Why NBA Players FAIL In Europe

High NBA draft picks struggling in EuroLeague is nothing new. Wesley Johnson, Emmanuel Mudiay, Anthony Bennett, and others have done that. But why is that?
In this video, BasketNews’ Augustas Suliauskas takes a look at why many NBA players’ careers in Europe didn’t last more than one season.
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What do you think is the main reason NBA players fail in Europe? 🤔 Let us know in the comments below ✍ If you enjoyed the video, help us grow by hitting the like button & subscribing to our channel! 🙌 For more content like this visit: basketnews.com Lastly, don't forget to follow us on social media: Twitter: twitter.com/basketnews_com/ Instagram: instagram.com/basketnews/

[@GarkKahn]

Europe is more team based than nba where players (or stars) are more important

[@jeffreyacosta5024]

NBA is paying too much compared to other leagues. Players are scared to suffer injuries as it will derail their chances of having a big paycheck

[@theoneonly259]

They are former NBA players that really dont care. Former for a reason. Also the slow and boring Eurostyle does not suit their game a lot of the time. That does not mean that the Euroleague is better than the NBA. The Australian NBL - which is the second best league in the world behind the NBA - is the fastest league in the world yet we play stupid FIBA rules. There is no need for your teams to be so slow and boring you know.

[@alexmg1439]

The pressure from the fans is crazy

[@awwwsy]

Blah, blah the only thing you said for skills is they pack the paint if they can't shoot. The exact reason they got put out the NBA

[@slaughter6669]

In USA 15 years old kids play street basketball. They care only how to drible, dunk and humiliate the opponent. In europe, 15 years old kids are practising pick n roll, spacing, reading the defence of the opponent etc. thats why the last years, al the nba mvps are Europeans and will continue to be

[@matasbutkus4071]

Bulshit, the best NBA players aren't europeans: Steph, KD, Tatum, Embiid(even if Jokic won 2 mvp's)

[@ralkrey9526]

@@matasbutkus4071 Embiid is French/Cameroonian.

[@aadeshkamble2107]

@@matasbutkus4071 Giannis ,Luka Jokic?

[@Ometecuhtli]

Maybe they aren't selling enough sneakers

[@frizzyrascal1493]

@@matasbutkus4071 Yes, Jokic won Two MVPs as Giannis did and as Luka WILL soon, but they're not among the best players in the league...beat me with logic right there.

[@optimalpowersimracing6625]

Well I think Kobe is spot on about the American youth sports model in general. In Europe, at the highest level of Youth Sport, you have players like Luka moving to Madrid to play for their academy at just age 13... Learning to play professional baksetball, from professional coaches, with no hidden agenda, who's literally only job is to develop you in to a first team product.... In America, 13 year olds are playing for some random ego laced dad who has no credentials to be coaching a basketball team, let alone an elite talent, and truly develop them into a "First team" product, aka a pro. Imagine in America if all 30 NBA teams had youth teams, imagine on a random tuesday night a u16 Knicks vs Lakers on NBA TV or something like that, or teams like Orlando and Miami having a more hands on approach with local talent etc. College Basketball is a joke, serves no purpose but for the Universities agenda. The coach is there to win games, not develop players.

[@jjcometa9333]

Those youth teams idea is actually lit and a genius idea. More money for the league, more money for the kids, and earlier exposure to professional basketball which in turn makes them more mature

[@jjcometa9333]

And really agree with colleges and high schools. With high schools the competition for high rankings are scarce(unless they play the other high rankers too), so their stats are always pretty good, and their bad points aren't as clear so they can't work on them more. In college it's a different system from the nba. That's why you see some players being really good in high school and college or maybe just high school or just in college, and then when they get to the league it's a different monster all of a sudden. Yeah the competition is also better but some just don't have what it takes when they get there. Hopefully in the future the nba kind of expand the g league, like the g league ignite or like minors league in the MLB, so they can cultivate more talent, young players get to mature more(talent and mental) and and they have a clear path to their goal

[@optimalpowersimracing6625]

@@jjcometa9333 Its brilliant idea and sadly North America is the only continent in the world that treats youth sport like this... Even in Brazil, famed Real Madrid defensive midfielder Casemiro said as 13 year old when he went to trial for Sao Paulo, there was 300 kids, and they were only selecting 50... He was a striker, & when they called the strikers? nearly 50 kids put their hands up, when they called defensive midfielders he said 7 kids put their hands up, he said at that moment is when he became a defensive midfielder... & from the development he went on to be apart of one of the best midfield tridents the game has ever seen....

