[SubZeroParticipant]

I’ve never watched foreign basketball so I haven’t been able to really study some of these players, but why can’t players like Juan Carlos Navarro, who play very well in a lot of different games against American competition, play the same way when they come over to the NBA?

[doubledribblerParticipant]

It’s a completely different brand of basketball. International basketball is far more about skill, IQ,  and teamwork. In the NBA, those things are still important, but a lot of guys get by on amazing athleticism because most teams run a lot of one of one basketball schemes and you don’t have to be able to shoot because a zone is extremely hard to play because you cannot completely leave a guy even if he is no threat to score. If you have Kobe, Durant or Melo on your team, then there is a good chance you are not getting many offensive opportunities.

I think there are a lot of adjustments that have to be made too. A guy like Navarro came over to the U.S. after being a star player, but basically he had to learn a different way of playing, a new role, limited opportunities and adjusting to the speed of the game, strength of players and the long season. Then when a guy comes over here, a lot of them are taking less money and some even having to pay money to leave their teams. It’s not an easy situation. There are plenty of American born players that face some of the same issues, especially when you consider opportunities and systems that they play in. A bad fit can hinder your development, while a good fit could be a huge difference in how a guy fits in and plays. There are a lot of other factors, but it would take forever to go over everything.

[mikeyvthedonParticipant]

I mean, if you are talking about terms of style and ability. They just have vastly different roles. It is after all a different game. Still, JC Navarro had a solid rookie season in Memphis. He struggled quite a bit defensively, which I think is a factor that gets mildly overlooked. No illegal defense in International basketball, which gives typical lumbering centers that used to be found in the NBA a happy home defending the paint. Without that big guy covering your back, it can be difficult at times to adjust.

Still, he may not have been spectacular, but he definitely could have carved out an NBA career. Just need to be in the right situation, which he was not in with Memphis. Pau Gasol got traded mid-season, they were definitely not a very good team even with him there. If you are talking about a guy like Linas Kleiza, he simply never has the post opportunities he had with Lithuania, probably because he would be going up against bigger bodies in the NBA than he faced on Team USA (atleast if he played like as much of a 4 in the NBA as he does for Lithuania).

Obviously not all of these guys are created equal, not everyone is a Dirk Nowitzki, Manu Ginobili or Tony Parker. They still can be very effective players in the right situation. Many either are doing good things, without being the primary offensive option along with it, or just have not been in the best situation to succeed. Tend to think that a guy like Vas Spanoulis may have indeed been sort of screwed over. Would want more of a sample size of JC Navarro before writing off his single NBA season as him not living up to his National Team expectations.

[Sewok15Participant]

I think half the battle for a lot of international players is confidence. They are used to playing their style with their teams and when they get to the NBA it throws them for a loop. That is why guys like Dirk, Manu and Gallo doubled their scoring from their first season to their second. It isn’t like they became twice as skilled in a year but they did become twice as confident. Other guys like Rubio and Tony Parker came in with the confidence of a star player already and seemed to adjust quicker to the NBA game.

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