Looking ahead to the 2023 Draft

bajaden

Hall of Famer
#31
Are any of the other guys on that team NBA talent because it was really hard to tell they all played well and the competition was pretty pathetic imo I have never seen a weaker FIba Americas comp even Canada was horrible and recently they have been above average in these comps. Strictly from a athletic point of view he reminds me of Alonzo Gee obviously he's much more talented.
Wow, I'm impressed! How did you pull Alonzo Gee out of the hat? Well done!
 

bajaden

Hall of Famer
#32
It’s interesting that Sam views this as only slightly better than the 22 class and only because it’s so dynamic at the top two slots. He even says the guy occupying the third spot is not a typical top 3 prospect.

I think I would have preferred for the kings to trade the ‘23 with top 12 protection for Red Velvet. Just get it over with and hopefully have the ability to trade ‘25 in the right deal
While I'm a big fan of Sam's, there's no way to know the quality of this class. They haven't played a game yet! One thing I do like about this class is that it's loaded with wings, and we need some depth there. Also, bear in mind, we can unprotect that 2024 draft pick anytime we want if it becomes necessary. It's also possible that we might acquire a 2024 draft pick in one of the trades we make between now and then, thereby freeing up all our picks to become usable assets again.
 
#33
Fair enough, it is still a bit of a bummer we can’t attach a first rounder to a bigger deal until at least ‘26. Like you said, it’s possible we acquire a first in the future but we don’t have many young players that could potentially turn into a trade asset. Davion maybe? Potentially who ever we pick in 23’? I’d like to think we make a free agency splash next season but it looks like several teams will have cap space. Wiggins has to be a consideration
 
#35
If anyone is watching the under 20's Euro Championships (division A) keep an eye out for Fedor Zugic he's like the Montenegrin Evan Fournier with that Goran Dragic toughness. He's been a pro since he was like 13, I would say he's a bit less skilled ball handling/playmaking wise to Fournier but he makes up for it with ruthless drives and contested rebounds/charges drawn and loves drawing contact. He's wirey strong like Dragic where if he hits you no matter how big you are you will feel it. He loves going baseline for the 2 hand smash hopefully once the Euro Championships are done someone will make a highlight reel where you can see his athletic ability along with sweet shooting stroke. Very good at drawing fouls from the triple threat position and excels with straight line drives off basic crossovers.

At 6'4ish he would be a very decent late first round/early 2nd round pick as a spark plug off the bench

 
#36
Kaluma is definitely a player I'm going to keep an eye on this coming season. He's a player who could be in the Kings draft range, assuming they make the playoff's. Right now, I see him going somewhere between 17 and 25. That could change dramatically if he has the season I think he can have.
ima big believer in Kaluma as well. Underrated player. I'm expecting big things from Creighton this season with Kalkbrenner and they landed one of the more coveted x-fers in Baylor Scheierman that easily is one of the best frontcourts in the nation. Those 2players are gonna be pros in some form too.
 
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#37
GG Jackson decommits from UNC, and it seems a commit to South Carolina and him reclassifying up a year into this draft class is imminent, which makes this class even more topheavy than it was before, he's now potentially the first PF off the board.
 
#38
If the Kings can somehow come away from this first round with Baba Miller i'd be really excited about that.
is he really just 6'10? I feel like he's got serious upside, and also great positional flexibility, he's one of these guys that grew up playing as a guard then went on a growth spurt..

He's a player who's said that he believes he'll develop better in college than sticking in europe.. But I cant help but think that he's gonna try and really boost his stock here.. As long as he shoots it well from 3 it's hard for me to believe he wont be a threat for the lottery.

FSU will have a gruesome twosome at forward with him and Matthew Cleveland whos a 6'6" monster athelete that really grabs boards and could also end up in the first round.
 
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#39
With the way that Jalen Williams was just THE late riser in the draft process, beginning with the NBA combine.. Going from an upperclassman barely projected in the 2nd rd during the season to a lottery pick..
Its easy to see why Rayan Rupert 6'6" with a reported 7'3" wingspan is getting 1st rd hype already for this draft. He's a French player who will be playing in the NBL this season. gonna keep tabs on him. could be a very interesting development peice for the Kings IMO he'd fit in nicely with this roster in a few years with some added strength.
 
