FIBA World Cup: 5 impact players from outside the NBA

FIBA World Cup: 5 players from outside the NBA that could make an impact

PORTLAND, OR - APRIL 27: Nick Calathes #12 of the Memphis Grizzlies drives to the basket on Damian Lillard #0 of the Portland Trail Blazers in the first quarter of Game Four of the Western Conference quarterfinals during the 2015 NBA Playoffs at Moda Center on April 27, 2015 in Portland, Oregon. (Photo by Steve Dykes/Getty Images) /

4 of 6

Photo by LUKA GONZALES / AFP) (Photo credit should read LUKA GONZALES/AFP/Getty Images /

3. Gabriel Deck

Argentina, as a team, is on something like the third last gasp of the Golden Generation, with Luis Scola somehow still hanging on and still a highly effective scorer. But Argentina in this World Cup will likely be driven by the play of Real Madrid’s Gabriel Deck.

Deck, who was only 21 during the 2016 Olympics, actually was on the Argentine National Team then, but he played negligible minutes with irreplaceable legends in front of him. His production was proportional. This past year presented a struggle for Deck too, as he moved from the softer Liga Sudamericana to the top team in the Spanish ACB. While he got minutes there, he was anything but effective.

In the immediate, though, Deck has had a few very strong games in the preparation for Worlds, including pouring 23 points in on an absurdly efficient 96 percent true shooting against Nikola Vucevic’s Montenegro squad. Scola’s going to be the game-in/game-out leader in scoring, and other players like Campazzo, Brussino and Laprovittola will all make major contributions. But Deck is the player who must elevate his game to get an Argentinian team that has been as hot as anyone in the lead-up phase to back to the next level of the tournament, and he’s shown the ability to do just that.

Home/NBA