Division B of the U18 European Championship isn't as heavily scouted as its more prestigious counterpart in Division A, but it has nevertheless produced 19 NBA draft picks since 2005, including Lauri Markkanen, Jakob Poeltl, Clint Capela, Jusuf Nurkic, Moritz Wagner, Jonas Jerebko and Jusuf Nurkic.
This year's B Division, hosted in Skopje, Macedonia, was one of the strongest in recent memory, with multiple players expected to emerge as NBA draft picks in the coming years, according to scouts in attendance. The Netherlands emerged from the 24 teams present to defeat Slovenia in the championship game, led by tournament MVP Nathan Kuta. They were promoted to next year's A Division for the first time since 1990.
Here's our look at the top five NBA prospects from the tournament, as well as a handful of other names to keep an eye on down the road:
1. Deni Avdija | SG/SF | Israel | 17.5
Fresh off helping Israel conquer the U20 European Championship Division A just five days prior to the start of this tournament, as covered in detail by ESPN's Mike Schmitz, an unusually poor game by Avdija in the group stage loss to the Czech Republic knocked his country out of contention to be promoted back to the A Division. Nevertheless, Avdija demonstrated his talent vividly by averaging 17.3 points, 7.4 rebounds and 3.0 assists in just 27 MPG, while shooting 58 percent from 2-point range and 44 percent from 3.
Operating anywhere from the 1 to the 4, Avdija has excellent size and strength for a perimeter player and an extremely high skill level and basketball IQ that provides him with ideal versatility for modern basketball. He has tremendous court vision, seeing over the top of defenses from his high vantage point and whipping the ball all over the floor with excellent timing and touch. He gravitates to rebounds instinctively and loves to push the ball off the defensive glass, looking extremely smooth and fluid with the way he changes gears off the dribble and creates offense for both himself and his teammates. Avdija's pure shooting stroke allows him to play off the ball with ease, but he's just as effective making off-the-dribble jumpers from well beyond the arc, which gives him great potential operating in pick-and-roll sets, something that he does frequently.
Avdija's defense is the weakest part of his game, as despite showing impressive instincts getting in passing lanes and even blocking shots at times, he rarely sits down in a real stance and doesn't display much urgency. Not blessed with great explosiveness, Avdija struggled to finish over length at times and will need to prove that he has the requisite athleticism to score efficiently inside the arc at higher levels. He's a strangely poor free-throw shooter (60 percent on 177 career attempts), as he vividly seems to put quite a bit of pressure on himself. He doesn't turn 18 until January and has plenty of time to grow considering he's not even draft eligible until 2020 .
Avdija is currently under contract with the Euroleague's Maccabi Tel Aviv.
2. Henri Drell | SF/PF | Estonia | 18.2
Drell had a strong tournament, averaging 19 points and 6 rebounds in just 27 MPG, showing real progress and the type of long-term talent that makes it likely that he'll get drafted -- potentially fairly high, depending on how he develops in the next few years. While up and down at times in Skopje, Drell is the type of tall, skilled and versatile wing the NBA is actively seeking. He has all the tools you look for in a 6-foot-9 small forward with a near 7-foot wingspan and an impressive frame.
Drell's ability to create offense is enticing considering his size, as he's a smooth and fluid athlete with long strides and impressive ball skills who can play above the rim and make shots both with his feet set and off the dribble. Drell looked more confident in his jumper here than he has in previous settings (career 30 percent from 3) and should be able to develop this part of his game in time, especially if he can speed up his release. Drell doesn't always bring the same approach on a game-to-game basis. He's still figuring out how to harness his considerable talent and play efficiently, winning basketball on both ends of the floor, but considering his age there is a lot to like here moving forward.
Drell will continue to play for Bamberg's second team, Baunach, in the German second division next season.
3. Vit Krejci | SG | Czech Republic | 18.1
Krejci was having a strong tournament until an opponent fell on his leg, knocking him out of the quarterfinals. His per-40-minute production of 23 points, 5.3 rebounds, 2.8 steals, 2.4 assists and 11 free-throw attempts show the type of versatility he brought to his team.
Krejci has great size for a guard at 6-foot-7, with impressive athleticism to boot, both changing gears in the open floor and elevating around the rim. With that said, his extremely narrow frame (around 170 pounds) and average 6-7½ wingspan are far from ideal. There are real concerns about how much weight he can put on his skinny frame long-term, as well as how his body can hold up going up against men.