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#40
Consider me a believer in 6'10 C 17 year old James Nnaji who plays for Barcelona he looks like a solid sleeper.. He's got reportedly a 7'7" wingspan and looks pretty athletic and he's obviously a workout warrior and is very strong for a player that age.


There's also lot of smoke around another Nigerian C whos' 7' tall, Ugonna Kingsley, seems as if its imminent he will be reclassifiying up and playing in college this upcoming season, though he might be doing that in more of a redshirt type of capacity. He is extremely mobile and shows great timing on his blocks.

Another reclass up guy who already did the deed is Kylan Boswell headed to run the show at Arizona, he'll be too young to enter this next draft but it should be very interesting to see how he performs at the college level at 17 years old. He's a player whos got a good foundation to be a winning player from day 1, he's 6'2" and tough.
 
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kingsboi

Hall of Famer
#41
I like that you are showing love for these international players. So many in the association already just keep them coming so there is that much more diversity spread out.
 
#42
I like that you are showing love for these international players. So many in the association already just keep them coming so there is that much more diversity spread out.
This decade we'll really see a massive influx of international talent, France's team at the U17 FIBA tourney that just happened had a really impressive looking 6'8" SG named Risacher. The homegrown talent looks quite promising as well, the Peach Jam going on right now has been filled with many surprises.

1 more in that International vein, the G-League just scooped up Sidy Cissoko whos' a 6'7" guard from France that looks to have a lot of offensive and defensive tools.. If he shoots it well from 3 his stock will continue to march upwards for sure. He's trying to emulate Dyson Daniels.
 
#43
on the returning to college front;

I can't wait to see the progress on UConn's players, especially SG Jordan Hawkins and swingman Andre Jackson.

Hawkins is a 6'5" guard with combo skills who's gotta strengthen up but is sneaky explosive and flashed a lot of talent as a freshman. He's going to have a much bigger role this season so it's gonna be a good show to see what he can do with more on his plate.

Jackson is a guy who I think could fit well with the Kings, he's 6'6" with long arms and a solid frame, easily got the look of an NBA player, and is really an excellent defender, he is extremely explosive and will probably measure near the top of the vertical results. He shot 36% from 3 last season and had over 3 assists per game. Given his athletic profile he could easily make a run at the first round, especially if he shows off an improved offensive repitoire, needs to tighten up his handle, because on defense and in transition he's already a big impact guy.


Plus UConn has 6'9" 250lb Adema Sanogo at C, he's on the radar for sure and figures to put up massive rebounding numbers. they have Samson Johnson who might still be in the developmental phase but he's 6'10 and a sophomore now with serious upside. Also the 7'2" 260 4-star freshman they have incoming Donovan Clingan whos a true center witha back to the basket game but also can make 3's hes interesting n IMO one of the more underrated/overlooked 4stars in the class.
 
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#44
Ok so for my 4-star sleeper this season, first I've gotta say It would've been Vince Ikechukwu 7-footer headed to USC, or Jalen Hood-Schifino 6'5" CG headed to Indiana, but they both got upgraded to 5star status and rightfully so.

Also a second caveat would have to be, that Colin Chandler would've been a prime candidate but he's headed to do a 2 year mission before he runs the show for BYU.

So I'ma go with 6'6" combo guard Chance Westry -- who's headed to Auburn. He plays with a ton of confidence on and off the ball, always has a big smile on his face. Not the most explosive player and he's skinny but he's improving in both those areas and he's quick, and gets his hands on a lot of steals, a real pest on the defensive side of the ball, figures to be a guy who can guard 1,2 and 3. He's got solid ball skills and is a good passer especially when he's driving. Chance played a lot of PG in HS, he's a righty but is very good at driving left. I can definitely see him in the NBA and getting drafted. #37 in the composite rankings and is solid right now but I think he's going to really improve in the next few seasons.


I try and pick a 4-star sleeper every year and usually I do pretty good. Kevin Huerter was my pick back in 2016, I was confident in him because of the reports from how he performed with Team USA.
 
