Last year, at the 2010 NBA draft, I felt like the guy in the old Maytag repairman commercials. There wasn't much need for me to be around on ESPN's draft coverage because it was a quiet night for drafting international players, as only one went in the first round.
Most of the best international prospects decided to eschew the opportunity to stay in the draft in the hopes that they would continue to gain experience playing in Europe and improve their stock. And with many top college freshmen deciding to return for their sophomore seasons next year, many of those international players did help themselves.
If everything goes according to form, this draft could have the most international players selected in the first round since eight were selected in 2003. Here are some names you need to know:
For the full list of the top 10 international prospects to look for in the 2011 NBA draft, you must be an ESPN Insider.
Fran Fraschilla
College BasketballABOUT THIS BLOG
NBA Draft Blog
• Chad Ford's Top 100 Prospects
Chad Ford
Chad Ford covers the NBA and NBA draft for ESPN Insider. He also is a frequent contributor to ESPN The Magazine and makes weekly appearances on ESPN Radio and ESPNEWS.
Follow ESPN Insider Chad Ford on:
Twitter | ESPN.com |
TrueHoop | E-mail
Fran Fraschilla
Fran Fraschilla is a college basketball analyst for ESPN and ESPN Insider. He formerly was the head coach at Manhattan, St. John's and New Mexico. He has been part of ESPN's NBA draft broadcast coverage each of the past five seasons.
Follow ESPN Insider Fran Fraschilla on:
ESPN.com | CBB Experts Blog | Twitter
David Thorpe
David Thorpe is an NBA analyst for ESPN.com's Scouts Inc. and the executive director of the Pro Training Center in Clearwater, Fla., where he oversees the player development program for NBA and college players. David has trained Kevin Martin, Corey Brewer, Omri Casspi, Joakim Noah, Luol Deng, Tyrus Thomas, Yi Jianlian, Courtney Lee, Kyrylo Fesenko, Earl Clark, Jrue Holiday, DeJuan Blair and others.
Follow ESPN Insider David Thorpe on:
ESPN.com | NBA Rookie Rankings