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2016 NBA Draft: Top 10 International Prospects

By Maxwell Ogden

Dragan Bender, a professional Croatian basketball player currently playing for Maccabi Tel Aviv in the Israeli Basketball Super League attends a training session at the Menora Mivtachim Arena in Tel Aviv on March 16, 2016.Bender's name is not yet well known beyond hardcore basketball fans, but that may soon change. Bender is expected to be highly sought after by US professional basketball teams in the coming months. / AFP / JACK GUEZ (Photo credit should read JACK GUEZ/AFP/Getty Images)
Dragan Bender, a professional Croatian basketball player currently playing for Maccabi Tel Aviv in the Israeli Basketball Super League attends a training session at the Menora Mivtachim Arena in Tel Aviv on March 16, 2016.Bender's name is not yet well known beyond hardcore basketball fans, but that may soon change. Bender is expected to be highly sought after by US professional basketball teams in the coming months. / AFP / JACK GUEZ (Photo credit should read JACK GUEZ/AFP/Getty Images) /
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Who are the Top 10 international prospects in the 2016 NBA Draft? Believe it or not, all Top 10 have the potential to be selected in the first round.

Phoenix Suns
Dragan Bender, a professional Croatian basketball player currently playing for Maccabi Tel Aviv in the Israeli Basketball Super League attends a training session at the Menora Mivtachim Arena in Tel Aviv on March 16, 2016. (Photo credit: JACK GUEZ/AFP/Getty Images) /

That doesn’t include the likes of Ben Simmons, Buddy Hield, or Jakob Poeltl, who were born outside of the United States and spent time at an American college.

With basketball becoming a bigger sport on a global stage, the NBA is welcoming in a new rush of starting-caliber prospects. Not all will pan out, but the evaluation process on draft day is becoming more difficult by the year.

Players who can accurately be described as enigmatic are now cracking the Top 30 on a number of boards.

In some instances, the international prospects are beginning to meet the modern standards for their position. In others, they provide a versatility that effectively checks the boxes on trends that have yet to be solidified.

One way or another, all 10 of these international prospects could be first-round selections.

Note: This list does not include foreign-born players who spent time at American colleges.

Next: The Next Big Thing?

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