[@jairlevy]

To be fair about Universities, that is pure competition! The coaches want to develop players but they will not spend years doing that. There is no time. They have so much talent available to spend time into a player that would require too much to be worthed. So just spend time on who is really good to become better. We are talking about 18+ Mens, how long should we have their spot locked until something good comes from the player?

[@ThatBigCactus]

You don't have a clue what you're talking about. There's thousands of prep academies in America and the produce a ton of NBA players. Oak Hill, Montverde, Findlay Prep.. to name a few. There's so many more. You really dont have any idea what the landscape for youth sports looks like at the highest level, clearly.

[@trevorcunningham8687]

I have the answer! I'm 51 from The Bronx and I've played in Europe and college ball in Denver. I played 2 yrs in Europe and then went to college. In Europe, every player in practice does the same drills. Fundamental skill drills. So no matter your height or position you have a skill set of being able to dribble, pass and shoot. Guards perform the drills of a center and centers perform the drills of a guard. Where as in America, if you're the tallest kid on your team they're gonna try and turn you into a center and you might be 6'4. When really you should be learning how to be a point guard. The average European player is more skilled than an American college or high school player. Americans have more raw athletic abilities but the European player is a more skilled player overall.

[@TheReizooko]

Amen! in Europe we teach fundamentals and we prioritize efficiency to the show - Kobe's quote on the video about "fancy crap" is so true - if a kid in training abuses unnecessary moves/dribbling just to show off - 100% he will see less play than a "boring" player who gets the job done without the "fancy crap"

[@im_vladimirkostic]

Great observation. But in some countries, when you're tallest player, they will put you on center position, instead to let you to play basketball and enjoy the game.

[@Riese79]

Correct answer

[@Riese79]

​​@@im_vladimirkostic depends how good the 2nd Center is. And also the tallest should stay in the paint in defense. You can sit there whole game.

[@BLACKSTA361]

Jokic and Doncic being the two most complete offensive Players in the lwague always confused mw. Especially in Jokics case ive never seen a big man with passing and shooting of a point guard like that. This explains a bit Weirdly enough ghe only thing those two lack ia defense and athleticism

[@mikaelpecan5991]

Faried, Johnson, and Bennett aren’t built for Euro ball. It’s a much bigger emphasis on skills rather than their raw athleticism, which is what they relied on. That’s why most bigs who come to the NBA from Euroleague are way more polished offensively.

[@hb3041]

They aren't built for the nba either. That's why they had to go to Europe

[@bkak2245]

Tbf all 3 players u said were also bust in the nba, maybe except kenneth for awhile

[@joshido7352]

@@bkak2245 kenneth maximized his potential but once his athletic ability dropped slightly it was over.

[@marcusstrinidad]

@@joshido7352 NBA also evolved away from Faried’s style of play too. He was good for late 2000s and early 2010s kind of basketball. But now you have big guys that can drive, distribute, post up, and create their own shot off the dribble and have jump shots (Giannis pending on that last one lol). Faried is the anti-thesis of all that. If you think of Pau Gasol, he’s like the early prototype of Jokic. Jokic just perfected that prototype.

[@Aaron-kj8dv]

I wonder if we'll get to the point where it's pretty much all Euros in the NBA. Of course not like 15 man teams without an American, but majority European, S American, and African. I think in 10-20 years probably so. You could argue the top 4 players in the NBA now are foreigners. With Gianiis and Embiid being the only athletic freaks.

[@OK-yy6qz]

Luka said it best: It's harder to score in the Euroleague but there are way better players in the NBA. It's a lot easier to put ok stats in the NBA because of the pacing and the rules but on the other hand there's 30 guys in the NBA right now that could be the Euroleague MVP. Arguably even more considering guys like Larkin,Micic,Mike James and Mirotic have been Euroleague MVP candidates. Vezenkov who's currently the favourite for Euroleague MVP would not be a top 30 NBA player

[@Islam.is.the.truth..]

Bro If MIKE JAMES and SHANE LARKING are mvp candidates there are 100s of nba players who can be mvp candidates in Euro league

[@paozialcita933]

U forgot to say that he also mentioned that it was tougher to play in the NBA because there are lots of players who are pretty much unguardable.