Nevertheless, Krejci shows potential as a versatile shooting guard who can play pick-and-roll, find the open man, attack the rim and bring intensity and toughness defensively. He creates his own shot and plays at different speeds nicely. He's quick off his feet, has excellent footwork and isn't afraid of contact around the basket despite his lack of bulk, helping him get to the free-throw line frequently. Krejci is prone to some wild moments in which he tries to do a little too much with the ball in his hands. His lack of strength is a real issue even at this level, as he gets knocked off balance easily and struggles to finish inside the paint if he can't get right into the teeth of the defense. The development of Krejci's jump shot will play a huge role in the type of NBA prospect he becomes down the road. He had some impressive moments catching and shooting while off balance and even coming off screens, but he was fairly streaky in this area (33 percent from 3), partially due to his at-times poor shot selection. He tends to shoot his pull-ups on the way down, and really struggled from the free throw line (career 67 percent).
Krejci has an intriguing framework to build off, especially if he can find a way to become more consistent offensively and fill out his frame in the next few years.
He is currently under contract with ACB-squad Zaragoza for next season.
4. Aleksander Balcerowski | C | Poland | 17.7
Measuring 7 feet tall without shoes -- with good mobility and a gigantic 9-foot-3 standing reach -- Balcerowski is one of the most imposing figures in his generation in Europe and brings an impressive skill set. His body looked a little better than it did last time we saw him in January, and he seems to be making some real strides with his game.
Balcerowski is a modern big man offensively who is comfortable playing on the perimeter thanks to his ability to dribble, pass and shoot. He likes to step into trail 3-pointers on the break, can shoot a pull-up jumper and will push the ball off the defensive glass at times and get his team into their offense. He shows impressive ball-handling skills and a real comfort level with operating out of dribble handoff or short roll situations, which you don't often see from a player his size. Not just a perimeter threat, he also has terrific footwork and body control in the post, showing the ability to spin off opponents instinctively and get off his feet a little more quickly than you might expect for dunks.
Defensively, Balcerowski is a mixed bag, struggling to step outside of the paint in ball-screen coverages and not doing a great job of moving his feet. His motor is inconsistent and he lacks a degree of explosiveness in a crowd, which will likely manifest itself a lot more at higher levels. Balcerowski has never been a particularly prolific rebounder or shot-blocker, things he'll have to improve considerably to make it in today's NBA. While talented, his productivity overall has yet to really match his impressive potential, though the flashes are extremely tantalizing.
Balcerowski is under contract with ACB-club Gran Canaria and will likely split time between their first and second teams next season.
5. Vrenz Bleijenbergh | SF | Belgium | 17.8
Bleijenbergh had a breakout tournament in Skopje, averaging 13.5 points, 8 rebounds and 6 assists in 29 MPG, and he appears to be taking the next step in his development. Standing 6-foot-10 in shoes, Bleijenbergh has terrific size for a small forward, even if his narrow 175-pound frame and 6-foot-10 wingspan are not ideal.
Bleijenbergh is a fluid athlete with a strong feel for the game, who is comfortable handling the ball in the open court. He was often tasked with helping to break pressure and get Belgium into its offense. He has long strides, strong footwork and can change speeds skillfully while operating out of ball-screens, often keeping his head up and finding teammates in drive-and-dish situations or with well-timed bounce passes. He has deep range on his jump-shot, which is important considering the fact that he shoots the ball from his chest, which negates some of his height.
Bleijenbergh's biggest concern lies on the defensive end, where his poor frame, upright stance, short wingspan and lack of toughness are major hindrances. He struggles to handle the ball against pressure and can get a little one-dimensional at times, shying away from contact at the rim, rarely getting to the free-throw line and preferring to settle for jump shots. He's still figuring out how good he can be, not always appearing to play with maximum confidence.
A class of 2019 high school graduate, Bleijenbergh originally considered the college route and fielded offers from a number of high-level colleges over the past two years, including Texas Tech. Although nothing has been finalized, it appears likely that he will sign a four-year contract with Antwerp, as his family has expressed apprehension about the track record of Belgian players in the NCAA.
While there are some concerns about Bleijenbergh's long-term development path, but his size, fluidity and skill level are intriguing, making him someone NBA teams will want to monitor.
