6. Dennis Schroeder – Germany
5-11 PG, 1993, New Yorker Phantoms (Germany)
Draft Range: 15-40
One of the most improved young players in Europe over the last two years, this tiny ball handling guard has boosted his stock this season by shooting over 40% from the 3 point arc. His ballhandling and quickness are already at an elite level, and barring any unforeseen issue he should be able to contribute relatively quickly as a momentum player from the bench.
Listed by some as 6’1″ the listing here of 5’11” is generous, meaning that size will be a legitimate issue for Schroeder as a draft prospect. If his numbers come back well from the NBA draft combine, he has a chance to be one of the top point guards picked in the draft.
7. Lucas Nogueira – Brazil
7-0 C, 1993, Asefa Estudiantes (Spain)
Draft Range: 20-40
A raw athlete with a great motor, Nogueira is a very interesting prospect. He has yet to fully develop his “basketball skills” meaning his potential for improvement is virtually limitless. Add together his high energy and the level of passion obvious in his play and it seems like the sky is the limit for this kid.
The issue with him is the uncertainty of whether he will develop his skills in the way Serge Ibaka has. He will for sure be off the board by the end of the first round, since guys with his body are so uncommon, but good showings in workouts can be a big boost to his stock.
(RELATED: ASIDE FROM EARLY-ENTRY CANDIDATES, THE OTHER TOP INTERNATIONAL PLAYERS IN 2013 NBA DRAFT)
(RELATED: MOCK DRAFT 2.0.1 BY JOE KOTOCH)
Possible Eurostash Picks
We see it every year — teams drafting in the latter half of the second round select the rights to a player who they intend to stash overseas.
Here are the best of the bunch from the early-entry list who might fit into that category this year:
Marko Todorovic – Montenegro
6-10 PF, 1992, FCB Barcelona (Spain)
Mouhammadou Jaiteh – France
6-9 PF, 1994, Boulogne (Second Division in France)
Daniel Theis – Germany
6-8 PF, 1992, Ratiopharm Ulm (Germany)
Raul Neto – Brazil
6-1 PG, 1992, Lagun Aro BC (Spain)
AJ Mitnick is an American currently living in Israel and working for Maccabi Rishon Lezion of the Israeli Basketball Super League. A recent graduate of IDC Herzliya, Mitnick also maintains a basketball blog, http://mindlessdribble.net, and is pursuing a professional basketball coaching license from the Wingate Institute in Israel. Follow him on Twitter.
His name is spelled Giannis Antetokoumpo. That’s the official spelling now that he is officially a Greek citizen.
Also, you need to tone down the bias against Greek players. It used to be the cool thing for all NBA related media to bash any players from Greece. It’s not anymore.