EuroLeague and International Basketball Big Board, 1.0: Every player on the NBA radar
EuroLeague & International Basketball Big Board - Overseas Stashes
1. Tarik Biberovic - Shooting wing
Age: 22
Current team: Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul (BSL - Turkey, EuroLeague)
NBA rights: Memphis Grizzlies
Physicals: 6-foot-7, 218 pounds, 6-foot-11 wingspan
Stats (All Comps): 8.67 points per game, 2.67 rebounds per game, and 1.2 assists per game. 56/47/100 shooting splits
With a good body and sweet shot, Biberovic is currently in the 95th percentile of spot-up shooters - on small volume — in EuroLeague per Synergy Sports. This number is inflated by a recent 18-point, 4-of-5 shooting from deep performance in Round 9 against Maccabi but the shot has looked real for a while. There is definitely a spot in the NBA for him.
2. Rokas Jokubaitis - Defense first point guard
Age: 22
Current team: Barcelona (ACB - Spain, EuroLeague)
NBA rights: New York Knicks
Physicals: 6-foot-4, 182 pounds, 6-foot-9
Stats (All Comps): 7.11 points per game, 2.39 rebounds per game, 3.22 assists per game. 48/44/81 shooting splits.
A big left-hand dominant guard who’s good in the pick-and-roll and takes pride in his defense. Jokubaitis may decide to stay in EuroLeague and chase accolades and championships for his entire career, but he could easily eat minutes in the regular season for the Knicks right now and maybe be a solid backup in the future.
His intensity on the defensive end and overall toughness — he lost his teeth at last season’s Final Four and kept playing — would fit in well with coach Tom Thibodeau. His future is whatever he decides to make of it.
3. Yam Madar - Defense first point guard
Age: 22
Current team: Fenerbahce (BSL - Turkey, EuroLeague)
NBA rights: Boston Celtics
Physicals: 6-foot-3, 180 pounds, 6-foot-5 wingspan
Stats: 8.44 points per game, 2.94 rebounds per game, 3.62 assists per game. 48/29/83 shooting splits.
Quick and relentless, Madar loves to pick up opposing guards full-court, is excellent at navigating screens, and hunts passing lanes like no one else in Europe. He’s good in the pick-and-roll and has alright touch on his drives, but his three-point shot has shown little improvement over the years and he’s shooting below 20 percent in EuroLeague so far this season. Yikes. He’s got plenty of time to improve, but if he wants to play in the NBA he’s got to make the 3 consistently.
4. Tristan Vukcevic - Stretch big
Age: 20
Current team: Partizan Belgrade (Adriatic League - Serbia, EuroLeague)
NBA rights: Washington Wizards
Physicals: 6-foot-10, 220 pounds, 7-foot-2 wingspan
Stats (All Comps): 6.73 points per game, 2.36 rebounds per game, 0.45 assists per game. 62/42/90 shooting splits.
With great size, good fluidity, a great-looking shot, and comfortable putting the ball on the floor, Vukcevic has all the makings of a solid stretch big in the NBA but he’s down low in the pecking order for Partizan Belgrade. Zach LeDay, Frank Kaminsky, Alen Smailagic, and even Bruno Caboclo are all in front of him.
Before the addition of Caboclo, he got a good run in Round 6 against Baskonia and finished with 13 points and 2 rebounds on 4-of-5 shooting. He needs more minutes, and it doesn’t look like he will get that at Partizan.
5. James Nnaji - Athletic big
Age: 19
Current team: FC Barcelona (ACB - Spain, EuroLeague)
NBA rights: Charlotte Hornets
Physicals: 6-foot-11, 250 pounds, 7-foot-7 wingspan and 9-foot-4 standing reach
Stats (All Comps): 2.06 points per game, 1.6 rebounds per game, 0.53 blocks per game.
Still very young, we took a deep dive into Nnaji’s game this past summer after the Hornets drafted him. He was used sparingly by head coach Sarunas Jasikevicius last season and has somehow seen a drop in playing time from that under new head coach Roger Grimau.
