2007 Top 5 International Prospects
Foreign Basketball Producing Brighter Stars
A look at the top five international basketball prospects.
Americans frequently have trouble pronouncing foreign basketball players' names and it doesn't help that the NBA is becoming increasingly international. NBA player names like Nickoloz Tskitishvili (or "buy me a vowel"), Andrea Bargnani and Yi Jianlian are tying knots in fans' tongues.
Yet, the reality of it is that the NBA is growing more toward a global audience, so it's important for fans to learn more about basketball rising stars that are developing over seas. For instance, Spain's star point guard Juan Carlos Navarro has been on several NBA team's radars for years. He led Spain to first place in the FIBA World Games in China last August, despite losing team leader Pau Gasol the game before. Navarro will be a rookie for the Memphis Grizzlies next season, reuniting with Gasol (his best friend).
Among the current international players in the NBA, there are several who stand out the most. Here is a list of the top foreign-born players (who did not play college basketball in America) currently playing in the NBA:
- Dirk Nowitzki, Dallas Mavericks - Dirk averaged 24.6 points per game and 8.9 rebounds per game to help him win the 2007 NBA MVP Award.
- Yao Ming, Houston Rockets - Yao had a breakout season, averaging 25.0 points per game, 9.4 rebounds per game and 2.0 blocks per game.
- Pau Gasol, Memphis Grizzlies - Gasol overcame a long injury to average 20.8 points per game, 9.9 rebounds per game and 2.1 blocks per game in 59 games.
- Manu Ginobili, San Antonio Spurs - Ginobili averaged 16.5 points per game and 4.4 rebounds in about 27 minutes per game (which projects at 21.5 points per game and 5.7 rebounds per game if he played about 35 minutes per game).
- Tony Parker, San Antonio Spurs - Parker averaged 18.6 points per game and 5.5 assists per game.
Here is a list of the top 5 prospects that might entering the NBA Draft in the next couple years.
- Nicolas Batum, France - SG/SF 6-8 210lbs, 18 years old - Batum is an agile wing with great size and length. He's a versatile player who comes through in the clutch. Look for him to be a high draft pick in the 2008 NBA Draft.
- Ricky Rubio, Spain - PG 6-4 175lbs, 16 years old - Rubio is lightning quick and possesses great understanding of how to run the point guard position. Some claim he's the best European guard prospect since Drazen Petrovic. Others say he's better than Petrovic was at this point in his career.
- Alexey Shved, Russia - SG 6-7 170lbs, 18 years old - Reminds many of Anfernee "Penny" Hardaway. Is a complete offensive player with an outside shot and great handles. He's also a terrific passer and makes teammates better.
- Victor Claver, Spain - SF 6-10 235lbs, 18 years old - Claver's got great offensive polish and likes to face up rather than play with his back to the basket. Very agile and gets to the rim.
- Artem Zabelin, Croatia - PF 7-1 210lbs, 20 years old - Very versatile big man, but needs to add some muscle. Extremely agile and very quick for his size. Nice looking shot and has soft hands.