More players to watch
Rati Andronikashvili | PG | Georgia | 17.3
A tall point guard with a thin frame, long arms, fluid ball-handling ability and good athleticism, Andronikashvili had an up-and-down tournament playing up as a 2001-born player in what appeared to be a highly dysfunctional Georgian squad. Nevertheless, Andronikashvili's size, quickness, ball skills, court vision and pick-and-roll potential are intriguing. His jump shot is a major work-in-progress (19 percent on career 3s, 60 percent from the line), as is his body language, defense and overall maturity. He was very inconsistent over the course of the tournament, averaging more turnovers than assists, though the flashes of potential he demonstrated indicate he has quite a bit of talent to grow into. Andronikashvili is likely to stay in Spain for at least another year, yet his plans beyond that are still yet to be decided.
David Bohm | SF/PF | Czech Republic | 17.0
One of the younger players in Skopje, having just turned 17, Bohm was inconsistent here but had some very impressive moments overall, averaging 16 points in 26 minutes. At 6-foot-8, Bohm spent time at both forward spots and showed nice footwork and fluidity creating his own shot, operating in the open floor and especially knocking down jumpers, converting an impressive 38 percent of his 3s. He has a good feel for the game for a player his age and a pretty versatile skill set, even showing some flashes of instincts as a multi-positional defender that wasn't readily apparent on first glance. Bohm has just a decent frame by NBA standards and is more fluid than explosive finishing around the basket. But he's a gifted scorer with good versatility on both ends of the floor, which is intriguing in modern basketball and makes him someone to monitor long-term.
Tomas Pavelka | C | Slovakia | 17.8
The 7-foot-1, long-armed and highly-mobile center has made huge strides over the past year at the Get Better Academy in Prague, going from looking extremely limited in two previous viewings to arguably the most impactful rebounding and defending big man at this tournament. Pavelka has great size, a 7-foot-3 wingspan, impressive ability to cover ground and strong instincts as a rim-protector, leading the tournament in blocks by a huge margin at 6.9 per-40. Big men who can move their feet on the perimeter, recover for blocks at the basket and rebound have value in modern basketball, but Pavelka has a lot of work to do outside of that. Although he shows flashes of skill at times, he is a fairly limited offensive player overall who has average awareness and doesn't quite know his limitations. His conditioning is a work in progress, and he can play at half speed. Although Pavelka caught the eye of every college coach in attendance in Skopje, he may ultimately end up on the pro track as he is still two to three years away from graduating high school.
Haris Bratanovic | C | Belgium | 17.2
One of the youngest players at the tournament, Bratanovic had a productive showing (23 points, 14 rebounds, 3 assists, 2.6 blocks per-40, 70 percent on 2s), though his fit in modern basketball doesn't appear to be ideal. Standing 6-foot-10 with a strong frame, wide hips and underwhelming athleticism, Bratanovic is an old-school big man who has a very high skill level for a player his size, but he lacks the type of explosiveness and defensive mobility teams covet at his position. Although he wasn't consistent with his jump shot, Bratanovic shows the ability to step away from the rim and knock down 3-pointers impressively, while also being capable of using his strong frame inside the paint, using polished footwork and a soft touch. The next step in Bratanovic's development will be to continue to improve his body, polish his jump shot and find a way to maximize his potential on the defensive end, particularly stepping outside of the paint. Bratanovic recently signed a long-term contract with Barcelona in Spain, where he'll likely see most of his time playing for the U18 and second-division squads.
Dzmitry Ryuny | PF | Belarus | 18.5
Ryuny led the tournament in rebounding and looks like a potential steal for the University of San Francisco in the WCC, where he's heading this fall. Ryuny is a versatile power forward who can handle the ball and step outside and shoot 3s. He plays with tremendous energy, as indicated by the 15.8 rebounds he averaged in 34 MPG. Standing 6-foot-9 with an even wingspan and a narrow 175-pound body, Ryuny has a long way to go physically, even if he's a good athlete who finds a way to make the most of his skinny frame.
Ryuny's passion and intensity needs to be harnessed at times, as he's involved in a constant dialogue with teammates, coaches, referees, opposing players and himself over the course of any given game, at times rubbing scouts the wrong way with his body language. He needs to polish his skill set and learn how to become more efficient in more organized settings, as he can get a little wild in the half-court. If Ryuny can fill out his frame, mature and become a more consistent shooter, he may be someone whom teams will want to monitor as his career progresses at USF.