Undervalued rookie signings from other European leagues

Eric Atkins, point guard, KAO Dramas. Out of the four rookies signed from the Greek team, Atkins is the most valuable and he has been heavily scouted even from teams who play in better leagues. In this really young team his leadership and ability to control the tempo could have a pivotal role; he has to improve a bit his frame, but his basketball IQ and instincts off the dribble are Europe-ready.

Rion Brown, shooting guard/small forward, & Jeronne Maymon, center, Hapoel Tel Aviv. The Israeli team brings in two really underrated rookies who have signed relatively good contracts. Brown's physique and athleticism are already worthy of top-level European competitions, he can play off the dribble and has a reliable three point shot even though with a strange shooting mechanics; he has to improve his decision making and become more aggressive, but the Winner League could be right now the right fit for him. Maymon is an undersized center who has been one of the best rebounders in college basketball, particularly on the offensive end; he has not many moves on offense but he can play the pick and roll and set really hard screens, and having also quick feet on defense he could aim for better competitions in a year or two. Anyway, is not a good fit next to Gates.

Melsahn Basabe, center, Stabill Jezioro Tarnobrzeg. A really overlooked player because of his limited role at Iowa and his undersized frame, Basabe has all the tools to become a highly valuable big man in Europe: huge versatility on defense, athleticism, terrific toughness, rebounding skills, ability to cut and moving without the ball. He could also work on his mid-range shot, of which he has shown some flashes in college plays.

Killian Larson, center, Lukoil Academic Sofia. He's underrated because of his poor background and little athleticism, two aspects that right now make him hardly suitable for first-class European leagues, but he ends up in a solid team which plays two competitions better suited to his characteristics. He's a really huge player who knows how to use his body, has a good basketball IQ and has a nose for rebounding the ball, if he further improves his face-up game he could become a poor man's John Bryant.

Julian Norfleet, point guard, & Ian Chiles, center, Rilski Sportist Samokov. The two lefties in the Bulgarian team are two of the best players signed in the Balkan League. Norfleet has great leadership, ball-handling skills and court vision to play at the 1 spot, he's really skinny and needs to add more weight but his awareness on pick and roll plays and huge shooting ability are already reliable. Chiles is impressive because of his mobility and shooting touch both back to the basket and from the mid-range, something not easy to find in a 7'2" tall player; he's also a huge defensive presence with timing in help defense, even though players like him are not always suited for top-level European leagues.

Written by P.Villa