The 10 best international prospects in the 2018 NBA Draft that aren’t Luka Doncic

By now, you’ve probably at least heard in passing about Luka Doncic. The Slovenian wunderkind is probably going to go in the first five picks in the 2018 NBA Draft, and has a decent shot at going number one. He’s no international man of mystery, despite how sensational that may sound, and his talents are so unique that he is probably the most interesting player playing in Europe this year. He’s good. You should keep an eye on him this year. We will repeat that plenty throughout this season, dissecting him in detail in advance of the draft.

Before we get too far into that, though, we should not forget that he isn’t the only player worth watching overseas. In an increasingly global NBA, the draft brings a yearly influx of international talent. Only a few have hit the level of attention Doncic figures to receive this season. But year in and year out, rotation players lurk among those taken in the late first or second round. There’s a good chance some one will unearth a Tiago Splitter, or a Dennis Schroder, or a Jonas Jerebko. If you’re lucky, you may even stumble into Giannis Antetokounmpo or Nikola Jokic. At least one or two other international players will assert themselves as prospects with elite potential in the coming year.

Doncic’s presence may open up opportunities for some of those players this year. With such a high-profile player on the scene, the scouting presence should be even stronger than it ever has been before. That may get some of these players, who normally fly under the radar to fans, on the map more quickly. And it’s a good year for that to happen — there are some immensely talented players throughout the rest of the world this year if you know where to look. They hail from all over — Brazil and Lithuania, Spain and Croatia, Germany and Bosnia. Most will play in Europe, and be direct beneficiaries of Lukamania.

Read More: The 50 most interesting players in European hoops: Nos. 10-1

It can be difficult to find these players during the season for fans — most often they pop up during draft season, with some scout raving about their talent and how they’re rising in the draft, with little time to fully comprehend their full profile. This year, with the focus on Doncic, we want to give you a head start. As we prepare for the 2017-18 season, here are some names of potential international draft picks to keep an eye out for.

Rodions Kurucs — SF, Barcelona

Kurucs has first-round potential as a slashing wing that has a small amount of creation upside. He was prominent in the 2017 NBA Draft process until withdrawing, and was actually a player who fit the “mystery man” stereotype of Europeans. He missed the first few months of the season with a meniscus tear, and played a majority of his season in the Spanish second division with Barcelona’s junior team. There simply wasn’t much quality film to go off of.

This year, that should change, as Kurucs should get a chance for some time with the main Barcelona squad. He’ll be low on the depth chart, with Rakim Sanders, Adam Hanga, and Victor Claver all spending time ahead of him, but the opportunity to see him at least play in the Spanish ACB should give us real gauge of where he is on the development curve. A healthy Kurucs that can impress in a more rigid role at the Euroleague level is definitely a first round pick. He’s the clear number two behind Doncic in Europe right now.

Isaac Bonga — Basketball Player, Fraport Skyliners

I say “basketball player” for Bonga because he’s one of the most intriguing prospects in the 2018 class. A 6-foot-9 lead guard on Fraport’s junior team in Germany, Bonga has showed clear instincts as a passer that could mean he’s on the path to being an NBA-level distributor. But his athleticism and shooting are significant questions, which could mean this junior league point guard is destined to play more as a playmaking three at the NBA level.

This is a pivotal season for Bonga. He passes the eye test on the court in junior league games, but his athletic measurables create a fair amount of doubt. Can he improve as a shooter and defender in 2017-18? Will he become a more natural fit for playing on the wing as his body fills out? These are the questions he has to answer to reach the lottery hype some are setting out for him.

Arnoldas Kulboka, PF, Capo D’Orlando

Kulboka is this year’s stereotypical European big man. Does he shoot the 3-pointer and have a developing post game? Yes, that’s his primary skill set. Can he pass? A 15 percent assist rate suggests so. Is he going to suffer from a lack of length? Possibly, although his athleticism is deceptive. Has he been compared to Dirk? No, although Ryan Anderson is a good start.

The Lithuanian big man will likely spend the year with Capo D’Orlando. Seeing him in some Euroleague or Serie A games would be great, but he is THE guy for his team, and he’s played pretty well. If he can continue to develop as a shooter and pick-and-roll threat this season, that will be enough to get him drafted.

Kostja Mushidi, SG/SF, Mega Bemax

Mushidi surprisingly dropped out of the 2017 NBA Draft to remain at Mega, the Serbian club that has produced Jokic, Ivica Zubac,  and Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot over the past few years. The German wing has had scout attention on him for the past couple of seasons thanks to his length and athleticism, which could translate into a strong defensive profile. However, he’s struggled to score even at the Adriatic League level (40/33/76 shooting splits last year), and his offensive upside appears to be limited by a lack of touch and feel.

Despite these limitations, he should get a chance to work through some of them this year. He should take on more of a role this year as Rade Zagorac heads to the Memphis Grizzlies. With some scouting feedback to chew on, he has a chance to work on his finishing and outside shooting, and we will see if another year in Serbia helps him become more of a two-way prospect. If so, he should be able to slide into the first round discussion.

