By Antigoni Zachari, Stefan Djordjevic / info@eurohoops.net
It’s been said over and over again that the gap between Europe and the USA is closing year by year. With a record number of European players in the NBA in recent years, including six of them in the All-Star festivities this season, it would be safe to say that the Old Continent will keep feeding the NBA with new talent as the years progress.
We might still be far from the 2021 NBA draft, with no actual date still on the table, but it’s never too early to take a sneak peek into the names that will be on the spotlight in the near future.
Below you can find out a list of 12 players eligible to partake in the 2022 NBA draft. Mind you, not included in the list but a top-notch prospect to look out for is Nanterre 92 big Victor Wembanyama, though he is not yet eligible to be drafted at the age of 17. Don’t get too disappointed though, the list includes some of the finest talents in Europe right now!
Let’s begin:
Usman Garuba
The energetic 19-year-old Real Madrid big man ranks high on the scouting lists for the upcoming draft, all for good reasons. His sophomore season in the EuroLeague under the guidance of coach Pablo Laso is paying off more than numbers can show. At an already bolstered Real frontcourt, Garuba has proved to be a viable solution, especially on the defensive end.
So far into the 2020-21 season, Garuba has averaged 4.6 points and 5 rebounds in 17 minutes in the Spanish ACB, while he has been posting 2.5 points, 3.3 rebounds on average in 13 minutes on the court in the EuroLeague.
Filip Petrusev
Taking a look at the current mock drafts across the US, Filip Petrusev, although well-known to America from his stint with Gonzaga, seems to be quite underrated considering what he showed since turning pro.
Petrusev exceeded all expectations during his stint with Mega so far as he leads the ABA League with 27.9 PIR and convincingly at that, being the primary candidate for the MVP honors.
He is also the leading scorer with 23.6 points and ranks third in rebounding with 7.44 per game.
Even more impressive was the 21-year-old Serbian’s debut for the national team this year with 27 points on 10-15 shooting including 2-3 from deep. He also grabbed six rebounds, two assists, one block, and one steal.
Rokas Jokubaitis
Ever since Zalgiris‘ breakthrough early this season, there has been lots of discussion surrounding 20-year-old guard Jokubaitis. He stunned Olympiacos at the tipoff with his cold-blooded will and has been on the rise along with Zalgiris under its new coach, Martin Schiller.
Just like his team, the Lithuanian guard also had his ups and downs so far in the season, but remains a qualitative solution for Schiller, posting 6.8 points and 2.8 assists across 21 minutes on the court in EuroLeague.
And we have yet to see where he can excel through the course of the season.
Alperen Sengun
Another prospect that has recently shined in the national team jersey, a Turkish one in this case.
In a do-or-die game against Sweden, despite all the pressure that would be hard even for much-experienced players, Sengun put up a double-double with game-highs 24 points and 12 rebounds for the win including a pair of crucial free throws down the stretch.
As a product of Teksut Bandirma’s system of developing young players, Sengun got a lot of freedom and experience in the Basketball Champions League before moving to Besiktas this year and taking over as the team leader.
He’s been averaging 19.5 points, 9.3 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 1.8 blocks, and 1.3 steals in 28 minutes of playtime across 26 games.
Ousmane Dieng
Soon-to-be 18-year-old Dieng has been drawing lots of attention from overseas, mainly due to his standout performances during the ANGT in Belgrade last year.
A point guard of the Paris side CFBB, Dieng is a point-forward that can evolve into a possible scoring wing, in the event he makes his NBA jump soon.
Even though CFBB plays in the third-tier of the French basketball competitions (Nationale Masculine 1), Dieng’s talent is one that exceeds past that.
Just this season, he posts an average of 12.4 points, 5.9 rebounds and 2.4 assists — so he definitely has an active role on his team, though it remains to be seen if he can live up to more challenges in the future.
Roko Prkacin
Roko Prkacin is another prospect coming out of the ABA League and has a profile that could be very interesting for the NBA teams.
Playing as a combo forward, Prkacin has a great low-post game which isn’t surprising as he’s the son of the well-known former center Nikola Prkacin.
