International Talent Is Taking Over The NBA

In the past two decades, NBA teams have put an increasing amount of focus and attention on international players, in large due to the hope of finding the next Dirk Nowitzki, Pau Gasol or Tony Parker.

What happened instead was the unveiling of a group of players much, much better, which is now spearheading the NBA brand as some of the league’s biggest stars.

A change in the tide

Currently, the league’s primary field of MVP candidates consists of four players. Luka Dončić, Nikola Jokić, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Joel Embiid, the current favorite. For those keeping score that’s a count of exactly zero American players, although Ja Morant, Jayson Tatum, and Devin Booker are slowly entering the frame of discussion.

After consecutive MVPs to Antetokounmpo, Jokić won the award last year, with Embiid making a strong play for it this season. Assuming it once again goes to a player who originates from outside the United States, that would make it four years in a row, leaving James Harden as the last US player to earn it in 2018.

That’s a substantial break of tradition in the US, considering the usual stranglehold American players have had over their international counterparts. The award, first given out in 1956, wasn’t presented to an international player until Hakeem Olajuwon raised the trophy in 1994. Since then, only Steve Nash and Nowitzki won the award in 2005, 2006 and 2007 before Antetokounmpo broke a new US-led winning streak in 2019.

As such, it’s mesmerizing to think ahead to the coming years where the international field of players involved this year, might begin rotating award wins.

While Antetokounmpo and Jokić have both made the Everest climb of a challenge, it stands to reason that Dončić especially, due to age, and an expected increase in production and influence, could be a looming threat to American players looking to break the losing streak.

Additionally, both Jokić and Antetokounmpo are both 27, leaving both them several years before an eventual slow-down process.

The rise of internationals

There isn’t one particular thing that separates American youth players from internationals, but rather several institutional elements. That said, while the game does differ greatly when comparing high school and college basketball to lower-level leagues in Europe, both systems produce some of the best quality of players seen in decades.

European players do come in with a heightened sense for the fundamentals, as they’re taught early to perfect their skills in terms of shooting, ball handling and passing. It’s the old Lithuanian school of thought. Get those three basics down, and the foundation of one’s game is already laid, leaving the player’s teenage years open to carving out an identity by adding new skills.

In the AAU system, athleticism and body control rule the day, which does serve some purpose, especially when leveling up through the ranks. A player with considerable athletic ability will always have a higher ceiling than those without, especially defensively.

As it stands, however, coaches have begun realizing the benefit of building around skills as opposed to athleticism, opening the door even more for Europeans who come in more polished and ready to contribute.

Competition also differs greatly. Dončić made his professional debut at 16 at Real Madrid, and it’s not uncommon for European players to turn pro at similar ages, providing them with the chance to test their skills against adults players in their 20’s and 30’s. However anyone slices it, that’s more valuable than the competitive level of college hoops.

Orlando Magic rookie Franz Wagner spent two years at the university of Michigan after playing professionally in Germany, playing a brand of bogged-down basketball that often limits movement due to the amount of zone defense being played.

During his 55 games in college, Wagner had six total games of 20 or more points, with his career-high being a modest 22 points. In the NBA, Wagner is averaging a robust 15.4 points, having cracked the 20-point mark 16 times, including a 38-point performance.

His movement and offensive freedom is clearly far superior to what he had at Michigan, which begs the question: If he had stayed in Europe, would he have been even better at this point?

This isn’t to say college doesn’t have its own set of advantages. Due to the sheer volume of schools existing in the US, players have a platform and an avenue to get spotted. But in terms of quality competition, it’s lacking behind most leagues in Europe, providing players from across the atlantic ocean with a chance of getting ahead.

Regardless of which side of the ocean is more NBA ready, the league itself wins. The NBA has never seen such a volume of young talent producing like this at the same time, meaning the future is in safe hands.