Manu Ginobili, Tony Parker, Dirk Nowitzki, heck, even Steve Nash came as outsiders to the world of NBA basketball. Even though the likes of Arvidas Sabonis, Drazen Petrovic and Sarunas Marciulonis paved the way for these guys 10 years ago, it still was out of the norm to be an international player in the league.

Nowadays we have a German getting the NBA MVP trophy, a championship-winning team that has two foreign players playing absolutely pivotal roles, and a whole lot more such guys helping them out from the bench. The main trade news this season centers around a Spanish big man (Pau Gasol) and whether the league’s best player (Kobe Bryant) should have been traded for an Englishman (Luol Deng). How much crazier can this get?

With all of this in mind, now seems to be a swell time to take a look at a few candidates who might just be the next ones to make the jump into the league:

'The main trade news this season centers around a Spanish big man (Pau Gasol) and whether the league’s best player (Kobe Bryant) should have been traded for an Englishman (Luol Deng)'


Nikola Pekovic (Partizan Igokea):
This fellow from Montenegro has been absolutely on fire lately. He is tearing up the Euroleague competition and he has attracted the attention of many NBA scouts. Pekovic is a 21-year-old, 6ft 10in bruiser forward. He grabs rebounds with ease and gets to the bucket at will. Born in Belgrade, he has yet to leave his hometown as he has been playing for local teams. His decision-making can be questioned at times as he can become turnover prone, and his passing game definitely needs work. But at his age, with his size and skill set there will most certainly be a plethora of teams eyeing him until the draft.

Erazem Lorbek (Lottomatica Roma):
This 23-year-old 6ft 10in Slovenian will never be a dominant force in the NBA, but he could be that missing piece for a championship hopeful. Of course, he might take as much time as Luis Scola to get adjusted to the notion that he will not be the alpha dog if he decides to enter the league. Lorbek shows great hustle, he understands the game, and he is well schooled in the fundamentals. All of this could prove valuable to a team that is looking for a sparkplug for their bench unit.

Marc-Antoine Pellin (Chorale Roanne):
Pellin is a borderline possibility to make the NBA. This incredibly poised 20-year-old Frenchman has a heck of a future as a pure point guard. I’m just not sure whether he can get a shot in the US due to his size (or rather lack thereof). Pellin, despite his age has been tearing the Euroleague apart with his precision passing and his daring dashes towards the basket. He might not score much, but his laser vision on the court makes him the best young point guard I have seen.

Tiago Splitter(Tau Ceramica): The most awaited Euroleaguer in the NBA. He took this honor from ex-teammate Scola once the Argentinian finally decided to head overseas. It seems like Splitter has been declaring for every draft in the past decade, although this obviously is an exaggeration, he has been rumored to make the big jump for quite a few years already. Splitter is at his best as a third or fourth option on the floor. He wins battles with hustle and has an unexplainable knack of getting rebounds even against much bigger guys. Splitter will not win many scoring titles, but he more than holds his own down in the low blocks. He could become the type of hustling all energy guy that New York has in David Lee.

Petri Virtanen (Lappeenranta):
This 27-year-old native of Finland is one heck of a point guard. He is the pass first PG and the scoring PG molded into one. Virtanen can explode for a bunch of points, but he is the first to realize when the situation calls for a pass. Virtanen most probably has been scouted over and over again by NBA types, so for him to make it in the league would be a long shot, but his skills and approach towards the game has me thinking that there are enough teams in need of a good point guard to give this guy a shot.

Andrew Adeleke (Banvit BC):
A Nigerian rebounding big man. Adeleke, 24 years old, is a raw talent. At the moment he is averaging a respectable 16 points and 12 rebounds in the Eurocup. His main problem is that he lacks size (6ft 9in) to be a center in the NBA, and that would be the best position for him. Adeleke is powerful and he does not shy away from contact (a complaint many big guys from the European competitions have had to live with). In fact, he tends to be the one initiating physical play.