By Rigas Dardalis/ Dardalis@eurohoops.net
Before the Final against CSKA Moscow two NBA scouts told us about Olympiacos‘ Kostas Papanikolaou: “He sure has the talent to be selected in the NBA draft. Not in the first round, but in the last picks of the second”. After his incredible performance against the Russian, it’s a certain that he will be picked in the draft.
The stock of the 22 years old forward is rising rapidly, because he proved himself not only a fierce defender (something that it was already known and noted in the US), but also a danger in the offense for any opponent.
In the meantime, the name of one other Olympiacos player who is also draft eligible was noted. The defense of Vaggelis Mantzaris against Juan Carlos Navarro of Barcelona and Milos Teodosic of CSKA Moscow impressed a lot of people. Of course, it would be a great surprise for someone to select him even in the end of the second round, but after what he did in Istanbul he has a chance.