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kingsboi

Hall of Famer
#45
This decade we'll really see a massive influx of international talent, France's team at the U17 FIBA tourney that just happened had a really impressive looking 6'8" SG named Risacher. The homegrown talent looks quite promising as well, the Peach Jam going on right now has been filled with many surprises.

1 more in that International vein, the G-League just scooped up Sidy Cissoko whos' a 6'7" guard from France that looks to have a lot of offensive and defensive tools.. If he shoots it well from 3 his stock will continue to march upwards for sure. He's trying to emulate Dyson Daniels.
who are some to look out for that may be eligible for the 2023 draft?
 
#46
who are some to look out for that may be eligible for the 2023 draft?
Well a good chunk of them have been mentioned already. We've cast a pretty wide net here in just 2 pages.

-Duke has a 6'3" Australian guard coming in named Tyrese Proctor who's quick with the ball and can really make shots. Very interested to see how he performs, and how much PT he gets at the college level and im sure talent evaluators feel the same way. He was a guy who reclassified up to play in college ASAP. Looks like a player who can get ISO buckets.

-There's a Belgian player who's 6'8 with an obscenely long wingspan named Nathan Missa-Dio who plays like a point forward and he got signed by the Overtime Elite league. If teams were ready to give Isaac Bonga so much leeway, it's hard for me to believe this kid isnt going to play as well.

-French guard, Kymany Houinsou, is a long and athletic 6'6" guard with combo skills who tends to fill the stat sheet appears to have the tools to be a nightmare of a defender. He's a 3pt shot away from exploding up the rankings from what I've seen. He plays for the team Tony Parker owns, ASVEL. He has shown solid progress recently, will be interested to see if he can keep that momentum going in what should be a much bigger role this season.

-There's a 6'11" Senegalese player named Ousmane N'Diaye who plays in Germany and likes to shoot 3's and he's extremely quick for a player that height, and smoother than you'd expect. I've seen him projected to get drafted on some mocks. He just needs to shoot it better and some team will be glad to develop him.

-There's also 6'10 SF Leonard Miller from Canada who was at the draft combine this year and is headed to the G-League next season, He's another one of these players who was a guard then went on a big growth spurt. He's projected to get drafted in all the mocks you see.
 
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kingsboi

Hall of Famer
#47
Well a good chunk of them have been mentioned already. We've cast a pretty wide net here in just 2 pages.

-Duke has a 6'3" Australian guard coming in named Tyrese Proctor who's quick with the ball and can really make shots. Very interested to see how he performs, and how much PT he gets at the college level and im sure talent evaluators feel the same way. He was a guy who reclassified up to play in college ASAP. Looks like a player who can get ISO buckets.

-There's a Belgian player who's 6'8 with an obscenely long wingspan named Nathan Missa-Dio who plays like a point forward and he got signed by the Overtime Elite league. If teams were ready to give Isaac Bonga so much leeway, it's hard for me to believe this kid isnt going to play as well.

-French guard, Kymany Houinsou, is a long and athletic 6'6" guard with combo skills who tends to fill the stat sheet appears to have the tools to be a nightmare of a defender. He's a 3pt shot away from exploding up the rankings from what I've seen. He plays for the team Tony Parker owns, ASVEL. He has shown solid progress recently, will be interested to see if he can keep that momentum going in what should be a much bigger role this season.

-There's a 6'11" Senegalese player named Ousmane N'Diaye who plays in Germany and likes to shoot 3's and he's extremely quick for a player that height, and smoother than you'd expect. I've seen him projected to get drafted on some mocks. He just needs to shoot it better and some team will be glad to develop him.

-There's also 6'10 SF Leonard Miller from Canada who was at the draft combine this year and is headed to the G-League next season, He's another one of these players who was a guard then went on a big growth spurt. He's projected to get drafted in all the mocks you see.
wasn't there a Croatian player that pulled out of this draft and may declare next draft instead? I can't think of the name off the top of my head. Baja mentioned him once or twice and said he is bound to be a lottery pick.
 
