By Eurohoops team / info@eurohoops.net
The likes of Giannis Antetokounmpo, Nikola Jokić, and Luka Dončić have transformed the world’s best league. In fact, two of those three have played a major role in the reason there hasn’t been an American NBA MVP since 2018.
Those legends were also warming up for the new NBA season by representing their countries at EuroBasket over the last two months and showed great national pride, while furthering the stature of the game outside of the US and Canada. But they were not the only ones. Many NBA teams had European players competing in the tournament – and there will be the hope that good form shown there will help them as they return to their respective NBA training camps.
EuroBasket was full of surprises, and many of the big stars exited the competition earlier than expected. But here are four athletes who will be hoping that this prestigious international tournament will ideally prepare them to take the NBA by storm this season.
Alperen Sengün, Houston Rockets
He has been favorably compared to Nikola Jokić on many occasions, thanks to his ability to make an impact on a game, and he will be returning to Houston confident that he can take the team even further this season after an impressive EuroBasket. Sengün’s Turkey made it all the way to the final before losing to eventual champions Germany.
After initially being drafted by OKC in 2021, he was immediately traded to the Rockets and has steadily become one of the team’s most important players. It was the 2023-24 season where he really broke through but he came off a career year last time out, making both his first All-Star and playoff appearances.
Sengün was crucial to Turkey’s run to the final, leading the team in points, rebounds, and assists in both the round of 16 and quarterfinal games. He was also important in his country’s victory over arch-rivals Greece, but his 28-point haul in the final was not quite good enough to overcome Germany. Now he has lining up against Kevin Durant to look forward to – and a season that could be very special in Houston.
Franz Wagner, Orlando Magic
After his rookie season in Orlando, Wagner helped Germany take home bronze at EuroBasket 2022, and he was even more instrumental in this nation’s triumph this year in Riga, Latvia. He had already claimed a FIBA World Cup triumph in 2023 and has consistently returned to the NBA from international competition as a better and more important player.
There is no reason to believe that we won’t see even more progress from the German small forward in 2025, with the Magic hoping to return to the postseason after making the grade for the first time in three years last year. Wagner’s NBA 2024-25 season was interrupted by injury but he looked good at EuroBasket and will be keen to start the new campaign in October.
Wagner was king of rebounds in the final against Turkey but had already led the way in points in the round of 16 and quarterfinals matchups with Portugal and Slovenia. There is a lot of hope for the Magic this year and Franz Wagner will be just as important as Paolo Banchero to their chances of success.
Kristaps Porzingis, Atlanta Hawks
Our next European baller will be well-known to NBA fans, after already enjoying ten years in the league. He was drafted by the New York Knicks with the fourth overall pick in 2015 and has played for a number of teams since, including the 2024 Boston Celtics champions. His appearance at EuroBasket was eagerly anticipated, as it would be the first time he had represented his home nation at the tournament since the epic 2017 duel against Slovenia’s Luka Dončić.
Unfortunately, the return of Porzingis to the international stage was not enough to take Latvia any further than the round of 16, where it was beaten by Lithuania. Unsurprisingly, Porzingis led the way in both points and rebounds in an epic local derby. Although the early exit will not have been part of Porzingis’ plans, he is sure to be looking forward to the NBA season ahead as he becomes the focus of a new-look Atlanta Hawks team.
Atlanta has been reshaped this offseason and the organization will be hoping that Porzingis teams up well with Trae Young, as the Hawks look to return to the playoffs for the first time in three years. There will still be some concern over his long-running injury problems, but a fit and healthy Porzingis could help transform the Hawks into genuine contenders.
Lauri Markkanen, Utah Jazz
Our final EuroBasket NBA star will be coming back to Utah on a high after leading his Finland team to its best-ever performance at the competition. Markkanen averaged 23.1 points in the tournament, with Finland finishing fourth after losing to Giannis Antetokounmpo’s Greece in the third-place game.
Markkanen was important with his shooting as he was off the boards throughout EuroBasket 2025 and will now be hoping that his performances can be replicated in the NBA in order to help his Jazz team make the playoffs for the first time in four years. Markkanen is regarded as one of the most important players on the roster and is the highest-paid Finnish athlete of all time.
There is a huge question whether Markkanen will still be in Salt Lake City at all at the beginning of the season, of course. He has been at the center of a number of trade rumors and his exit could transform the team. The Jazz could always build a team around him but that is looking less likely now. Wherever he turns up this season, his incredible performances at EuroBasket are the perfect springboard to greater success.