Should the NBA put greater stock in international prospects?

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - NOVEMBER 23: Luka Doncic #77 of the Dallas Mavericks reacts during the second half of a game against the LA Clippers at Staples Center on November 23, 2021 in Los Angeles, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images) /

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ATLANTA, GEORGIA – MARCH 07: Giannis Antetokounmpo #34 and Nikola Jokic #15 of Team LeBron celebrate against Team Durant during the first half in the 70th NBA All-Star Game at State Farm Arena on March 07, 2021 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) /

Should the NBA put greater stock in international prospects?: More examples

Another prime example, of course, is Luka Doncic. Despite playing professionally with Real Madrid by the age of 16, and winning the Euroleague MVP in 2018, there were still some question marks on how his game would translate to the NBA level.

In retrospect, he was the clear number one selection, yet he went three and was then immediately traded to the Mavericks, who had the fifth pick.

It would be wrong not to include the two biggest names in any international discussion, with Nikola Jokic and Giannis Antetokounmpo combining for the last three MVP awards. Neither were at the top of their draft class, taken with the 41st and 13th picks respectively.

But it’s easy to simply identify the success stories, those that have proven of greater value than their draft position may have suggested. In reality, there’s a list of international prospects that, despite their talent, struggled to live up to the billing.

So in short, the league doesn’t need to take greater stock of international leagues and every prospect, but rather identify the type of player with the attributes that will translate to NBA level.