#48
wasn't there a Croatian player that pulled out of this draft and may declare next draft instead? I can't think of the name off the top of my head. Baja mentioned him once or twice and said he is bound to be a lottery pick.
Roko Prkacin he's had terrible luck with injury last season and for the upcoming season he's the captain of a team that has 3 players on it due to financial problems and the club Cibona could very well go under due to payment to players issues. I don't understand how the ABA even runs the crowds for most games are pathetic I would say every single team is losing money (maybe government funding keeps it afloat?).

To me if he does not improve his jumpshot he has not shown the ability to be productive against NBA type athletes/size (he relies on his athletic ability) who would be at best average by NBA standards, maybe this season he does.

Zvonimir Ivisic (plays for SC Derby in the ABA) is the best prospect from Croatia he's 7'2/7'3 and plays something between Poku/Zinger (better shooter than Poku/better handle than Zinger) he's also the ultimate boom or bust guy but the talent is right up there. He went into the 2022 draft than withdrew.
 
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#49
wasn't there a Croatian player that pulled out of this draft and may declare next draft instead? I can't think of the name off the top of my head. Baja mentioned him once or twice and said he is bound to be a lottery pick.
yup. I was mostly just listing the new 2004 players that'll be eligible. Though Leonard Miller's from 2003.

This draft is going to be quite difficult for Prackin to approach the lottery, there's going to be a lot of competition for these combo-y forwards. There's a deep crop of freshman that'll be making instant impact in college and vie for those spots. He's fallen into possible 2nd rd pick/undrafted fringe type territory it seems.

and obviously having Keegan Murray here will render a great number of these forwards about to be drafted redundant.
 
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#50
Can't wait to see Washington State's team this year.. They're gonna be one of my favorites on the west coast to check in on.

All eyes will be on 6'11" PF/C Mouhamed Gueye. I think he's a guy the Kings will be paying close attention to. WSU had Efe Agbodi, whos now signed with the G-League, last season and Michael Weathers who was like a 25 year old super duper senior running the show, so there's a signifigant changing of the guard in order..


Gueye seems primed to explode this year as a sophomore. I have a good feeling about him, he seems to have real upside shooting the ball, his shot passes my eye test for sure. He's mobile and can handle it pretty well too.

WSU also has 6'6" combo guard and solid shooter Justin Powell x-ferring in and they have freshman Adrame Diongue incoming whos an extremely mobile 7-footer that dunks everything, though Diongue might not be an instant impact guy as he's skinny, longterm upside though one of my favorite 4-star recruits.

WSU has something cooking though forreal. I'ma believer.
 
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#51
It's strange how quickly Hunter Sallis 'blew up' and then seemingly disappeared from the spotlight. when he was viewed as a top5 recruit it was always said that it was more of an upside thing than already realized potential, as he grew a few inches and was considered a skinny late-bloomer.

Gonzaga's the #1 team preseason again, and rightfully so, their roster is absurdly stacked and with Strawther and Timme returning the frontcourt is going to be tight for minutes again. They have former 5star C Efton Reid and SG Malachi Smith x-ferring in too.

Sallis is a 6'5" CG who I think could actually be a nice fit here with the Kings. Now that Nembhard's gone we're really going to get a chance to see him and Nolan Hickman shoulder a much bigger load. Which will be nice.



It's hard for me to write him off from the 1st round still. Seems this season will be quite telling for him.
I'm hoping we get to see Kaden Perry and Ben Gregg unleashed as well but that seems like much more of a toss up.
 
#52
Another Sophomore whos seemingly flying under the radar is 6'5 combo guard Jalen Warley at Florida State.

FSU is going to be ridiculously tall again this season, taller than most every NBA team.. I dont even think theres anyone under 6'4 on the roster.. and we're gonna see 7'4" Naheem McCleod unleashed.. They're gonna be a nightmare for smaller teams to rebound against.

It seems the stars are aligned for Warley to have a bigtime breakout running the show. He's not a spectacular player but he's solid all around, and has the ability to run point but also the size to guard wings, his shot isnt bad looking. We're going to get a much clearer view of him this season n my guess is that he's gonna be up to the task and will perform quite well.
 
