By Dionysis Aravantinos / info@eurohoops.net
Before Luka Doncic showed his unique talents in the start of the 2018-2019 NBA season, Americans did not trust the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague competition and especially European basketball. That is also one of the reasons, why two teams passed on him in last year’s draft. Within the last couple of years, however, European talent is making a statement in the world’s best basketball competition, with players such as Giannis Antetokounmpo, Nikola Jokic, Kristaps Porzingis, and Luka Doncic.
For another season, there are many European prospects for the 2019 NBA Draft, under the age of 22, playing in Europe’s best competitions (EuroLeague / 7DaysEuroCup / Basketball Champions League) and Eurohoops presents the eight best.
Sekou Doumbouya
Team: Limoges (EuroCup /Jeep Elite)
Stats: 6.10 PPG / 52.1% FG / 2.8 RPG
Age: 18
Position: F
Height: 2.05m (6′ 9”)
Nationality: France
Sekou Doumbouya is the most talented European prospect from this year’s draft candidate list. According to the latest mock drafts, he will be picked in the lottery, and probably the top ten spots in the upcoming 2019 NBA Draft. Despite the fact that he is incredibly long and can guard multiple positions on the defensive side of the court, the Guinean-born French player just turned 18 on December 23, 2018, which means he will only keep getting better. Besides, in 2018, he won Pro B’s (France’s second division) best young player award.
Doumbouya has played 20 games this season with Limoges (12 in Jeep Elite, 8 in EuroCup) and has had his fair share of success. In these 20 games, he is averaging 6.1 points (52.1% FG / 28.1% 3FG), 2.8 rebounds, 0.5 assists, 0.55 steals, and 0.45 blocks, showcasing his all-around skills. The 18-year old looks up to great NBA defenders, such as Tony Allen and as the NBA Draft Room states, he models his game after Paul George, by playing hard on both ends of the floor. Unfortunately, though, he suffered a right-hand injury and will miss 5-7 weeks of action, which can decrease his chances of getting picked higher in the NBA Draft. Thus, the question is how he will perform once he returns from his injury, and which team will eventually pick him in June’s draft.
Goga Bitadze
Team: Buducnost VOLI Podgorica (EuroLeague /ABA League)
Stats: 19.0 PPG / 61% FG / 7.27 RPG / 2.67 BLKPG
Age: 19
Position: C
Height: 2.11m (6′ 11”)
Nationality: Georgia
For American readers or those who don’t follow European basketball, being able to have Bitadze’s stat-line in, especially at this age is not easy at all. He is averaging 18.8 points on 60.3% shooting from the field, 7.21 rebounds, 2.64 blocks and 1.0 assists per game. Goga Bitadze is a very special prospect that could have been drafted in the NBA last year but decided to withdraw from the draft last minute and play one more season in Europe, in order to have more chances to be selected in the first round of the 2019 draft. The 19-year old center is not only effective on the offensive side of the floor, but his presence down the block on defense (2.67 blocks / 0.73 steals) makes him a great two-way player.
Bitadze started this season with Mega Bemax and had some impressive performances in the ABA League. One of them came against Partizan, where he scored 28 points on an incredible 10/11 from the field, grabbed 12 rebounds and blocked four shots. On December 20, 2018, he moved to Buducnost VOLI Podgorica to play in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague competition, and from his first game, he showcased his talent and certainly did not disappoint. In his EuroLeague debut against Bayern Munich, he scored 17 points (5/9 FG), grabbed seven rebounds and blocked four shots. He picked off where he left off in his second EuroLeague game, with 23 points and seven rebounds against Olimpia Milano. The future is bright for the 19-year old Georgian international.
Luka Samanic
Team: Petrol Olimpija (Basketball Champions League / ABA League)
Stats: 4.6 PPG / 51.4% FG / 7.21 RPG
Age: 19
Position: F
Height: 2.11m (6′ 11”)
Nationality: Croatia
Last season, Luka Samanic was in Spain playing for Barcelona Lassa’s second team (Barcelona B). Through 22 games, he averaged 5.1 points, 2.0 rebounds, and 0.7 assists in 12.7 minutes per game. Eventually, in late May of 2018, he signed a multi-year deal with Petrol Olimpija, and since then he has participated in 27 games. He’s played 12 games in the ABA League and seven in the Basketball Champions League competition.
