NBA Draft Lacks European "Talent"

By: Wendell Maxey

Back in 2001, the Atlanta Hawks drafted a 7 foot center out of Spain with the third overall pick, making him the highest drafted international player at that time.

Eight years later Pau Gasol is playing in his second-straight NBA Finals for the Los Angeles Lakers.

In 2002, 17 international players were selected in the NBA Draft. Ask the Denver Nuggets and Nikoloz Tskitishvili (5th overall) how that turned out.

Talk about hit or miss.

This year is a big whiff.

With the NBA Draft just weeks away, the ongoing consensus extends further than knowing Oklahoma's Blake Griffin will be the clear cut number one overall pick by the Los Angeles Clippers. This year's draft is not very deep. That goes for those trying to head from campus to the pros.

Now the same can be said about those making the long overseas jump from Europe to the Association.

"European prospects that are in this draft are not as good as they have been in the previous years," one International NBA scout told HOOPSWORLD.

"This is definitely not a deep draft as far as talent wise even for European players."

Last year, five foreign born players were selected in the first round: Italy's Danilo Gallinari (6th overall by New York), Alexis Ajinca (20th, Charlotte) from France, Kosta Koufos (who played collegiately at Ohio State, taken 23 by Utah), Spain's Serge Ibaka (Seattle, 24th), and Nicolas Batum from France (Portland, 25th overall).

Only Batum received significant playing time and effectively contributed to the Blazers. This June however – outside of projected lottery picks Ricky Rubio of DVK Joventut and Rome's Brandon Jennings – you'd be hard pressed to find an international influence in the first round.

"Unfortunately I think it is just a bad draft year in general. Even in Europe there are a lot of good players but not all of them put their name in the draft," the scout continued, saying the opinion was a common believe among many international scouts.

"There may be one or two only European first rounders and I don't think there is clear can't miss prospect out there from Europe in this draft."

While there is belief that there may be more European "sleepers" in the second round, several foreign players either "didn't put their names in the draft because they are still young or it just isn't the right time."

According to a few 2009 mock draft boards, only one European import – not named Rubio or Jennings - is projected to go late in the first round (Omri Casspi, 6'9 small forward out of Israel).

NBA Draft.net has seven other international players projected in the second round. Draft Express counts ten foreign players' possibly chosen after the first round. Yahoo Sports sees only Rubio and Jennings representing overseas in the first round. And HOOPSWORLD has Victor Claver, a 6'10 power forward from Spain as 30th overall, with Casspi part of ten international second round selections.

Mock draft numbers paint one picture. The names are there. The talent apparently isn't.

But the writing is on the wall, at least to some scouts who have witnessed a decline in the European players who declared themselves eligible for June's NBA Draft.

"It's an inferior draft," the scout reiterated.

Here's to another hit or miss.

Here's to next year.

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Calling Brandon Jennings a Euro is a bit of a stretch. A pretty large one in fact. He is an American kid who didn't want to bother with going to college out of high school so he took a one year contract in Europe. He looks to be the first of many American kids that may take this option rather than going to college.

Casspi's stock is rising. The Spurs have to move up in the draft if they want to get him.

Casspi's stock is rising. The Spurs have to move up in the draft if they want to get him.

Casspi the kind of player the Spurs love. He plays hard and has lots of "heart". He's young an athletic. He's likely to be taken late in the first round.

I thought I had heard that Casspi dropped out of the draft but I can't seem to find anything to confirm that.

I thought I had heard that Casspi dropped out of the draft but I can't seem to find anything to confirm that.

Nope. Casspi is staying and I really hope he will be taken in the first round. I see him taken as early as the 20th and as late as the 30th.