sense of freedom and confidence. Where did that all spark from?

“There a lot of reasons,” he explains. “Being with the Spanish national team definitely helped me raise my confidence. Being an important piece of this team and getting the playing time I get is something that is always good in terms of confidence. If you make mistakes, you are not going to be punished right away, you will get new opportunities. All that helps me improve my confidence.”

And improve, he has done. Barcelona are currently 3-0 in Group C with Abrines averaging a little over 19 minutes a game. In week two, Abrines delivered a career performance at the Mediolanum Forum against EA7 Milano. The 2014 Final Four venue has not been a happy hunting ground for the Catalans in past encounters but led by Abrines’ five three-pointers from five attempts; he led the scoring with 21 points as Barca came away with the 78-63 win.

“I felt like I could make everything,” he said. “After I scored the first three-pointer, everything went the right way. We did a great job.”

The youngster knows his strengths on the court, and he knows them well. If he’s struggling with his shot, he focuses on getting his team-mates that are feeling it the ball. If Pascual’s sets are not working, he, along with his team tries something else. He can adjust quickly. A sign of a player mature beyond his years. Anything he can do to help the team, he will do it. This is what has got Abrines into the regular rotation and his way of playing the game that he loves is succeeding.

“This is a very good moment for me,” Abrines admits. “I am making the open shots that I get and at the same time, getting more shots through direct and blind screens, too.

“Honestly, I feel great and the work I put in day after day is paying off. I hope it lasts for a long time.”

Words by John Hobbs / Quotes by Javier Gancedo.