Notable Players from the Olympics Who Should Get a Shot in the NBA

The Olympics have come and gone, and Team USA, despite some struggles in group play, came away with their third straight gold medal, defeating Serbia 96-66 in the final. Even though USA routed the Serbs on their way to becoming champs, the path wasn’t nearly as easy as they expected. There are plenty of reasons why the USA didn’t dominate like they have in past Olympics, but one thing is certain — there is a wealth of talent around the world, and we should not ignore it.

In recent years, before the salary cap exploded to heights never seen before, there was no incentive for the best players overseas to play in the NBA. The current collective bargaining agreement only allows teams to match up to a certain amount of a player’s buyout, then the rest has to come out of the player’s pocket. The team would normally offer more money in order to compensate the player for the rest of the buyout, but then the player would get out of their price range or wouldn’t get enough money to make it worth coming over.

More from FanSided

Now that the salary cap is north of $90 million, teams are flushed with cap space they have no clue what to spend on. Instead of overpaying for an NBA free agent, it might be worth it to overpay for an overseas player who can give teams the skills they need for a fraction of the cost. We saw it this summer, with players such as Sergio Rodriguez, Justin Hamilton, Malcolm Delaney, Yi Jianlian, Alex Abrines, Mindaugas Kuzminskas, Guillermo Hernangomez, and Tomas Satoransky all coming over for more money than overseas players have gotten in the past.

With that in mind, here are five players who caught my eye in the Olympics and would be worth a team investing some cap space on next summer.

BOGDAN BOGDANOVIC

6-6, SG, Serbia/Fenerbahce (Draft rights held by Sacramento)

Fans might recognize Bogdanovic’s name from the 2014 draft, where the Phoenix Suns selected the sharp shooting wing 27th overall. The Suns wanted to bring him to the NBA this summer after a successful season for Euroleague runner up Fenerbahce, but when they couldn’t come to an agreement, Phoenix included him in a draft day trade with the Sacramento Kings.

It stinks Bogdanovic didn’t join the NBA this season. With Ben McLemore’s struggles and Arron Afflalo aging, there’s a good chance Bogdan would’ve been the Kings best shooting guard. Bogdanovic has been an above average three point shooter every year of his career, shooting 37 percent from three last season in Turkey and 36.6 percent in Rio. He knocks them down in all sorts of ways; off pin downs, spot ups, and pull ups. He can be a game changer with his ability to get hot in a hurry.

What really excites me about Bogdan’s NBA future is his underrated playmaking. He has some shake to his handle and flashed an arsenal of in-and-out dribbles and crossovers in one-on-one situations. In the pick and roll, he knows how to get his man on his back and be patient for the roller to get open or read where the help comes from. You need playmaking at every position in the NBA, and Bogdan excels at that. He has a quick first step and sneaky athleticism, which will help in the faster paced NBA.

Bogdanovic had no incentive to come this summer. First round picks must sign for the rookie scale within three years of being drafted. After that, they can sign for any amount. Bogdanovic is one of the best young players in Europe and I would expect him to sign for something similar to what Abrines got with the Thunder. His buyout is $600,000 which is under the $675,000 maximum for the Kings to match. With Kings GM Vlade Divac being Serbian and both Afflalo and McLemore potential free agents next summer, Bogdanovic might get his shot.

SERGIO LLULL

6-4, PG, Spain/Real Madrid (Draft rights held by Houston)

Llull was drafted by Houston in 2009 and since then, he has become a household name in Europe, playing for powerhouse Real Madrid in the Spanish ACB League. Last year was his best season yet at age 28, averaging 10.4 points and 5.8 assists per game while shooting 37.9 percent from three.

Llull bounces between point and shooting guard for both club and country. He’s a steady playmaker, only turning it over 11 times in eight games during the Olympics. His shot takes a little too long to get off, but he has the ability to knock down open spot ups and pull up in the mid range when the defense zones up in the pick and roll.

What catches my eye with Llull is his aggressiveness defensively, not being afraid to get up and pressure the ball. He has some work to do off the ball, as he struggled to chase Klay Thompson around screens in their semifinal game against the USA. That has more to do with his lack of elite athleticism than anything else.

Llull would be a perfect for the Rockets next to the ball dominant James Harden. He’s in his prime and essentially gives you a much better version of what Pablo Prigioni brings. He would be an above average backup point guard in the NBA. Houston has tried for a few summers to sign Llull, but they’ve run into troubles with his heavy $5.6 million buyout. Houston will have to pay a big price for the Spaniard if they want him in the near future.

FACUNDO CAMPAZZO

5-11, PG, Argentina/UCAM Murcia

Facu went undrafted in 2013, meaning he is free to sign with any NBA team he wants. While he is under contract with Real Madrid, they’ve loaned him to UCAM Murcia due to the logjam they have at point guard. Campazzo lit it up in Rio, averaging 15.8 points and 5.8 assists, while shooting 51.4 percent from the field and 37.8 percent from three.

Campazzo should’ve left a lasting impression in the minds of fans with the way he worked Kyrie Irving in the quarterfinal game against the USA. There were a few times where Facu’s nasty crossover shook Irving and left him in the dust. Campazzo has learned the art of the no look pass from his Argentinian teammate, Manu Ginobili, dropping several sick dimes throughout the course of the game. When he jumps in the air, he keeps you guessing as to whether or not he’s going to drop in a floater or hit someone with a no look bounce pass.