#53
Zvonimir Ivisic (plays for SC Derby in the ABA) is the best prospect from Croatia he's 7'2/7'3 and plays something between Poku/Zinger (better shooter than Poku/better handle than Zinger) he's also the ultimate boom or bust guy but the talent is right up there. He went into the 2022 draft than withdrew.
Interesting. He looks like he needs to strengthen up a good bit, I wonder how he moves defensively. We're gonna have a bunch of giants in this draft class it seems with the tallest being 7'5" Jamarion Sharpe.

Gotta say though of all the overseas C's I've looked thru this summer (other than Wembanyama of course) 6'10 James Nnaji seems the most impressive/ possibly ready for this draft IMO.


I cant get over that he's 17! Looks like a prime candidate for the Kings to draft and stash (overseas or the g-league) for a year or 2 and then groom as Holmes replacement.

I almost wanna say he might be good enough to make the first round.. There's a lot of 6'10 ish centers that were highly rated high school players and ive been keeping tabs on them for years now, and I'd take this kid over any of them, their not long like this kid is or some arent explosive. I feel like he's actually a lock to get drafted at some point.
 
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#54
Interesting. He looks like he needs to strengthen up a good bit, I wonder how he moves defensively. We're gonna have a bunch of giants in this draft class it seems with the tallest being 7'5" Jamarion Sharpe.

Gotta say though of all the overseas C's I've looked thru this summer (other than Wembanyama of course) 6'10 James Nnaji seems the most impressive/ possibly ready for this draft IMO.


I cant get over that he's 17! Looks like a prime candidate for the Kings to draft and stash (overseas or the g-league) for a year or 2 and then groom as Holmes replacement.

I almost wanna say he might be good enough to make the first round.. There's a lot of 6'10 ish centers that were highly rated high school players and ive been keeping tabs on them for years now, and I'd take this kid over any of them, their not long like this kid is or some arent explosive. I feel like he's actually a lock to get drafted at some point.
Yeap for sure that's why I compared him to Poku (Zinger is decently built) but his game imo is much closer to Zinger, I've yet to see him get proper playing time for the Mens team but so far the team let go of there C from last year he was a beast for them and it's imo opened playing time for him and his 7 foot brother (plays like Zubac). He's got very solid shot blocking instincts (similar to Zinger prior to injuries) and his jump shot in the under 19's was pure when he's able to get consistant touches.

Have you been watching any of the u20's FIBA Euro on youtube if so you see any good prospects?
 
#55
Yeap for sure that's why I compared him to Poku (Zinger is decently built) but his game imo is much closer to Zinger, I've yet to see him get proper playing time for the Mens team but so far the team let go of there C from last year he was a beast for them and it's imo opened playing time for him and his 7 foot brother (plays like Zubac). He's got very solid shot blocking instincts (similar to Zinger prior to injuries) and his jump shot in the under 19's was pure when he's able to get consistant touches.

Have you been watching any of the u20's FIBA Euro on youtube if so you see any good prospects?
I've had a few games on but wasnt watching too closely. The Peach Jam has my focus rn, kinda sucks they run at the same time. There's some players I like but I'm not sure if they are relevant to a thread like this.

Adem Bona on Turkey is a player I like quite a bit but thats because he's tough and plays with maximum effort, at 6'9" his upside seems kind of limited to the 2nd round. He will have a lot of scouts eyes on him at UCLA because of Amari Bailey, so I think him coming to the states to prove himself was a good idea for him regardless of how it turns out.

I wanted to see the Spanish 7-foot brothers Diaz Graham who are headed to Pittsburgh, but that's really just because I wanted to see if they would be nice complimentary pieces for incoming freshman Dior Johnson who could be relevant here and has to be handed the keys to the team from day1, 6'7 William Jeffress and once hearalded canadian guard Cashius McNeily are also at Pitt. I hope they can all outperform, that is a team that could be flying way under the radar.

It seems that Juan Nunez is playing well. Though I'm not crazy about him, think he's probably just a 2nd rd pick. He seems like a worse version of Ricky Rubio.

I like Strazel on France but he's just 6'. Adema Bal on France is interesting to me but we'll really see what progress he's made this season at Arizona. the 6'5" CG they have Tchiamboud im not much of a fan of.

The kid Rubstavicius who dropped the performance of the tourney so far and 38 to knock france out looked great in that game but he's pretty skinny and also looking at his shooting on his clubs seems like maybe he was just hot that night.. Is he really better than Liutauras Lelevicius? I think probably not.

