By Antigoni Zachari / info@eurohoops.net
It’s no secret that EuroLeague is gaining more and more attention overseas in the last few years. The emergence of Luka Doncic, who was named 2018 Final Four and season MVP with Real Madrid, is the latest example of great talent residing in the Old Continent.
While the future of the 2019-20 season is still unclear both for the NBA and EuroLeague, Eurohoops has gathered the Top 10 players who are most likely to make a move to the NBA soon. Our list includes top-notch NBA draft prospects, former NBAers, as well as EuroLeague veterans that could try their luck overseas.
It has to be noted that in recent years, we have seen many players not only from EuroLeague but from European leagues, in general, making a successful jump to the NBA with Utah Jazz‘s Royce O’Neale being the poster boy of this category. So the list could easily extend to at least 30 or 40 names, which could potentially fill a role in the NBA. However, those players are the most obvious choices for a variety of reasons.
Shane Larkin
PG | 1992 | Anadolu Efes
The face of the 2019-20 EuroLeague season couldn’t be missing from this list. It was November 29, 2019, when he set a new all-time game scoring record in the competition with 49 points vs. FC Bayern Munich, and that was just for starters.
He is no stranger to the NBA either, as he made his EuroLeague return after spending the 2017-18 season with Boston Celtics. An 18th overall pick of the 2013 NBA Draft by the Atlanta Hawks, he started his pro career with the Dallas Mavericks before moving to New York Knicks and Brooklyn Nets.
While Efes GM Alper Yilmaz denied rumors of the team having a new extension deal with Larkin already in place, the team counts on him as one of its leaders, so a possible NBA offer would have to be alluring for him to return.
Vasilije Micic
PG | 1994 | Anadolu Efes
Adding up to Larkin’s efforts, Micic also has left a massive impact on Efes during the 2019-20 season, with 14.5 points, 5.8 assists, and 2.5 rebounds in EuroLeague before action was halted due to the coronavirus pandemic. The Serbian guard picked things up from where he left off last season when he led the team to the EuroLeague title game for the first time in its history.
Micic, who was selected by Philadelphia 76ers in the second round of the 2014 NBA draft, recently stated he wants to make a possible NBA run count and believes he has ‘gained the status of a player that shows he could play a role that is longer than 20 minutes’. He remains under contract with Efes, after signing a two-year extension deal last May but also has an NBA buy-out.
Facu Campazzo
PG | 1991 | Real Madrid
Even though his agent recently addressed the rumor mill linking Campazzo to the NBA by stating there is ‘nothing concrete yet,’ the Argentinean guard’s name is always on the watch-list. It makes perfect sense if we consider that he is going through a stellar point of his career with Real Madrid and left the best of impressions during the 2019 FIBA World Cup in China.
Before the season suspension, 29-year-old Campazzo led Real to win the Spanish Supercup and Copa del Rey and was named MVP on both occasions, while he has been among the team’s top contributors in its 2019-20 EuroLeague campaign.
One issue that could complicate things is his big buy-out; however, if an NBA really wants him, there’s a way to get him.
Gabriel Deck
SF/PF | 1995 | Real Madrid
25-year-old Deck charmed Kobe Bryant with his overall performance in the 2019 FIBA World Cup, that much so that he wanted to take him to the Lakers, as Argentinean NT legend Manu Ginobili mentioned in a recent interview. That, on its own, says a lot about the Argentinean forward’s evolution in the last couple of seasons.
Deck, who is still under contract with Real Madrid for one more year with an NBA-out, has drawn interest from two NBA clubs as it has been reported in late April.
Derrick Williams
PF | 1991 | Fenerbahce
Earlier in March, we named Williams among the Top 10 EuroLeague free agents for this off-season, and there is no doubt he could land his explosiveness back to the NBA. Williams, who has made his way upon the best power forwards in EuroLeague in the last two years, started his career with Minessota Timberwolves in 2011 and was named in the NBA All-Rookie Second Team in 2012.
Prior to arriving in EuroLeague with FC Bayern Munich, Williams has also played for Sacramento Kings, New York Knicks, Miami Heat, and Cleveland Cavaliers.
Jonas Jerebko
PF | 1987 | Khimki
Jerebko landed in Khimki after spending the 2018-19 season with the Golden State Warriors when he faced off the Toronto Raptors in the NBA finals. A EuroLeague rookie at 32, he paced Khimki’s efforts with an average of 11.2 points and 4.7 rebounds in the 2019-20 season.
The Swedish forward gained long experience in the NBA, having played for Detroit Pistons between 2009 and 2015, then with Boston Celtics and Utah Jazz in the following years. An NBA return could be possible, though he has one more year left on his current contract with Khimki, and the COVID-19 pandemic can facilitate the whole situation, even if he doesn’t have an NBA opt-out clause on his contract.
Jimmer Fredette
SG | 1989 | Panathinaikos
Fredette landed in Europe at the start of the 2019-20 season after several years in the NBA by signing a two-year deal with Panathinaikos. In his rookie season in EuroLeague, he averaged 12.9 points and 2.1 rebounds in 27 games before the season was suspended and helped the team remain in playoffs course.
He was the 10th overall pick in the 2011 NBA draft by the Milwaukee Bucks and started his pro career with Sacramento Kings, before moving to Chicago Bulls, New Orleans Pelicans, and New York Knicks.
Fredette currently resides back in the US after leaving Greece in mid-March following the lockdown. The two-year deal permits him to explore NBA opportunities.
Nick Calathes
PG | 1989 | Panathinaikos
The veteran Panathinaikos point guard could soon become a free agent, despite being under contract with Panathinaikos for one more season. Calathes, who is currently in the United States, could be a top-notch addition for any NBA team looking for a well-shaped and experienced point guard.
In the meantime, Barcelona has reportedly emerged as a possible suitor for the Greek/American guard, though this could be the point he makes his return to the NBA if the right offer occurs. Calathes made his overseas jump between 2013 and 2015 with the Memphis Grizzlies and returned to the Greens on a multi-year contract.
Deni Avdija
SF/PF | 2001 | Maccabi Tel Aviv
Avdija is undeniably among the hottest names for the 2020 NBA draft, as he recently declared his participation. The 19-year-old Maccabi forward is confident enough and willing to make his possible presence in the NBA count and has NBA scouts’ eyes on him all season long.
Though there is still no update about the upcoming draft, several teams are looking after Avdija. Prior to the season suspension, he averaged 12.3 points, 5.9 rebounds and 2.4 assists per game in 21 Winner League games, while he set a new career-high with 26 points in 38 minutes against Hapoel Eilat early in February. It goes without saying that he will make the jump to the NBA.