PORTLAND, Ore. -- The 18th annual Nike Hoop Summit brought out hundreds of NBA general managers and scouts this past weekend to look at a couple of dozen draft prospects from the World Team and Team USA.
The event has become a must-attend event for NBA personnel -- so much so that the large majority of NBA decision-makers skipped the league's own sanctioned pre-draft Portsmouth Invitational in Virginia last week to attend the Hoop Summit practices in Portland instead.
"There are 10 lottery picks and another four or five first-rounders playing in Portland and none playing in Portsmouth," one NBA GM said. "That's why we're here instead of there."
The event has been a proving ground for both the best American high school players in the country (Anthony Davis, Kevin Durant, Kevin Garnett, Derrick Rose, Kyrie Irving, Jabari Parker and Jahlil Okafor all played for Team USA) along with a number of young, elite international players (Dirk Nowitzki, Tony Parker, Serge Ibaka, Nicolas Batum, Nikola Mirotic and Andrew Wiggins).
This year the World Team defeated Team USA 103-101. However, the defeat doesn't signal a sudden influx of international talent, per se. The leading players for the World Team have either played high school ball in the United States (LSU commit Ben Simmons and Kentucky recruit Skal Labissiere) or plan on playing in the NCAA at some point (Canada's Jamal Murray) and are thus ineligible for the 2015 NBA draft.
Only three prospects on the World Team have any real shot of getting drafted this year.
I spent all day Thursday and Friday talking to NBA scouts and GMs about this year's international crop -- both here in Portland and in general. While scouts are very enthused by the top three international prospects, the talent level after that drops off dramatically.
On Tuesday we take a sneak preview at the top 10 incoming college freshmen who have a shot at being a lottery pick in 2016, but here are the top international prospects.
1a. Emmanuel Mudiay, PG, China
Mudiay, like Simmons and Labissiere, is a hybrid international prospect. He was born in Congo but played high school ball here in the United States. Mudiay played at last year's Nike Hoop Summit and was the standout prospect on the international team. He had committed to SMU, and many scouts thought that under coach Larry Brown's tutelage there, he'd be in serious consideration for the No. 1 pick in the draft. Instead, Mudiay decided to sign with a pro team in China, primarily for financial reasons.
The move didn't hurt him as much as you'd expect. While very few scouts actually got to see him live, he played well in the 13 games he appeared in and handled himself even better off the court -- proving to scouts a maturity that few others in this draft class can claim. It's one thing to leave home and go to college. It's another thing entirely to play pro ball with grown men -- a number of them former NBA players -- in China.
Mudiay's appeal is based around a terrific combination of size, athleticism and power at the point guard position. He can get anywhere he wants on the floor, finishes at the rim, and plays with a terrific motor. His jump shot still needs more work and he can still polish his point guard skills, but he's likely to be the first international player to hear his name called on draft night. Look for him to go in the No. 2 to No. 5 range.
1b. Kristaps Porzingis, PF, Latvia
Porzingis isn't far behind Mudiay -- if he's behind him at all. A number of NBA scouts and GMs who have traveled to Spain to see him play this year have come back raving about him.
"He's an athletic, super-skilled 7-footer who can do everything well," one GM said. "I was watching him warm up and had flashbacks to when I saw Pau Gasol take the floor for the first time in Spain, only this kid is much more athletic than Gasol but plays with that same fluidity. I've been asking my team since then: Are you sure he's not the No. 1 guy? Are these guys in college really better than him?"
Another long-time international scout: "He's my favorite player in this draft. I keep telling my staff: This one is not like other international players. He's the real deal. He's special in all the ways a player can be special. He just needs to get stronger. That's it. He's going to be a big-time pro."
Blessed with great size, skill, and athleticism for his position -- all the comparables scouts are using for him are big-time NBA players: Nowitkzi, Gasol, and a more athletic Nikola Mirotic.
Still, not every team is sold on his game.
Porzingis needs to get stronger. He can fall in love with his perimeter game despite the fact that some scouts report that he's grown taller than 7 feet. And one NBA GM had this unique knock on his game.
