Why can't international players perform in the NBA and vice versa?

[iamgine]

For example, I'm looking at Patty Mills. A good bench player in the NBA. A star in international play. Huge difference. Or how about Luis Scola. Clearly currently would be 12th man in the NBA, if that. Absolute monster in the world championship.

On the other hand, we have guys like Giannis. NBA MVP. But hasn't dominate like he should. Or Kemba/Mitchell. It seems they should be much more dominant against these "weaker" competition.

Is it the rules? Not enough time to gel with teammates? Small sample size?

[Bawkish]

NBA players were groomed to be like WWE wrestlers

no one practices anymore, basic fundamentals thrown out the window, individual stats favored more instead of teamwork

[SamuraiSWISH]

There have been American NBA players that have been utterly dominant in the international game, even though it is quite different. But it does feel very different to the sport that we see in the NBA at times.

[madmax]

Kevin Durant was just as effective if not more in FIBA than in NBA.
So was Curry, Melo, Wade and Harden...
Maybe it's got to do with the actual fundamental skillset, rather than trying to force AAU playground game against professional international teams?

[brooks_thompson]

I feel like the major thing for NBA players is they can't shoot CONSISTENTLY in FIBA. Only a select few, Durant being one of the standouts, can make a good percentage of jumshots from game to game. Everyone else is wildly uneven to the point you can't usually rely on a single player. Player X has a solid 5-9 game, going 3-5 on threes? Well, the next two games he'll disappear and combine to go 3-18 FG on 0-8 threes.

We saw the same sort of thing in the NBA playoffs this year as far as the wild variance; really only Durant, Kawhi and Jokic were truly consistent from game to game. The rest of the 'stars' were very disappointing and totally unreliable. I'm not sure if it was just a fluke, because I don't recall ever really noticing it in years past, but it was painfully noticeable this year.

[Kblaze8855]

Scola was getting pulled for defensive reasons at times in his prime. At 58 years old or whatever he is(I bet hes not even 40 to be real) hed have trouble staying on the floor in a lot of matchups in the NBA today.

Its kinda like college where the rules and play style let immobile bigs like Sean May take over games they can barely get into in the NBA.

Some of the old college teams that had a gang of upperclassmen might be similar internationally to some of these random squads we put together now. Some of them would have more experienced players than the NBA vets we send now....and they could play together and vs a zone. There used to be college teams with 6-9 NBA players on them. Kentucky in 96 might have had 10. Almost none of them 1 and dones.

If coach K could keep his guys for 4 years we could probably send duke and compete. How many NBA players would duke have had last year if everyone stayed in school?

Ingram, Tatum, Zion, Bagley, Allen, Carter....I think Okafor would have to be a 5th year senior to still be there last year. We feel like hes been around forever but Okafor is the same age as rookie Larry Bird. Anthony Davis, KAT, and Devin Booker would have all been at Kentucky together 30 years ago.

Groups that talented dont stay in school today so they dont learn to play together so well....

Modern players with old school pre NBA experience would be a problem internationally.

[90sgoat]

Too low bball IQ.

Most american players simply do not have the ability to consider more advanced moves than pick and roll, because they really haven't played anything but pick and roll and carry crossovers since ... forever.

The AAU system doesn't teach these things. One and done don't teach these things. NBA doesn't teach these things.

The same goes for moving on defense.

As for why international players can't perform, most of them can, but they need to be in a team setting. They can't be left alone on an island, since most of them became stars due to skill, not speed. Look at Spurs, they make these international players stars, because they play as a team.

It's pretty simple.

Spurs is a euro-team. Spurs win. Every season.

AAU and star driven game is suboptimal at every level. You need a huge talent advantage to win playing that way.

[brutalBBQ]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tjIzGgdKSuw

Australia train to this, "isn't funny how these cats lack the basics"

[FKAri]

Because the rules are diverging and it's turning into two different sports.

[ralph_i_el]

Good points all around in this thread.

Also, US players often depend on the drive, and FIBA has no defensive 3 second rule. That helps huge, less-mobile bigs like Gobert.

[Xiao Yao You]

Good points all around in this thread.

Also, US players often depend on the drive, and FIBA has no defensive 3 second rule. That helps huge, less-mobile bigs like Gobert.

Which bigs are more mobile than Gobert? The reason he's so good is because he's mobile. Otherwise he'd be Thabeet

[sick_brah07]

For example, I'm looking at Patty Mills. A good bench player in the NBA. A star in international play. Huge difference. Or how about Luis Scola. Clearly currently would be 12th man in the NBA, if that. Absolute monster in the world championship.

On the other hand, we have guys like Giannis. NBA MVP. But hasn't dominate like he should. Or Kemba/Mitchell. It seems they should be much more dominant against these "weaker" competition.

Is it the rules? Not enough time to gel with teammates? Small sample size?

the rules: the Rules are different the ball is different and its more physical with less spacing ? how can you not notice this by watching ? but in saying that plenty of NBA stars would **** up a lot of international players if they spent some time and adjusted to the game

4 weeks is not a lot of time to prepare for a game that is altered and changed.

the biggest factor is 3 second defensive rule. That makes the largest impact, sleek point guards in the NBA would drop off instantly if this rule was wiped out in the NBA. The NBA has changed this rule for 2 reason. One being SHAQ lol and the other to inflate stats of guards as they sell tickets. I mean look at guys like kemba, wall, Conley, Mitchell, rozier they are not super stars they are simply stars that are benefiting from the rules. Hence why NBA playoffs feel so different as they refs allow more to happen and go back to more traditional style of referring.

I am fro Europe and love seeing the fellow euros give them a run for money every now and then but all you have to do is watch these highlights below ad you realise that the second the USA takes it seriously no one has a chance.

this last world cup was simply the usa being tired of beating everyone an that is reality lol

I mean go watch these highlights

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dreKJAU1jwg&t=290s

[ralph_i_el]

Which bigs are more mobile than Gobert? The reason he's so good is because he's mobile. Otherwise he'd be Thabeet

Well he's not immobile, but he's been played off the floor in the NBA playoffs because he's not good at covering the mid-range or out to the 3-point line.

The reason why he's so good is because he has the longest recorded wingspan in NBA history, and good defensive instincts in the paint.

[Sharmer]

Patty Mills would be star in the NBA but has never been a starting PG for long periods during his career. The NBA is more about opportunity.

[ImKobe]

Different style and rules. It's not like we sent out many stars, most of our roster consisted of mediocre NBA talent. Guys like Scola have had so much experience on the international level that they're more comfortable with the rules, pace and their teammates that they've played with many times, whereas this team USA roster had little to no experience together on an international level.

Different rules, different court, different ball. Obviously NBA players with no international experience would be at a disadvantage.

Patty Mills would be star in the NBA but has never been a starting PG for long periods during his career. The NBA is more about opportunity.

No he wouldn't. He's a mediocre player for his position in the NBA. Do you not realize that this is the golden age for point guards? He could probably start on a bad team but he'd never be a starter on a good Playoff team because of his lack of defense and size. He started for like half the season in 2018 and he was wildly inconsistent in his production. He's 5-11. 3-Point shooting means he gets a decent amount of minutes on the Spurs but he's not a strong rebounder, passer or a defender. Obviously he looks like a god on the international level, so does a washed up Marc Gasol and Luis Scola.