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.