Borisa Simanic, PF, Crvena Zvezda

Mushidi underwhelmed last season, but Simanic outright disappointed. The Zvezda big man is a smooth athlete who has shown glimpses of touch and a shooting stroke from the four, but has yet to materialize that into any on-court production. There have long been some real intangible issues for him, and his play this past season showed it, as he got buried on the depth chart and looked lost on the floor in his rare chances to play.

It’s a new day though, and a new Zvezda, as budget issues forced a revamping of the roster. Simanic now is in position to be a regular rotation player for a Euroleague team, if he can earn the minutes. It’s not uncommon for European big men to put things together a little late, and there’s precedent that Simanic could buy in to a new coach and start to live up to his potential. But so far, that remains more theory than projectable practice at this point.

Felipe Dos Anjos, C, San Pablo Burgos

Dos Anjos is a very intriguing prospect to watch this year. The 19-year old Brazilian has all of the physical tools you could want in a big man — He’s 7-foot-2, has a nearly 7-foot-5 wingspan, and that gives him a 9-foot-6 standing reach. He has comparable length to Mohamed Bamba, the Texas center who is also in the conversation for the top pick in the draft, and Dos Anjos is not just a stiff — he has solid mobility to defend out on the perimeter, and while his shooting isn’t a viable threat yet, he has flashed range out to 18 feet. He runs the floor well, and has been a dominant rebounder at the junior league level, which is what you want to see from a player his size.

Dos Anjos is still incredibly raw, which isn’t a surprise for a 19-year old center who hasn’t grown into his length yet. He will need to add strength, and his understanding of defensive positioning and offensive screen-setting needs further development. But he has a similar tool package to Jonathan Jeanne, who was in the first-round conversation last year, and Dos Anjos is probably more advanced skill-wise right now.

Dzanan Musa, SG, Cedevita

Musa is the player who has proven the most at a high level in Europe outside of Doncic. The 6-foot-8 scoring guard has shown that he can be a primary offensive option at every level, from junior league play to the Adriatic League to Eurocup. He seems to project as a volume scorer, a player who can get to the rim, distribute, and comfortably hit pull-ups off the dribble. He hasn’t quite established himself as a 3-point shooter yet, but he should continue to blossom as a scorer this season.

Musa doesn’t really bring anything on the defensive end, though, and his athleticism may negate his ability to score effectively at the NBA level. He needs to build those ancillary pieces of his skill set (catch-and-shoot, passing) to really solidify himself as a potential first-rounder, because he’s probably never going to be a two-way player. How he progresses at Cedevita will be interesting to watch.

Dino Radoncic, SF, Real Madrid

Doncic isn’t the only prospect worth watching on Real Madrid, as the Montenegrin Radoncic has also showed some some potential as an NBA draft pick. Radoncic played mostly on Real’s junior team last season, but he was their bellcow, averaging 26.0 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 4.7 assists per game in the Adidas Next Generation Tournament. He appears to have the ability to score both on and off the ball, with a decent handle and strength to get to the rim, and a solid shooting motion that helps him be an effective catch-and-shoot option.

In limited minutes, Radoncic played well for Montenegro in Eurobasket, and looked like he belonged physically. He might not get many chances to play with the senior Real Madrid team, but if he can repeat his play from last year at the junior level, that will be enough to get NBA teams interested. He has real two-way potential on the wing.

Tryggvi Hlinason, C, Valencia

Hlinason, like Radoncic and Kulboka, may not spend a ton of time on his team’s senior level. But he’s still an intriguing prospect for this year. He burst onto the scene with Iceland on the U20 European level, and he was dominant in that tournament, averaging 16.1 points and 11.6 rebounds per game. He is still incredibly raw — he first started playing about three years ago — but he might have an outside shot at the NBA due to his size, mobility, and passing ability on the perimeter.

Hlinason still has a long way to go on the defensive end, as he doesn’t have great vertical athleticism and that affects his ability to protect the rim because he hasn’t figured out other methods of impacting shots yet. But he has a high ceiling as an offensive center, and this year at Valencia should show us more. He will likely get drafted just because of the intrigue, but he could become a very effective player if he continues on his likely development path.

Elie Okobo, PG, Pau-Orthez

French point guard Elie Okobo was overshadowed by Frank Ntilikina last season, but he’s another solid point guard in the French league that has a solid future. Standing 6-foot-3 with a 6-foot-8 wingspan, Okobo has excellent size, and he has great potential as a lead guard. His pick-and-roll skills are solid, and he can get to the rim pretty well at this level, finishing at a high rate as well. His shooting numbers are inconsistent, but he has a solid one-motion release, and his potential as a spot-up shooter is enticing.

Next: The 50 most interesting players in European hoops

So far, Okobo’s biggest impediment has been consistency, and that’s where he has to work this season to establish himself as a legitimate draft prospect. He has NBA-level physical tools and some developing skills that could get him into the first round, but so far he hasn’t proven to be a consistent enough scorer or defender to have that come to fruition. How he progresses after withdrawing from the 2017 NBA Draft should be interesting to follow.