By Utkan Şahin / info@eurohoops.net
This is not unusual. Before dominating the European and World Championships for years, Pau Gasol, made his Eurobasket debut in 2001 at the age of 21 and he took Spain to the bronze medal, being a member of tournament’s best five.
Dirk Nowitzki, one of the legends of European basketball, put his mark on the tournament with an average of 15 points in 1999 when he was 21 years old and showed what he could really achieve at the 2002 World Championships. And while those two are already legends, many other players emerged on the international scene at a very young age.
This year is not an exception and here are the top 10 young players to watch in EuroBasket 2017 with the limit being born at 1997 or after.
Georgios Papagiannis – Greece
Club: Sacramento Kings
Age: 20
Statistics: 22 matches 5.6 points, 3.9 rebounds, 0.7 blocks
Papagiannis, who won medals twice for the junior Greek national teams, will make his senior team debut in a big tournament. He is expected to become one of the most prominent figures of EuroBasket in the coming years, being a member of the 2013 and 2015 best five in the junior championships.
Having spent some time with the Sacramento Kings last year, the young pivot is expected to have a key role in the team, especially with Kostas Koufos’ missing this summer.
Tryggvi Hlinason – Iceland
Club: Valencia
Age: 19
Statistics: 24 matches 11.6 points, 8.0 rebounds, 2.7 blocks
Trggvi Hlinason is already on the way to be the best player in Iceland’s history. Having already shined in the U20 tournament, he can be the second player from Iceland who will be drafted, after Peter Gudmundsson back in 1981, if he continues his development at the same rate.
Following the performance in a team named Thor – yes, Thor – Hlinason has already signed with EuroLeague club Valencia, which can be considered the suitable environment for his development. Considering the fact that he will measure himself against some of the best European players on the senior level for the first time, this tournament is quite the test for the young center.
Sacha Killeya-Jones – Great Britain
Club: Kentucky
Age : 19
Statistics: 14 matches 2.8 points, 2.2 rebounds, 0.7 blocks
Great Britain’s young guard Sacha Killeya-Jones might be one of the players that will end up in the NBA in some years. His potential and athletic gifts are obvious and that can be his ticket.
On the other hand, he will try to find a role in Great Britain’s rotation during EuroBasket 2017 and, judging from the preparation games, he may have to wait some years in order to have a more prominent role.
Goga Bitadze – Georgia
Club: Mega Leks
Age: 18
Statistics: 14 matches 12.5 points, 6.3 rebounds, 1.7 blocks
Goga Bitadze, Georgia’s latest product, may end up being even better than Zaza Pachulia, arguably the best ever player in the country.
Bitadze is already a good rim protector and despite having 2.11 meters of height, he can shoot without hesitation behind the three points line. Of course, he is considered an NBA prospect.
Bitadze, the youngest player of the tournament, will try to get minutes behind the big names of the roster in the center position, Zaza Pachulia, and Giorgi Shermadini, but this EuroBasket tournament is just the start for him and big things are expected in the future.
Dragan Bender – Croatia
Club : Phoenix Suns
Age: 19
Statistics: 43 matches 3.4 points, 2.4 rebounds, 0.5 blocks
If we were back in 2014, Dragan Bender would be the “Luka Doncic” of the tournament. The talented forward had a more than exciting performance during the U18 European Championship in Turkey in 2014 and during that tournament, he cemented his reputation as one of the greatest stars of your future.
However, his first season in the NBA was kind of underwhelming. Things seem to be different in the Croatian national team, where he can play his game and use his strengths, together with an other versatile forward (Saric) and a gifted scorer (Bojan Bogdanovic).
With Croatia emerging as a darkhorse in the medals race, this tournament may be his chance.
Dino Radoncic – Montenegro
Club : Real Madrid
Age: 18
Statistics: 1 match 3.0 points, 3.0 rebounds
Dino Radoncic, as a member of Real Madrid junior teams, is overshadowed by Luka Doncic. Things are different in his national team.
The talented scorer, one of the most important players in Europe in the 1999 generation, while not a phenomenon like Doncic, is also considered an NBA prospect.
He is already considered the future of Montenegrin basketball and this will be his first chance to demonstrate it in the senior level.
Isaiah Hartenstein – Germany
Club : Zalgiris Kaunas
Age: 19
Statistics: 34 matches 4.2 points, 3.1 rebounds, 0.5 blocks
Hartenstein first emerged in the general basketball public’s mind as the MVP of the EuroLeague next generation tournament in 2014 and he was also part of the best five at the U18 European Championship that summer.
After last season in Zalgiris Kaunas where he had a very limited role, Hartenstein was drafted in the second round by the Houston Rockets, despite the initial projections about him being a first round talent.
Still, the 19-year-old big man will likely end up in the NBA. Besides that, he is expected to be one of the most important players of his team. Hartenstein was impressive in the preparation games and he is going to have a key role for Germany.
Lauri Markkanen – Finland
Club : Chicago Bulls
Age: 20
Statistics: 37 matches 15.5 points, 7.1 rebounds, 0.8 assists
Petteri Koponen is the most important player in Finnish history, but this is about to change because of Markkanen.
His performance in Arizona was good enough for him being picked in the 7th pick of the latest draft by the Chicago Bulls, who have entered rebuilding mode and he is considered one of the key players for the future of the franchise.
The 20-year-old player emerged already as the leader of his team in the preparation games. It will be no surprise to see him do that also in the official tournament.
Furkan Korkmaz – Turkey
Club : Philadelphia 76ers
Age: 20
Statistics: 41 matches 9.3 points, 3.2 rebounds, 1.8 assists
Furkan Korkmaz, one of the most important young talents that Turkey has recently produced, grew up being a star among the players of his age.
He could score against anyone in the junior tournaments and now the challenge is to continue doing that in the senior level.
And this is not his debut with the senior national team. He has played also in 2015, but this time his role is going to be different. After all, he made the jump to the NBA this summer after a good season with Banvit and he has something to prove, especially with the tournament being held in Turkey.
Luka Doncic – Slovenia
Club : Real Madrid
Age: 18
Statistics: 80 games 7.9 points, 4.5 rebounds, 3.6 assists
After Goga Bitadze, Luka Doncic is the youngest player in the tournament, and without a doubt the most talented teenager in Europe.
He has already made a name for him in the States, he can end up being the top pick in the next NBA draft and despite his age, he is one of the most important players of the powerhouse called Real Madrid.
He carried his momentum from a stellar season to the preparation games of Slovenia and the sky is the limit for him. Considering that this is going to be the last tournament of Goran Dragic with the Slovenian national team, Doncic is more than ready to carry the torch.