However, his talents don’t stop there. Roko’s speed and agility allow him more versatility on both sides of the floor and he is quite skilled on the dribble which allows him to create spacing and extra passes.
He’s got a solid understanding of positioning and court vision which, when added to his ball-handling skills, allow him to take on the role of a point forward.
One thing that he’ll have to improve is the long-range shot which, if he does, will make him a huge threat offensively coupled with the size, speed, and passing.
Prkacin was dominant in younger selections but the most important is that his game translated great to pro basketball. Turning 19 later this year, Roko has been averaging 13.8 points and 7.4 boards with Cibona this season.
Carlos Alocen
Another Pablo Laso student on this list, 20-year-old Alocen enjoyed a breakthrough 2019-20 season with Casademont Zaragoza where he played on loan from Real Madrid and he is trying to find his space into a strong rotation.
The 2019-20 Basketball Champions League Best Young Player returned back to his “base” in Madrid to take on new duties in EuroLeague.
So far, his presence is all positive, as he has an average of 4 points, 2.1 assists and 1.6 assists in just 13 minutes on the court.
Mario Nakic
Mario Nakic was the ‘next in line’ after Luka Doncic when it comes to Real Madrid talents but having to chase after Luka’s back isn’t grateful at all.
Nakic got to play some minutes for Madrid in the 2019-20 season but a very limited role and the best course of action was to send him on a loan to Oostende this year. in order to get some playing time.
He is a 202 cm tall forward that can handle the ball excellently and take over the point guard duties. He excels in transition play with his quickness and crossover while he is also pretty good off the ball and catch-and-shoot.
He is able to use a mismatch if paired against a point guard and has quick hands on the defensive end. While he’s struggled so far with consistency when it comes to scoring, especially from long range, Nakic has visibly improved his shooting ability and is logging around 50% this season from deep.
Georgios Kalaitzakis
Kalaitzakis, 22, nearly took the leap of faith for the 2020 NBA draft, though he decided to withdraw his name from the list to re-sign with Panathinaikos OPAP Athens.
This move turned out to be in his favor, as he uses every chance he receives from the Greens to step up his game and become a protagonist in due time.
Kalaitzakis has participated in 14 EuroLeague games this season, with an average of 1.6 points in a limited 4-minute presence, while his numbers go up to 3.9 points, 1.7 rebounds and 1.2 assists in 12:50 across 11 games in Greece.
Yoan Makoundou
Yoan Makoundou has raw athletic ability and physicality. He is slightly undersized for the center position but makes up for it with his verticality, wingspan and energy.
He is not afraid to enter a physical duel and a bit more muscle will help in his adjustment to pro basketball. He is fast in transition, dunks easily and is very good on the block.
However, despite all that raw athletic talent, his skillset lacks and will have to improve in order for Makoundou to gain a much-needed versatility in the offense.
His focus should be on improving the ‘point guard skills’. To be able to drive to the basket one-on-one, learn the basic dish-out extra passes and find a spot-up shot with consistency.
The great news is that he’s been visibly working all those things as he’s gotten more and more comfortable on the floor with the increased minutes he’s been getting in Cholet jersey this season, especially the run they had in the Basketball Champions League.
His passing improved, his feeling to cut and use the open space to find his easy shots stayed great while he also improved long-range shooting. He doesn’t take many of them but when he stays open, he can make them at surprisingly high percentages.
Ariel Hukporti
Read everything about Makoundou again and make the package – bigger. Hukporti reaches 213 cm tall and 114 kg heavy as he stands out on the floor with his size.
It comes as no surprise that he’s dominant on the boards and has a great presence on the defensive side as a rim protector. He also has surprisingly quick reflexes which show in his ability to steal the ball.
Offensively, his screens are solid and he is good at rolling and finding open space for himself to score the ball. He isn’t afraid to try out new things and is very energetic, showing leadership characteristics.
His willingness to use things he hasn’t mastered yet on the floor can lead to many mistakes but he has shown improvement when it comes to ball handling and shooting further away from the basket, including the three-pointers. He is left-handed.
Hukporti has been playing with Nevezis in the Lithuanian League, averaging ten points and 7.3 rebounds in 20 minutes. He won the Basketball Without Borders MVP last year.