I've heard Lithuania has a promising 7-footer named Krivas Motiejus and he's not on that roster either. So given they are pushing thru this feild, and France's team looks pretty weak, maybe im being presumptuous but it doesnt seem like this is really a prime crop of players in a tournament such as this.

Fedor Zugic who you've brought up before has a good looking shot but is only converting 29% from 3 this tournament, teams winning though, maybe he can close this out with a bang? He's a solid shooter though for sure, which means as we get closer to the next draft there will be many SG's currently projected ahead of him who fall because they lack the consistent 3 ball. I think it's pretty safe to say he's the prospect in this tournament thats most relevant to this thread. If he has a really good year he can safely make the first round.

**though to me personally the whole cutoff of "1st rd" is really a line that gets more grey every year, seeing as players at the top of the 2nd are signing 4 year deals worth more than 8mil like Nembhard did this year.. That was like late lottery $$ just a decade back, maybe im just getting old and stuck in the past :)

Ruben Prey looks solid 6'10 skinny bigman for Portugal.. Seems like he'll be playing next to Neemias Queta for a long time on the national team. He's my favorite player from this tourney I've never heard of before. He's surprisingly agile and appears to have good upside. He's born in 2005 though so not relevant to this thread.

One player I do like from the B Division is Yannick Kraag of the Netherlands, who put his name in the last draft then withdrew, though he's more in this "what if" category of what if he can shoot the ball better. Former Kings 2nd rd pick Kyle Guy just signed to play on the same team as him (the aforementioned Ruben Prey is with Joventut aswell)
 
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#56
I watched the final and Spain wins with Nunez not playing well at all.. @serbiangoat


The 6'6 wing player Spain has, Ruben Dominguez, looked like the best player on the floor to me and it wasnt really even close..

Consider me a Dominguez fan.. Looks like he shot the lights out from 3 for this entire tournament and he had a game with 5 assists in 18 minutes vs Ukraine.. He doesnt look terribly skinny to me and its easy to tell that because many of these players do.. Born in 2003.. Interesting.. He's gotta be one of the stock risers from this event.. I'm gonna keep an eye on him, he seems to have a bit of the Joe Ingles type of skillset.
 
#57
I watched the final and Spain wins with Nunez not playing well at all.. @serbiangoat


The 6'6 wing player Spain has, Ruben Dominguez, looked like the best player on the floor to me and it wasnt really even close..

Consider me a Dominguez fan.. Looks like he shot the lights out from 3 for this entire tournament and he had a game with 5 assists in 18 minutes vs Ukraine.. He doesnt look terribly skinny to me and its easy to tell that because many of these players do.. Born in 2003.. Interesting.. He's gotta be one of the stock risers from this event.. I'm gonna keep an eye on him, he seems to have a bit of the Joe Ingles type of skillset.
I think once you get past u18's/u19's in these comps the talent drops off because all the NBA/elite talent is playing already at a high level (e.g. Spain/NCAA/Somewhere in Europe) or in the NBA already Watching some games there was little to no NBA talent and if there was it's a long shot/drastic improvement types.

Maybe I'm bias but imo the Serbian team which won division B (crap results in prior Tourney) didn't have a single guy even close to NBA talent/skillset and could have beaten most those teams in division A while probably being underdogs to Lithuania/Spain/France. I agree with you about Dominguez good talent.

I'm looking forward to the 29th July for the u18's Euro that should have more talented players I hope.

I will be keeping an eye on two other Montenegrin players in Grbovic 6'9 do it all SF/PF who should get playing time for Mega this season now that Jovic is gone and Djordije Jovanovic 6'6 who shot 37% from 3 in the KLS and has massive hops.

A massive wildcard I saw was Leo Manelo from Croatia he's 6'9 SF and insanely athletic but kind of lacks shooting he's way more athletic than Roko.
 
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#58
I think once you get past u18's/u19's in these comps the talent drops off because all the NBA/elite talent is playing already at a high level (e.g. Spain/NCAA/Somewhere in Europe) or in the NBA already Watching some games there was little to no NBA talent and if there was it's a long shot/drastic improvement types.