On top of that, Campazzo gets after it defensively. He forced a few deflections and steals when guarding Irving on the ball, helping to spark the early charge that Argentina made in that game. What he lacks in size, Facu makes up for with his grit and savvy at the point guard spot. Campazzo is a free agent next summer, and some team might be able to get him for the minimum or slightly higher since they won’t have a buyout to compensate for.

STEFAN MARKOVIC

6-6, SG, Serbia/Zenit St. Petersburg

Markovic, another undrafted guy in 2013, doesn’t stick out in terms of the box score. He averaged a pedestrian 6.2 points and 3.2 assists per game in Rio, but his intangibles stand out. Markovic takes great pride on the defensive end, always guarding the lead ball handler and giving heavy pressure full court. He has a great motor on that end, and his 6-6 frame helps him put point guards in discomfort.

While Milos Teodosic handles a lot of the playmaking for Serbia, Markovic was the one that brought the ball up the majority of the time. Most wings don’t average 3.2 assists per game and on top of that, he only had nine turnovers throughout the tournament. If there is one area that he needs to improve on, its his shooting stroke, but he is capable of knocking them down when he is open, and he does well attacking closeouts. Markovic just signed a one year deal with Russian side Zenit St. Petersburg, meaning he will be a free agent next summer. An NBA team should definitely take an extended look at this once highly ranked European prospect.

NIKOLA KALINIC

6-8, SF, Serbia/Fenerbahce

Yet another 2013 undrafted free agent, Kalinic also doesn’t stand out in terms of the box score. Much like Markovic, Kalinic excels defensively. He has a strong frame that he uses to frustrate opposing wings. In the halfcourt, its hard to screen the guy because he is so strong and long going around screens. He also isn’t afraid to go up against bigger guys on the glass, often playing power forward for Serbia in small ball lineups. Having a guy you know that is going to embrace doing the dirty work is very valuable.

He is limited offensively, as he doesn’t possess a stellar skill such as shooting or ball handling. He does, however, know his role and never tries to go outside of it. Serbia would use him as a cutter and set him in the soft spot on the baseline in order to help the spacing. He caught opposing defenses off guard several times on back cuts for dunks. He’s smart, efficient, and plays hard defensively. You can’t have enough of those guys on your team. Kalinic will be a free agent next summer as well after Fenerbahce took the option on the final year of his deal for 2016-17.

HONORABLE OMISSIONS

Milos Teodosic, PG, Serbia/CSKA Moscow

Teodosic set the world on fire with the crazy behind the head pass he made late in their game against the USA in group play. It was reported last week that Teodosic’s contract at CSKA Moscow runs out next summer, meaning we will likely see him in the NBA in 2017-18.

While Teodosic is good for a couple highlight passes per game, he searches it out way to much and gets himself into trouble frequently. He jumps on almost every pass and threw the ball away too many times, often getting deflected or stolen. He led the whole tournament in turnovers and struggled with Paul George’s length in both games against the USA. His shooting waxes and wanes, taking bad shots throughout the course of the game. There also isn’t enough space on here to talk about his defense, which is nowhere near NBA ready. While Teodosic can be fun at times, the hype needs to be tempered quite a bit.

Nando De Colo, SG, France/CSKA Moscow

De Colo made cameos with the San Antonio Spurs and the Toronto Raptors before landing with the Euroleague champions. De Colo was rumored to be a target by teams this summer after winning Euroleague MVP but instead, opted to sign a three year extension with his Russian club. De Colo was one of the better scorers at the Olympics, averaging 14.7 points and being one of the few consistent options for the French. If he didn’t sign the extension with CSKA, he would probably be on an NBA roster right now.

Miroslav Raduljica, C, Serbia/Emporio Armani Milano

Raduljica played for a few teams in the NBA, most recently with the Minnesota Timberwolves on a pair of ten day contracts. Last season, he played for Greek club Panathinaikos and averaged 12.7 points per game. Raduljica was impressive in Rio as well, averaging 14.8 points per game for Serbia. Raduljica is huge and scary inside, but unfortunately he can’t seem to stay on the floor defensively, always being a step slow and getting into foul trouble frequently. His lack of stamina and athleticism make it hard to think he will get another shot in the NBA, but he should be a nice player for Milano the next two seasons.

Rudy Fernandez, SF, Spain/Real Madrid

Another former NBA player who has become a stud overseas, Fernandez was solid in Rio, averaging 10.2 points per game and shooting 37.5 percent from deep. Fernandez plays hard defensively, using his physicality, athleticism, and length to disrupt opposing wings. Early in their game against the USA, he did well checking Kevin Durant and making him uncomfortable. On the other hand, Fernandez doesn’t seem to have a good sense of who he is offensively, often taking wild shots and trying to pull off fancy dribble moves he doesn’t have. A lot of his game is predicated on his athleticism, and at 31, it probably isn’t likely we see him in the NBA again as he starts to hit his decline once his contract with Madrid ends in 2018.

Next: Devonte' Graham is ready for his next challenge at Kansas

Home/NBA