The 19-year old has great size and body for his age can play multiple positions, while also can facilitate the offense from the block, with his good vision. Samanic, however, has to improve his overall defensive efforts, including his effort on the glass. Samanic will fight for a spot in the second round of the 2019 NBA draft, and according to various of mock drafts, he could also be selected in the top-40.
Photo Credit: BCL
Deividas Sirvydis
Team: Lietuvos Rytas (EuroCup / LKL)
Stats: 7.8 PPG / 45.7% FG / 2.35 RPG
Age: 18
Position: G
Height: 2.02m (6′ 8”)
Nationality: Lithuania
In a shooter’s league in the NBA, something tells us that Deividas Sirvydis can become an excellent role player/shooter for an NBA team and adapt really quick to the differences between European basketball and the NBA. The 18-year old guard has a great looking jump-shot which results in quick and easy points for his team, Lietuvos Rytas. In the nine games he’s played in the EuroCup competition, Sirvydis is knocking down 43.5% of his three-pointers, making an average of 2.5 threes a game.
Despite the fact that he was born in 2000 and is inexperienced, head coach, Dainius Adomaitis trusts him and has started Sirvydis in 17 of his 23 games. Besides, in the 2018 Adidas Next Generation Tournament; the best club competition in Europe for U-18 prospects, Sirvydis led his team to the title, while he was also named the MVP. Just like Luka Samanic, the most likely scenario for Sirvydis is that he will fight for a spot in the second round.
Amine Noua
Team: ASVEL Lyon Villeurbanne (EuroCup / Jeep Elite)
Stats: 10.2 PPG / 47.2% FG / 4.6 RPG
Age: 21
Position: G
Height: 2.03m (6′ 8”)
Nationality: France
Just like Goga Bitadze, Amine Noua declared for the 2018 NBA draft but decided to withdraw and play one more year in Europe for ASVEL Lyon Villeurbanne. Noua’s withdrawal was risky, because he will now be 22 years of age come draft time, and some teams may want to pick a younger prospect ahead of him.
In his second season in the EuroCup competition as well as the LNB, his stats are similar to last year. He is an overall great shooter, as he relies his game on the three-point line (47.2% 3FG), but can also rebound the basketball quite well for his size and position (4.6 RPG).
Marko Pecarski
Team: Partizan (EuroCup / ABA League)
Stats: 1.2 PPG / 41.7% FG / 1.5 RPG
Age: 18
Position: F
Height: 2.08m (6′ 10”)
Nationality: Serbia
Sometimes stats don’t say the whole truth, for a player’s talent, especially for a young 18-year old prospect. That’s the case with Marko Pecarski. The reason for his low stats this season is that he hasn’t been able to find a stable role in Partizan’s rotation, as he averages only six minutes a game. “My wishes for 2019 are to become a bigger part of Partizan’s senior team roster and to win the U-19 World Championship”, tells Eurohoops.
Last season, the 18-year old forward participated in the Junior ABA League with Partizan’s Junior Team and was on another level, showcasing his unique skills. He was averaging 30.0 points on an exceptional 54% shooting from the field, while also grabbing 9.8 rebounds per game. As for his style of play, Eurohoops asked Pecarski himself: “I consider myself as some kind of an all-around player. A stretch four that can score on various of ways, and grab rebounds. This is how I would like to continue to develop my game”.
Yovel Zoosman
Team: Maccabi FOX Tel Aviv (EuroLeague / Israeli Premier League)
Stats: 4.41 PPG / 51.1% FG / 1.72 RPG
Age: 20
Position: G
Height: 2.00m (6′ 7”)
Nationality: Israel
Yozel Zoosman is the second prospect in our list, playing in Europe’s best competition; the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague. He has played 29 games this season, and 15 of them in the EuroLeague. In these games, the 20-year old prospect has been playing an average of 11.9 minutes a night, trying to showcase his talents and find a more stable role in the rotation. Throughout these games, he is putting up 2.4 points on 55.6% shooting from the field. In addition, Yovel made his EuroLeague debut, aged 17 on December 10, 2015. On December 6, 2018, with his game-winning block, Maccabi got past Darussafaka.
Yovel Zoosman with the game-winning BLOCK for Maccabi Tel Aviv pic.twitter.com/Rh8gaxoUhR
— Eurohoops.net (@Eurohoopsnet) December 6, 2018
In the first-ever gold medal for Israel in a FIBA tournament, back in July of 2018, Zoosman shined. He finished the tournament averaging 14.4 points, 4.7 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 2.3 steals per game, and was named the tournament’s MVP, while also earning a spot in the All-Tournament team.