That seems to be a style issue more than a talent issue. Nnaji is awesome, especially for his age, but he’s behind two very skilled bigs in Jan Vesely and Willy Hernangomez who Grimau understandably prefers. Nnaji easily has the making of the modern-day high-energy center. He can set screens until his body falls apart, is already a good rim protector, can switch onto guard, and offers a serious vertical threat. It would be a shock if he didn’t come over and make an impact in the NBA over the next few years.
6. Gabriele Procida - Athletic wing
Age: 21
Current team: ALBA Berlin (BBL - Germany, EuroLeague)
NBA rights: Detroit Pistons
Physicals: 6-foot-6, 191 pounds, 6-foot-8 wingspan
Stats (All Comps): 7.06 points per game, 1.75 rebounds per game, 1 assist per game. 38/27/71 shooting splits.
Procida has good bounce and shiftiness and has used that to his advantage regularly on the defensive end, less so on offense. He’s had great flashes during his time with ALBA Berlin and looks poised to be Europe’s next late bloomer.
7. Matteo Spagnolo - Wing floor general
Age: 20
Current team: ALBA Berlin (BBL - Germany, EuroLeague)
NBA rights: Minnesota Timberwolves
Stats (All Comps): 6.4 points per game, 1.8 rebounds per game, 3.5 rebounds per game. 41/18/88 shooting splits.
Physicals: 6-foot-6, 196 pounds, 6-foot-8 wingspan
Like the man before him and his fellow teammate, Spagnolo looks like he could be a late-blooming overseas star. He is a year younger than Procida though, and his instincts on offense are much better. He sees the floor incredibly well for his age, size, and position and is a good passer. The shot needs to become consistent, and his future seems bright if it does.
8. Balsa Koprivica - Old school big
Age: 23
Current team: Partizan Belgrade (Adriatic League - Serbia, EuroLeague)
NBA rights: Los Angeles Clippers
Physicals: 7-foot-1, 240 pounds, 7-foot-3 wingspan, 9-foot-1 standing reach
Stats (All Comps): 5.77 points per game, 3.23 rebounds per game, 1.3 blocks per game. 61/0/50 shooting splits.
He was starting early in the season for Partizan but has fallen behind Kaminsky, Caboclo, and Smailagic in the center rotation. There’s still time for him to reach the level of a minutes eater in the NBA, but establishing himself as a reliable EuroLeague center will come first.
9. Khalifa Diop - Athletic big
Age: 21
Current team: Baskonia (ACB - Spain, EuroLeague)
NBA rights: Cleveland Cavaliers
Physicals: 6-foot-10, 231 pounds, 7-foot-2 wingspan
Stats (All Comps): 4.8 points per game, 4 rebounds per game, 0.3 blocks per game. 58/0/67 shooting splits.
A lanky athletic big, he’s looked solid in spurts for Baskonia this season but is nowhere near consistent enough to warrant regular minutes. The jury is out on him still, and he doesn’t seem to be preferred by Dusko Ivanovic at all.
10. Vanja Marinkovic - Shooting wing
Age: 26
Current team: Baskonia (ACB - Spain, EuroLeague)
NBA rights: Memphis Grizzlies
Physicals: 6-foot-6, 194 pounds, 6-foot-6 wingspan
Stats (All Comps): 9.76 points per game, 1.94 rebounds per game, 0.71 assists per game. 40/37/75 shooting splits.
Getting to the point in age where it looks like he’ll never come over and an average athlete at best, Marinkovic is down the pecking order on this list. He is a legitimate movement shooter though, and that may be enough to get him a cup of coffee in the league at some point.
11. Ismael Kamagate - Athletic big
Age: 22
Current team: Olimpia Milano (Lega A - Italy, EuroLeague)
NBA rights: Denver Nuggets
Physicals: 6-foot-11, 220 pounds, 7-foot-3 wingspan
Stats (All Comps): 6.44 points per game, 2.44 rebounds per game, 0.3 assists per game. 80/0/59 shooting splits.
Out of favor at Milano who has almost an entire roster of guys who could play center, Kamagate isn’t in the best possible scenario for himself. He’s been compared to Ian Mahinmi, though, and with late developments that is the type of center he could turn into. With limited playing time currently, it’s tough to say anything definitive about the 22-year-old.