Jovic, Dieng highlight international prospects in NBA draft
LONDON » Ousmane Dieng of France moved to Australia for a season to hone his skills. Nikola Jovic stayed home in Serbia.
Both are expected to end up in the NBA, though, since they are among the top international prospects in Thursday night’s draft.
Both are versatile 6-foot10 wings who only recently turned 19 years old after completing their first professional season.
Dieng played for the New Zealand Breakers in Australia’s National Basketball League as part of its
Next Stars program, which has become a hotspot for NBA prospects. Jovis was voted top prospect in the ABA League after his first full season for Belgrade club Mega, which produced reigning NBA MVP Nikola Jokic.
Here’s a look at some of the top international players in the draft:
JOVIC
STRENGTHS » Multi-faceted scorer with court vision and playmaking skills. He averaged 11.7 points, 4.4 rebounds and 3.4 assists this season and shot 36.5% from 3-point range.
Jovic told The Associated Press he had worked out for the Houston Rockets, San Antonio Spurs — as of Monday both teams had three first-round picks — the Denver Nuggets (the 21st and 30th selections), the Chicago Bulls (No. 18), the Minnesota Timberwolves (No. 19), and the Milwaukee Bucks (the 24th pick). He also had workouts scheduled with the Miami Heat, who have the 27th pick, and the champion Golden State Warriors (No. 28).
“My basketball IQ is really good, shooting-wise I’m really good, also passing. Those are things I can immediately translate to the NBA,” Jovic said. CONCERNS » Jovic doesn’t possess an explosive first step. Entering the season at 200 pounds, there were also concerns about his strength, but he has bulked up and now weighs 224 pounds.
“I’m working on my whole body. Core stability is really important for me,” said Jovic, who turned 19 this month.
Rafael Barlowe, director of scouting at NBA Big Board, said Jovi cprojects as “a league-average defender” and said the right fit will be vital: “He could end up in a bad situation like Deni Avdija (Washington Wizards) on team where he doesn’t have the opportunity to handle the ball and he’s stuck in a corner.”