"I don't think he's an a--h---. I watched him knock down a couple of guys during the course of the game and then stop, reach his hand down and help them up off the floor. I hate that. I want guys that are killers, that want to destroy their opponent. You see that and I wonder if he has the fire necessary to be great."
There are teams that have him ranked as high as No. 2 or No. 3 on their internal boards. But most likely he'll go in the No. 4 to No. 6 range.
1c. Mario Hezonja, G/F, Croatia
Hezonja is also right in the mix with Porzingis and Mudiay, and on one or two boards, higher than both of them.
"I really love him," one NBA scout told ESPN. "I love Winslow, too, but I really think if this kid was in college we'd all be going crazy for him. He's tough, he's athletic, he shoots the s--- out of it. And the kid just knows how to play. He's going to be really, really good in the NBA. He's the first wing on my board."
Hezonja has gotten more playing time this season, and with it, he has been able to show off his great size, athleticism and shooting ability on the wing. While he's coming off the bench at FC Barcelona, the fact that he can get the minutes for one of the best pro teams in Europe is impressive.
Not all of the NBA teams have Duke's Justise Winslow as the No. 1 wing on their boards. Hezonja is a better shooter than Winslow -- and bigger. He's a better athlete than Stanley Johnson and a better shooter. And while he might be most comparable to Kelly Oubre, he's well ahead of him in basketball IQ and NBA readiness.
Look for Hezonja to go in the No. 6 to No. 10 range.
And after Mudiay, Porzinigs and Hezonja are off the board in the first 10 picks, there's a chance that we won't see another international player drafted in the first round.
There is absolutely no consensus from scouts about who the next best international player in the draft will be. I posed the question to 20 NBA scouts and GMs, and no player got more than three votes. And most of them were unkind to most of the prospects.
No one was sure if any of them could end up cracking the first round. So here are the rest of the international prospects -- in no real order -- who could be in that No. 25 to No. 50 range in the 2015 draft.
We'll start with the three represented at the Nike Hoop Summit
Zhou Qi, PF/C, China
Zhou had the most buzz of any player heading into the Nike Hoop Summit. A minor ankle sprain limited his practice time, much to the chagrin of NBA scouts. Everyone saw a talented, skilled big man with crazy long arms and a beautiful shooting stroke. In warm-ups, he shot the lights out. In the actual scrimmages on Friday and in the game on Saturday, Zhou's lack of strength was glaring. He was getting pushed around and often didn't seem to have a feel for what to do with the ball. He ended with 2 points, 3 rebounds and 2 blocked shots in 12 minutes. The shot-blocking and shooting are intriguing. So is his size, but his body makes him -- to borrow from ESPN analyst Fran Fraschilla -- two years away from being two years away. He's a major project, but the talent might make him worthy of a draft-and-stash.
Nedim Buza, SF, Bosnia
Buza had an up-and-down performance in practices before hitting some big shots in Friday's scrimmages. He has length and athleticism to play the wing in the NBA, and in Saturday's game, he took two shots, both 3s, and made them. Scouts weren't blown away with anything they saw, but they were intrigued enough that virtually all of them believed he'd be a second-round pick if he declared for the draft.
George de Paula, G, Brazil
It was a tough week for de Paula. After getting some Internet hype, expectations were high. He measured terrific, with a nearly 7-foot wingspan and the biggest hands of anyone on the international team. But his jump shot was all over the place (he may have set a record at the Hoop Summit for air-balled 3s) and his confidence was clearly lacking. Some of that had to do with the language barrier (he doesn't speak English) and the dramatic improvement in talent he was seeing here versus in Brazil, but the majority of scouts I spoke with weren't impressed.
"He's not close to being ready," one GM said. "I love his size and his body, but if he's a first-rounder, this is one of the worst drafts we've ever had. Maybe you take him in the second, get him out of Brazil and into the D-League and hope. That's the best case scenario." De Paula had three points on 1-of-2 shooting from beyond the arc. He had two turnovers and zero assists in 13 minutes.
And here's the look at several other international players who received votes from scouts.
