NBA BASKETBALL |
July 31, 2002 |
The Euroleague: The NBA's Real Developmental League
By Jerry Mittleman
The old days when NBA teams looked to the college ranks
for instant impact players are truly ancient history. New draft patterns continue
to evolve as college basketball increasingly loses its traditional role as the
NBA’s training ground. Last year’s draft was unique. Three of the first four players
selected were high schoolers, the fourth a foreign player and overall four Europeans
were taken in the first round. This year’s draft was just as revolutionary. For
the first time a foreign player was the initial pick and a record number thirteen
foreigners, eleven of European, were drafted.
The recently concluded season was unique in several ways. The immediate success
of rookies Pau Gasol, Tony Parker and Andrei Kirilenko as well as the achievements
of the league’s “European team,” Sacramento, has forced NBA general managers to
consider the European option a lot more seriously then in the past. Both Gasol
and Parker’s success were very significant. Gasol’s Rookie of the Year season,
after being drafted third, has decreased the risk factor in selecting foreigners
high in the draft. Though drafted 28th and only 19 years of age at the time, Parker
won the starting point guard job at San Antonio and played like a poised veteran.
He demonstrated that even a late first rounder or second round pick could make
a valuable immediate addition to the team that chooses wisely.
In the past, top draft picks were chosen according to their “NBA readiness” after
several seasons of college ball. During the past few years, the trend has been
towards potential, as most of the top young American players have opted to enter
the draft straight from high school or after a brief stay in college.
Today’s top young European prospects offer an attractive blend of potential and
“NBA readiness.” Players like Gasol, Parker and Kirilenko and recent selections
like Nikolz Tskitishvilli, Bostjan Nachbar and Jiri Welsch are hardly diamonds
in the ruff. All have either one or more years of experience at the highest levels
of European basketball. In many ways, their training and experience far exceeds
what players of a comparable age get from NCAA basketball.
A European season consisting of national league play, European Cup league competition
and playoffs can easily amount to 60-70 games. Rosters consist of young prospects
plus European and American veterans, slightly below NBA caliber. The leagues are
full of players with NBA experience. Almost no one is truly “NBA ready” when drafted,
but some of the top European youngsters seem to be further advanced then most
college players.
It’s become common practice for NBA teams to draft talented but less advanced
players as “futures.” The opportunity to return to their European teams for additional
seasoning makes them a more attractive option then college players who can’t return
to the NCAA and are usually expected to prove their NBA readiness immediately.
New breed Europeans like Gasol, Kirilenko and Tskitishvilli posses tremendous
athleticism and versatility and have an enormous upside. They are soundly based
in the basketball fundamentals that are often lacking in American high schools
and colleges these days, and they have experience playing in a structured system.
The NBA offers them a chance to display and further develop full-court skills,
which are less integral to European basketball. In short, their potential is based
on developing existing skills necessary to flourish in a different system rather
on gaining experience.
Over 30% of the players drafted this year were born outside the USA. In many ways Europe is already fulfilling the task the NBA had in mind when it created the NBDL, only it’s doing it for foreign rather then American born players.
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