Catching up with non-Euroleague international NBA Draft prospects

Euroleague has been a must-follow tournament for 2016 NBA Draft scouts. This is a relatively weak year for top talent abroad, but the two biggest international names, Dragan Bender of Maccabi Tel Aviv and Furkan Korkmaz of Anadolu Efes, are both involved in this competition. And while they haven’t gotten a ton of chances at the top level of European play, the tournament remains the casual fan’s best way to keep track of those two in advance of the draft.

However, they aren’t the only international prospects who could enter the 2016 NBA Draft, and most of the other major prospects play elsewhere. Guys like Timothe Luwawu and George Lucas de Paula are solid prospects as well, and we would be doing an injustice if we didn’t also take time to feature some of the rest of the international crop too.

So, who else should we look out for on the international scene, and how are they performing?

Zhou Qi, C, Xinjiang — No. 13 prospect on Draft Express

Qi is probably the third-best prospect in the international pool this year behind Bender and Korkmaz. The 19-year-old from China is gigantic at 7-2 with a near 7-7 wingspan, as measured at the 2015 Nike Hoop Summit. Naturally, he projects as a great shot blocker and he’s averaging an even four blocks a game for the undefeated Flying Tigers in the Chinese Basketball Association.

Qi’s not only useful on the defensive end, though — he’s averaging 16.9 points per game and 9.5 rebounds per game as well. He’s flashed developing touch from 3-point land in addition to his skills as a finisher and he’s a nice complimentary player next to Andray Blatche in the frontcourt.

Qi’s biggest drawbacks are still there, of course; mainly that he struggles with injury and doesn’t really have the bulk at just 209 pounds to tangle with most NBA centers. However, nothing about Qi’s season so far suggests that he won’t be worth a late-lottery pick in 2016, as he projects to be a solid big with several NBA-potential skills.

Timothe Luwawu, SG, Mega Vizura — No. 23 DX prospect

Luwawu has been incredible for KK Mega Vizura in the Adriatic League so far this season. While he took a huge step up in competition from the B League of France to one of Europe’s most intensively competitive leagues, Luwawu has embraced his increased role as the Serbian squad’s starting small forward. Luwawu is shooting 42.0 percent on 6.7 3-pointers per game, which is perhaps his best development as a prospect in  terms of NBA potential. He also has one of the best steal rates of any draft prospect at 3.6 percent, showcasing his quick hands and defensive versatility.

That Luwawu has increased his scoring load from 7.1 points per game last season to 16.5 points per game on an 9-3 team in a more competitive league is a great sign for his future development. He looks the part of a future first-round pick and it seems his decision to forego the 2015 NBA Draft was a smart one.

Petr Cornelie, PF/C, Le Mans — No. 29 DX Prospect

Cornelie is another French prospect who looks like a decent NBA bet, even though that may not happen right away. Averaging about seven points and five rebounds per game for the Eurocup squad, Cornelie has nice size at 6-11 and 220 pounds, and he does a little bit of everything on both ends of the floor. He can finish inside, attacks space well as a dive man and Le Mans has even experimented with having him play as a spot-up 3-point shooter in Eurocup play, which you can see went well here in the squad’s loss to Gran Canaria:

Defensively, he isn’t the most engaged player on the floor, and he hasn’t flashed the block numbers you’d expect from a guy his size in European play. However, Le Mans is a pretty iffy team defensively as is and coaching is probably somewhat of a factor. Still, though, Cornelie has been mediocre to decent at everything. The fact that he doesn’t have a go-to NBA-level skill yet means he’ll probably be a stash candidate if he’s drafted.

Juan Hernangomez, PF, Estudiantes — No. 59 DX Prospect

The brother of Willy Hernangomez of Real Madrid, Juan Hernangomez is toiling in the bottom half of Liga Endesa on a 1-7 Estudiantes squad. However, the 6-9 power forward has looked decent so far, hitting 46.3 percent of his shots, leading the team in rebounding (7.6 boards per game) and providing a reliable scoring punch at 10.9 points per game.

Hernangomez has potential as an Amir Johnson or Lavoy Allen-type grinder from the four spot. While his team has been very ugly to watch this year, I wouldn’t be surprised to see Hernangomez get selected late in the draft this year, sign with a Valencia or Real Madrid in the offseason and gain a couple more seasons of polish before trying his hand in the NBA.

Alpha Kaba, C, Mega Vizura — No. 60 DX Prospect

Kaba barely plays for Mega Vizura, getting only one entry so far in Adriatic play where he posted six points, two assists and two steals. Still, though, you should be familiar with his name because: A) He has the best name of any international prospect B) He’s one of the younger European prospects available this year and C) He is 6-10 with a 7-5 wingspan.

You know how the draft universe always seems to pick a 2nd-round international prospect to hitch their star to about two weeks before the draft (like Cedi Osman or Raul Neto)? That’s Alpha Kaba this year. Be prepared.

George De Paula, PG, Pinheiros — No. 63 DX Prospect

“Georginho” was a late-1st round prospect before he backed out of the 2015 draft, and while he’s listed as a late-2nd rounder in the DX mock draft, he’ll probably move up once we get into the thick of scouting season. He’s averaging 13 points, five rebounds and four assists in Brazilian league action so far, and his size (6-6 with a 7-0 wingspan) makes him too enticing a prospect to not get a deeper look as a prospect. He may have had some strange camp measurements and performances over the summer, but he’s over 40 percent from 3 and 60 percent at the rim in Brazilian league play this year.

This isn’t difficult. De Paula’s going to be drafted in 2016.