Petr Cornelie, PF, France
Cornelie has been a bit of a hot name among international scouts lately. He has legit size for an NBA power forward, is a good athlete, can stretch the floor, and he possesses the proverbial upside that so many scouts covet. But like so many of these kids, he's pretty far from being an NBA player. If he declares, he'll be a draft-and-stash prospect.
Moussa Diagne, C, Senegal
Diange has the size of an NBA center, standing 6-11 with a 7-4 wingspan. He has an NBA body, is a physical rebounder, and while his numbers aren't wowing anyone, he is playing roughly 14 minutes a game in the ACB and averaging four rebounds a game. He's not a great scorer yet, nor is he an explosive, above-the-rim type of athlete. But he moves well, he plays really hard, and could end up being a serviceable backup in the league.
Egemen Guven, F/C, Turkey
Guven is still riding high from his strong play in the European under-18s, where his skill level in the post drew comps to a young Pau Gasol. Had he been able to come to the Hoop Summit, he could've easily moved himself back into the first round. But with no discernible progress from him during the season, his best bet is to probably wait until next year and hope that he, like Hezonja, starts getting regular minutes. He's in the No. 25 to No. 40 range, and along with Zhou, might be the most likely to hear his name called in the first round.
Guillermo Hernangomez, C, Spain
Hernangomez has gotten lots of eyeballs since he's on the same team with Porzingis. He's big and can rebound and score in the post. He may be suffering from too many expectations from scouts who have wanted to be wowed by his development, but often come away feeling that he's just "pretty good." Like Zhou and Guven, he's a candidate to sneak into the first.
Mouhammadou Jaiteh, C, France
Jaiteh played in the 2013 Nike Hoop Summit and watched his draft stock tumble in the process. While he had a solid seven points and nine rebounds in the contest, his inability to finish above the rim (in fairness, he was playing against the likes of Joel Embiid and Karl-Anthony Towns in practice every day) turned scouts off. Now that we know Embiid (if he hadn't broken his foot) and Towns would likely both be No. 1 picks, maybe it's time to go back and re-think the scouting report on Jaiteh. He'll never be an elite player; he lacks the athleticism for that. But he might be a lot better than scouts have given him credit for in the past.
Timothe Luwawu, G/F, France
Luwawu has the size and athleticism NBA teams covet in a wing. His best attribute, according to scouts, is his ability to defend multiple positions. There's offensive talent there, too, but it's raw and still emerging. He's young and probably much better off returning to France for another year or two. But on upside, he's one of the more intriguing international prospects if teams are willing to wait several years to see any reward.
Nikola Milutinov, C, Serbia
He has size, he's mobile, has strong footwork and excellent fundamentals in the post. He doesn't use his jumper the way he should and he lacks a great motor, but we're talking about a serviceable 7-footer who could be worth a look in the second round.
Cedi Osman, PG, Macedonia
The young point guard/forward averaged an impressive 18 minutes a game for Efes Istanbul this year. His 6.4 points and 1.1 assists per game aren't great, but scouts are always intrigued by big point guards who can see the floor and play the game the way he does. He's not a great shooter and needs to get stronger, but as a long-term, draft-and-stash candidate, he's intriguing.
Aleksandar Vezenkov, F, Cyprus
The Bulgarian-born big man is putting up huge numbers in the Greek league -- nearly 19 points and eight rebounds a game this season. The fact that he's shooting 42 percent from 3 and plays with a high basketball IQ is intriguing. However, he lacks great athleticism and strength. Most NBA scouts believe he'll never be able to guard his position in the NBA -- he can barely guard it in Greece. Will his offensive prowess overcome those concerns? Most scouts are wary, but he is a name a couple of scouts mentioned as a potential first-rounder. However, most had him planted firmly in the second round.
Wang Zhelin, C, China
Wang also played in the Nike Hoop Summit in 2012. He doesn't have the upside of Zhou, but he might be a better long-term NBA player because of his much better body. He weighs 250 pounds to Zhou's 209 and has steadily improved every year he's in China. He doesn't do any one thing great, but he looks like a legit backup center in the NBA who can rebound, block a few shots, hit some open jumpers and give you five fouls. He's a likely second-round pick if he declares, and one scout had him in the late first.