Maybe I'm bias but imo the Serbian team which won division B (crap results in prior Tourney) didn't have a single guy even close to NBA talent/skillset and could have beaten most those teams in division A while probably being underdogs to Lithuania/Spain/France. I agree with you about Dominguez good talent.

I'm looking forward to the 29th July for the u18's Euro that should have more talented players I hope.

I will be keeping an eye on two other Montenegrin players in Grbovic 6'9 do it all SF/PF who should get playing time for Mega this season now that Jovic is gone and Djordije Jovanovic 6'6 who shot 37% from 3 in the KLS and has massive hops.

A massive wildcard I saw was Leo Manelo from Croatia he's 6'9 SF and insanely athletic but kind of lacks shooting he's way more athletic than Roko.
Yes this U18 tournament looks much more talented.

Alex Samodurov (Greece) is the player I'm interested in seeing the most.

France is definitetly the team I'll be watching the most, as they have a handful of players that could be relevant to this thread(Rupert, Houinsou and Sissoko). Seems as if they will really have a formidable defense on the perimeter. No Alex Sarr though. I have seen Alexis Ajinca's nephew 6'7" SF Melvin Ajinca before and he's very athletic n got good frame for strengthening, interested to see if his skill level is improving.

I want to see the 7'3" Aday Mara on Spain, they have Izan Almansa too at PF who signed with the Overtime Elite league. They should be an interesting frontcourt. No Hugo Gonzalez though.

and if Matas Buzelis is going to be at the tournament, he appears to be on the roster, Lithuania will be very interesting for sure. They also have Ignas Bradzeikis younger brother Augustas.

There's really an incredible list of talent from the same born years these players will have to compete with from the states so i wish them all great luck.
 
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#59
Yes this U18 tournament looks much more talented.

Alex Samodurov (Greece) is the player I'm interested in seeing the most.

France is definitetly the team I'll be watching the most, as they have a handful of players that could be relevant to this thread(Rupert, Houinsou and Sissoko). Seems as if they will really have a formidable defense on the perimeter. No Alex Sarr though. I have seen Alexis Ajinca's nephew 6'7" SF Melvin Ajinca before and he's very athletic n got good frame for strengthening, interested to see if his skill level is improving.

I want to see the 7'3" Aday Mara on Spain, they have Izan Almansa too at PF who signed with the Overtime Elite league. They should be an interesting frontcourt. No Hugo Gonzalez though.

and if Matas Buzelis is going to be at the tournament, he appears to be on the roster, Lithuania will be very interesting for sure. They also have Ignas Bradzeikis younger brother Augustas.

There's really an incredible list of talent from the same born years these players will have to compete with from the states so i wish them all great luck.
Ada Mara looked super promising in the u17's a few weeks ago, had insane size and good passing instincts him against the Aussie 7'1 guy who was very good in the tourney was a good match up.
 
#60
Ada Mara looked super promising in the u17's a few weeks ago, had insane size and good passing instincts him against the Aussie 7'1 guy who was very good in the tourney was a good match up.
I've been meaning to go back and check more non-TeamUSA games from that tournament out.

Mara has solid looking legs, nice body composition for a player that height and he's got some fancy footwork too. I do wonder what kind of rebounding he'd be able to do without Almansa around. Mara looks like he's going to get drafted, though obviously his stock/potential playing time is going to be weighed down by not really being able to switch out on the perimeter.

Yeah I saw highlights of the Austrialian 7footer Rocco Zikarsky, looks good enough to keep an eye on, arms are extremely long.

I like what I saw from Serbian 6'6" combo guard Ognjen Stankovic whos signed with Partizan(they've assembled quite the roster). Obviously vs Team USA's defense, teams are going to have difficulty operating efficiently, and to make matters worse Serbia got nothing from the PG position. Given those circumstances I thought Stankovic looked pretty good. Just saw his highlights from the tourney and he's got some flair to his offensive game!

Honestly I thought it was bogus Ron Holland(USA) didnt make the all tournament team! haha(but seriously), I mean I didnt see enough games, but from what I saw he played great. looks like a future 1st rd pick to me. I'll take a forward like that on the Kings!