By Dionysis Aravantinos / info@eurohoops.net
The 2018 NBA Draft is over, and everyone is talking about the future superstars of the NBA that include Deandre Ayton (No. 1), Marvin Bagley III (No. 2) and Slovenian sensation Luka Doncic (No. 3).
Ten of the sixty players selected in the Draft were Europeans. These players include Luka Doncic (No. 3 – Mavericks), Moritz Wagner (No. 25 – Lakers), Dzanan Musa (No. 29 – Nets), Elie Okobo (No. 31 – Suns), Rodions Kurucs (No. 40 – Nets), Isaac Bonga (No. 39 – Lakers), Issuf Sanon (No. 44 – Wizards), Svi Mykhailiuk (No. 47 – Lakers), Arnoldas Kulboka (No. 55 – Hornets), and Kostas Antetokounmpo (No. 60 – Mavericks).
There were, however, some European snubs in the 2018 NBA Draft, and Eurohoops presents them to you.
Dusan Ristic / Serbia
- 2017-2018 Stats: 12.2 PPG, 6.9 RPG
- Age: 22
- Team: Arizona Wildcats
- Position: C
Even if he was hoping he’d hear his name in the second round of the 2018 NBA Draft, unfortunately, he did not. Dusan Ristic worked out with several NBA teams, and as he had told Eurohoops a few months ago, his dream was to make it to the NBA. The 22-year old center averaged 12.2 points, 6.9 rebounds while shooting 56.9% from the field, and became one of the most dominant international centers in the NCAA alongside Deandre Ayton. Ristic also became Arizona’s first ever scorer in the history of the school.
Tryggvi Hlinason / Iceland
- 2017-2018 Stats: 2.8 PPG, 1.7 RPG
- Age: 20
- Team: Valencia Basket
- Position: C
Although he declared for the NBA Draft in April and kept his name past the withdrawal deadline, he was not selected in Thursday night’s draft, and thus is expected to remain in Valencia, where he quite probably will see his minutes rise. The 20-year old seven-footer did not get much playing time in Valencia this season while playing in Europe’s top-tier competition; the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague and the best domestic competition in Europe, the Spanish League (ACB).
In the upcoming year Valencia will compete in the 7DAYS EuroCup competition, so Hlinason could get more opportunities.
Dinos Mitoglou / Greece
- 2017-2018 Stats: 5.2 PPG, 3.4 RPG
- Age: 22
- Team: Panathinaikos Superfoods Athens
- Position: F
Playing in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague with Panathinaikos Superfoods Athens at age 22 means that Dinos Mitoglou is doing something right. The 22-year old forward won the Greek championship with Panathinaikos last week, but unfortunately, he was not picked in the 2018 NBA Draft. In the 30 games, he played this year (EuroLeague and Greek League), Mitoglou averaged 5.2 points, 3.4 rebounds while shooting an efficient 54.4% from the field. The Greek international also had some great games, which he helped Xavi Pascual’s team to a large extent.
Manu Lecomte / Belgium
- 2017-2018 Stats: 16.2 PPG, 3.7 APG
- Age: 22
- Position: G
- Team: Baylor Bears
Manu Lecomte would have been the only Belgium player in the Draft if he was drafted, but things did not go that way. Manu Lecomte had an excellent last season at Baylor, playing for the Bears and shining as an international guard. The 22-year old averaged a career-high 16.2 points, while he also handed out 3.7 assists, and grabbed 2.2 rebounds per game. Lecomte also shot the ball really well from the perimeter (38.1% 3FG), and the free-throw line (89.0% FT).
Even if he was not picked, he will still chase his NBA dream. As ‘De Standaard‘ reported, the point-guard from Brussels will stay in the United States and participate in the Las Vegas Summer League, starting on July 6.
Cyrille Eliezer Vanerot / France
- 2017-2018 Stats: 5.7 PPG, 2.6 RPG
- Age: 22
- Position: F
- Team: Paris Levallois
Cyrille Eliezer-Vanerot did not have a great year with Paris Levallois, but he is still considered a young talented French prospect. In the 32 games he played in the French League, he averaged 5.7 points and 2.6 rebounds, while shooting 45.6% from the field. The 22-year old is a stalwart defender, with a huge wingspan that can also knock down the three-pointer. According to reports, there were chances that he would be selected in the late second round, but he remained undrafted.
Marc Garcia / Spain
- 2017-2018 Stats: 11.5 PPG, 3.0 RPG
- Age: 22
- Position: G
- Team: Barcelona B
Marc Garcia played in just three games with Barcelona Lassa’s first team, two in the ACB and one in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague. In the six games he played with Barcelona’s second team, he averaged 11.5 points and 3.0 rebounds per game. He is considered one of the most promising young talents of his generation, but could not make the move to the NBA this year. He has good size for a shooting guard, but he has yet to make the ‘jump’ needed and compete at the highest domestic level.
Aleksandar Lazic / Bosnia
- 2017-2018 Stats: 7.6 PPG, 5.8 RPG
- Age: 22
- Position: F
- Team: Mega Bemax
Aleksandar Lazic in 22 games in the Liga ABA and averaged 7.6 points and 5.8 rebounds per game. His professional career started in 2012, in Olimpija and in 2016 he moved to Mega Bemax. In 2017, the 22-year old represented his country in the FIBA World Cup qualifiers and this past year, had a great season with Mega. In the Serbian KLS competition, he put up 9.5 points (47.0% FG), grabbed 4.9 boards and handed out 2.0 assists per game. His name was not called however in the ‘Barclays Center,’ Thursday night.
Photo Credit: ABA League
Michal Kolenda / Poland
- 2017-2018 Stats: 7.0 PPG, 2.2 RPG
- Age: 21
- Team: Trefl Sopot
- Position: F
Even if he did not expect his name to be heard in the 2018 NBA Draft, he wanted to declare for the Draft just to showcase his skills. For the last three years, Kolenda has been playing in the Polish TBL; a lower division in Poland for Trefl Sopot, and every single year he’s had steady improvement. This past season he averaged 7.0 points and 2.2 rebounds. He was a late addition to the NBA Global Camp in Treviso and so was not expecting anything on Thursday night.
Egor Kulechov / Israel – Russia
- 2017-2018 Stats: 13.8 PPG, 6.8 RPG
- Age: 23
- Position: G
- Team: Florida Gators
Coming off his first year with the Florida Gators, Egor Kulechov was looking for the next step in his basketball career, the NBA. He had participated in the Draft Combine and had some workouts with NBA teams, but he was not drafted on Thursday night. The 23-year old guard had a unique journey in University. In the last four years, he has played in three different Universities and had an instant impact wherever he moved to. Kulechov, as ‘Basketball Insiders‘ reported will get opportunities to prove his skills in the upcoming NBA Summer Leagues.