In the 2003 draft, eight international draft prospects went in the first round and another 12 in the second round, marking a high point for the impact of international draft prospects. Since then, that impact has dwindled, in the draft and the league. Notably, the influence of Euros in the draft has slowly waned.
However, is this the year things start to turn around? This year's draft is generally regarded by most experts as weak overall, but one area in which it seems strong is international talent. Though just two international players look like they have a shot at the lottery, as many as seven could end up going in the first round.
After speaking to a number of international scouts and NBA executives, here's our take on the top 10 international players in the draft.
Top 10 international players
1. Dario Saric | F | Croatia
Saric is regarded by many NBA GMs as possessing the highest basketball IQ of any player in the draft. He sees the floor and plays the game like a 6-foot-10 point guard. He's had extensive experience and success in places like the Nike Hoop Summit and Under-18 championships and has been getting starter minutes for his team, Cibona, in Croatia.
Saric's greatest skills are his passing and ballhandling ability, which are both elite for a player his size. He also has proven to be a terrific rebounder and can be an aggressive scorer when called up. His lack of a consistent jump shot (especially from beyond the 3-point arc), his poor free throw shooting and his lack of lateral quickness on the defensive end are his biggest drawbacks.
2. Rudy Gobert | F/C | France
If you could combine Saric's basketball acumen with Gobert's basketball body, you'd have the perfect player. Unfortunately, prospects rarely work out that way. While Gobert has the length and athletic ability of a NBA center, his game is still very much a work in progress.
Gobert made quite an impression at the Adidas Eurocamp last summer. Gobert measured a ridiculous 7-foot-9 wingspan and looked every part the lottery pick in the three days of drills. He also had a terrific outing against the Russian Under-20 team in Treviso, Italy.
Like Saric, his transition back into league play hasn't been ideal. He's averaging 8.1 PPG, 5.2 RPG and 1.5 BPG in the French League. Some NBA scouts still are very high on him. He's young, has all the physical tools to succeed and is slowly getting better on the court.
However, others walked away disappointed. They aren't so sure he isn't the next Mouhamed Saer Sene, another Eurocamp and Hoop Summit sensation who translated an extreme wingspan and a 15-point, nine-block game against Team USA in the 2006 Hoop Summit into a top-10 pick.
Gobert was ranked in our Top 10 earlier in the year and could still climb back there before the draft.
3. Sergey Karasev | SG | Russia
Karasev made a strong impression last week during the practices at the Nike Hoop Summit. The Russian scoring guard was the best shooter in the gym during practices and showed off a high basketball IQ when putting the ball on the floor and getting to the basket. While his jump shot didn't fall in the Hoop Summit game, he showed terrific poise and made several terrific passes that showed off his feel for the game. As the buzz continues to grow for Karasev, he looks like a strong candidate to be a first-round pick.
4. Dennis Schroeder | PG | Germany
Schroeder might have been the big winner of the Nike Hoop Summit week in Portland. He wowed NBA teams all week with his quickness and his scoring ability in the paint during practice, but scouts wondered if he could do it against elite high school prospects like Andrew Harrison. Schroeder delivered. He was fantastic controlling the tempo for the World Team, got to the line whenever he needed and ended up with 18 points and six assists.
His play not only elevated him into first-round discussions, he's now heavily in the mix with Shane Larkin, Pierre Jackson, Myck Kabongo and Phil Pressey for the first point guard off the board after Trey Burke and Michael Carter-Williams.
5. Giannis Adetokunbo | F | Greece
Adetokunbo is this year's international man of mystery. Remember how Nikoloz Tskitishvili and Pavel Podkolzine dazzled in workouts but couldn't really play in a 5-on-5 game? That's where we are at with Adetokunbo. He is playing in a lower Greek league against talent NBA international scouts have dubbed NCAA Division III level.
However, the physical tools are intriguing -- especially in the workouts he's done for NBA personnel. He's a rangy point forward who handles the ball, passes out of the high post and plays in a manner that had at least one GM utter the name of Scottie Pippen. With so few players in the draft having major upside, a number of GMs and scouts in Portland told me that they thought he was worth a second-round pick at the very least and could possibly be worth a pick in the 20s.
However, the red flags are everywhere. Every scout I spoke with said Adetokunbo is not even ready for the D-League, let alone the NBA. He's going to need several more years in Europe to develop. He also is painfully thin, isn't a great shooter and has passport issues that prohibit him from playing in the top Greek leagues, never mind the United States (this explained why he wasn't at the Hoop Summit).
"It's a gamble," one NBA GM said. "In a lot of drafts, you don't make it. In this one, I'm not sure why you wouldn't. There isn't a lot to lose."
6. Alex Abrines | SG | Spain
Abrines hasn't been able to do much this season. He's on an elite Barcelona team and hasn't seen much in the way of playing time. However, when he has played, he's been fantastic. He had 21 points in 21 minutes against Macabbi Tel Aviv in an April 4 Euroleague game. He followed that with 10 points in 14 minutes against Panathinaikos.
Abrines might be one of the best young scorers in Europe right now and has put up big numbers whenever he gets minutes. He's quick, is a good athlete and is gaining great experience in Euroleague play. He could be special.
7. Livio Jean-Charles | F | France
Jean-Charles didn't have much buzz heading into the Hoop Summit, but a number of scouts and GMs were impressed by his play in practices. Then the actual game hit and Jean-Charles exploded with 27 points, 13 rebounds, two steals and two blocks.
He was clearly the MVP of the World Team -- doing all of the little things that impressed scouts all week. He's long, athletic, has a nose for the ball, and can score both inside and on the midrange jumper. His terrific motor and versatility have scouts drooling. I think he could sneak into the late first round, too.
8. Lucas Nogueira | C | Brazil
A very young Nogueira, nicknamed "Bebe", had four points and six rebounds in 13 minutes at the 2011 Hoop Summit. After being a prospect for the past two years, he has started to blossom in the Spanish ACB league this year for Estudiantes. While his numbers certainly won't wow you -- 4.6 PPG, 3.2 RPG and 1 BPG in 12 MPG -- every scout I've spoken with has walked away from Bebe's games impressed with the improvement. Given his wingspan (7-foot-6) and his athleticism, his growth as a basketball player is a big development. He is a sleeper to be a first-round pick this year.
9. Mouhammadou Jaiteh | F/C | France
Jaiteh certainly had some hype coming into the Nike Hoop Summit -- especially after he measured 6-foot-11 with a 7-foot-4 wingspan. But his play on the court left something to be desired. He's got the NBA body and is a good rebounder, but Jaiteh plays below the rim and struggles with length and athleticism of the other players on his own roster. He's a mechanical offensive player to boot. He ended the Nike Hoop Summit in pedestrian fashion with seven points and nine rebounds.
10. Nemanja Nedovic | G | Serbia
Nedovic is a superathletic combo guard with an explosive 41-inch vertical. He's playing major minutes in Lithuania this year for Lietuvos Rytas and averaged 10 PPG and 2.1 APG in Euroleague play this season.
While his game appears to still be trapped between a one and two, there's no question he has the athletic ability and the requisite aggressiveness on offense to play in the NBA. He's a potential second-round "draft-and-stash" pick.