There are some very good young international players (EuroLeague and EuroCup) in this draft and much like the overall draft pool, the strength appears to be in the Point Guard position. Certainly Ricky Rubio helps that cause but there are some very talented guys who can play in the NBA although it may be after another year or two in Europe. (Listed PG through C)
- Ricky Rubio - 6′5 180 PG - DKV Joventut (Spain): Poised leader, smart kid with great court sense. Creative passer, lanky long armed defender (6′7 wingspan). Magnetic personality, teammates respond to him. Good in Pick/Roll, Stroke needs work. Off court, his club sold his ~$6.5M buyout to Spain’s “IRS” to settle an old debt. NBA squads can only pay up to $500k to assist and Rubio made about $97,000 last year. Now rumored that a settlement has been reached, he’ll have two years to pay $3 Million.
- Brandon Jennings - 6′1 170 PG - Lottomatica Roma (via California): Quick with the ball & good use of dribble to his strong left hand. Not a reliable shooter at the moment, everything is off the dribble. Lanky & very athletic but you may need to wait a bit for development & maturity (strength). Definitely has flash & a flair for the game.
- Patty Mills - 5′11 170 PG - St. Mary’s (Australia): Very quick, had great freshman year and Olympic Games for Australia not as great of a sophomore season due in part to hand injury. Great leader, very competitive. More of a scoring PG & plays off the ball a lot at SMC. Shooting consistency needs improvement.
- Sergio Llull - 6′3 190 PG - Real Madrid (Spain): Good young guard (21) on high level team in Spanish ACB and EuroLeague. Has good size compared to the smallish guards in this draft. Good stroke and smart decision making point guard who takes care of the ball.
- Rodrigue Beaubois - 6′2 182 PG - Cholet (France): Freakishly long arms (6′10 wingspan) and tremendous athleticism. Max vertical jump (39″) second to Flynn (40″). Also boasted some of the best speed & quickness measures of those tested. Plays with Nando De Colo 6′5 G on Cholet.
- Nando De Colo - 6′5 190 SG/PG - Cholet (France): Good size combo who can score off the dribble. Solid shooter and good pull-up jump shooter. Creative passer. Has flashes of brilliance, needs overall consistency.
- Sergiy Gladyr - 6′5 195 SG - Ukraine: Great shooting stroke, good strength & length. Averaged 16 ppg this season in an average European league.
- Omri Casspi - 6′9 211 SF - Israel: Aggressive competitor who plays with emotion. Runs well, physical defender & goes to boards. Many think he’ll be a 1st Round pick.
- Joe Ingles - 6′9 205 SF - Australia: Left handed shooter although a slightly odd stroke. Decent length and athleticism. Needs a bit more strength and development.
- Jonas Jerebko - 6′9 210 SF/PF - Angelico Biella Italy (via Sweden): Solid Euro Camp may help stock. Active & athletic, runs well. Easy range when set, not as good off bounce.
- Victor Claver - 6′10 215 SF/PF - Pamesa Valencia (Spain): Coming off knee injury will most likely stay in Spain, offensive talent with range, athletic & runs well. After rehab and good year someone will have gotten a steal if he goes in the 2nd Round.
- Goran Suton - 6′10 245 PF - Michigan State (Bosnia): Good shooter with FIBA range, solid defender, had great NCAA tournament run.
- Aron Baynes - 6′10 270 C - Washington State (Australia): Big body, good rebounder and physical defender. Decent baby hook on the block, especially when you let him go to his Left Shoulder.
-Chris Denker
Tags: Aron Baynes, basketball, bosman, Brandon Jennings, Cholet France, Denker, eurocup, euroleague, FIBA, Goran Suton, guards, international, international basketball, Joe Ingles, Jonas Jerebko, Lottomatica Roma, Nando De Colo, nba, nbadraft, Omri Casspi, Patty Mills, Real Madrid, Ricky Rubio, Rodrigue Beaubois, rubio, Scouting, Sergio Llull, Sergiy Gladyr, Victor Claver











