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NBA Rookie Ladder: Ranking draft and stash heroes

By Brandon Jefferson

PHILADELPHIA, PA - JUNE 23: The Philadelphia 76ers host a post draft press conference announcing new players Anzejs Pasecniks, Markelle Fultz, Jonah Bolden and Mathias Lessort at the Sixers Training Complex on June 23, 2017 in Camden, New Jersey. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2017 NBAE (Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant /NBAE via Getty Images)
PHILADELPHIA, PA - JUNE 23: The Philadelphia 76ers host a post draft press conference announcing new players Anzejs Pasecniks, Markelle Fultz, Jonah Bolden and Mathias Lessort at the Sixers Training Complex on June 23, 2017 in Camden, New Jersey. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2017 NBAE (Photo by Jesse D. Garrabrant /NBAE via Getty Images) /
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In this week’s NBA Rookie Ladder, we’re checking in on those draft picks who aren’t actually rookies yet, stashed away in another league refining their games.

Every summer, 60 names are called as selections in the latest NBA Draft. Out of those 60, not every player makes their professional basketball debut in the NBA. Some players — whether for monetary, roster, or playing time — opt to spend their first season as a professional playing international basketball.

Oftentimes, these prospects are referred to as draft-and-stash players. The idea being that the team selected them with the plan to have them continue to develop elsewhere before they are brought back to the NBA as more complete players. The San Antonio Spurs were the kings of the draft and stash for awhile, but recently this ploy has become increasingly more popular with all NBA teams.

With that in mind, this week’s rookie ladder is going to be taking a look at some of those draft and stash players. It is easy to get caught up in what Donovan Mitchell, Ben Simmons, Kyle Kuzma and the likes are doing in the league on a nightly basis and turn a blind eye to the performance of rookies elsewhere around the globe. Kudos to the Philadelphia 76ers scouting department as they were able to land a whopping three names on the list that follows.

Most draft and stash players are oversea prospects that have yet to make a name for themselves in the states, but as time has passed we’ve seen some American players choose the draft and stash route for themselves. We have a couple like that on the list that follows. For the most part, this is going to be an introduction to some faces in the crowd to watch for looking forward. For Sixers fans, this could be a chance to monitor the development of The Process 2.0.

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