The 50 most interesting players in European hoops: Nos. 40-31

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39. Rolands Smits, PF, Barcelona

The four spot at Barcelona is about to be very crowded — three Barca power forwards made the list, and they all are going to affect the game in dramatically different ways. While Aleksandar Vezenkov is the shooter and the returning statesman, Smits is the wild card, a deceptively explosive scorer with underrated potential. While he averaged just 8.1 points per game at Montakit Fuenlabrada last season, he showed significant strides in his development, adding a better 3-point shot and finally starting to grow into his length. The 22-year old Latvian is a transition force, and with a skilled post game and maturing handle, there’s hope he can become a primary offensive hub at the Euroleague level one day.

We have to see him at the Euroleague level first, though, and that’s what this year is about. He’s played very well off the bench for the Latvian team this summer, and he looks primed for a breakout on the Euroleague stage, if he can earn the playing time. His continued development could make him a dark horse NBA candidate one day, but for now, he’s on breakout watch for the coming year.

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