[@OK-yy6qz]

@@Islam.is.the.truth.. 100s is a huge stretch. James and Larkin were great players that just weren't a good fit for the NBA. Most NBA role players can only do one or 2 things. Like if you play ok defense and shoot only open 3s you're an above average NBA role . Hell you can only do just 1 of those 2 and you'll be above average role player

[@saidufofanah2210]

@@OK-yy6qz they were not great nba players. They were fringe players, that couldn’t stay on rosters.

[@OK-yy6qz]

@@saidufofanah2210 they were great basketball players that weren't a good fit for the NBA. Like i said in an NBA roster if you're not a star you're only supposed to be doing only 1 or 2 things. James and Larkin weren't a good fit for that style of play. We see in FIBA how fringe players can outperform NBA stars when they play a style that suits them.

[@ema2kolfiz828]

Do you guys remember how about 10y ago, European players in NBA were tagged as 'soft'? While now after 4 straight MVP (+ Luka) European basketball is more physical?? NBA is just a different sport with different rules, the problem nowadays is that with this shooting revolution and A. Silver's focus on business, offense is too easy and way too many games end with high margins and no thrill at all.. While look at Euroleague, where 3pt trend is there since always, you can still see teams playing with centers and winning, small ball and, most important, close games (last F4 just as example).. we trade this with some half court shots but can live without those

[@ema2kolfiz828]

The real reason why talented NBA players struggle in EL is same as the opposite: NBA teams are strucutred with stars and role players, with specific duties, while FIBA needs all around players that can contribute even with 2 shots starting from 3rd quarter, so with so many options FIBA becomes more coach driven than star driven.. who does not understand this logic fails

[@dogger2186]

This is simple, EURO players are very, very fundamental compaired to NBA players that are just very atheletic. But when you mix the two in the NBA with Hard work you get MJ!

[@vietnowsoldo]

@@ema2kolfiz828 Yeah, it was always like that. It is more important to fit well with the team, play good defense, respect vision of the coach. It is team sport after all, not individual showcase.

[@cavaleermountaineer3839]

NBA wasn't making money after Jordan, so they changed the rules for defense. Then came the Curry Revolution. TBH if the League weren't so stupid with all the politics in sports bullshyt they'd be doing much better.

[@abdirahmanhassan1848]

@@dogger2186 thats such a dumb comment no way you watch basketball

[@VisualFeast7557]

At least they still have China and Australia.

[@scottf1000]

Big difference in standards between China and Australia. Some ex NBA guys can struggle in Australia, not so much in the CBA.

[@ufukerzik5057]

Taiwan is a possibility

[@kingjro2]

Philippines too.

[@takemeout5687]

@@ufukerzik5057 Even Dwight howard is dominating in the CBA. They only guys stopping him are even bigger and younger centers. Even then, he'll probably just choose to shoot over them

[@leetorry]

@@kingjro2 Philippines, basically when you arent even good enough for the cba

[@psychotropnilachtan8869]

I can see how guys whove been treated like stars since highschool might clash with European coaches.

[@AugustasSuliauskas]

Great point. If you coming into Europe, thinking 'it's my team now, I'm the guy', be ready for a quick adjustment lol

[@fr0sted245]

Good thing that the coaches in europe dont care

[@mr.melendez3872]

@@AugustasSuliauskas Which is weird because the best player should be getting the most touches.

[@solomons5669]

@@AugustasSuliauskas Why the US always wins the olympcs then

[@TMPOUZI]

@@solomons5669 much bigger population in the US than euro countries. Imagine a best of euro team made of Jokics, Lukas, Giannises etc and best EL stars

[@Silver-lo6db]

Every game in el is very important so teams are preparing their offense and defense specifically for their opponent. This is the huge difference with NBA’s regular season. And as you said, mistakes are less tolerated by coaches.

[@Kalmar917]

The big difference is the philosophy of the whistle. The officiating in Euroleague is truer to the rules than the NBA at this point. So calls an NBA player would get for contact and more importantly initiating the contact is being whistled correctly than it is the NBA. Also, physicality in the paint is also another important aspect and players needing to actually do lay defense.

[@enzodapan5016]

This is probably one of the reasons why players like Dirk, Jokic, and Luka have that certain skill in their playing style. And also, Spurs in general with Tim Duncan before.

[@pomoia6234]

The thing about Duncan, is that he spent I think 5 years at Wake Forest really getting an education about how to play basketball. He was a swimmer first growing up. Pop even said he owed the coach from Wake Forest for preparing Tim correctly before he came to the NBA.

[@enzodapan5016]

@@pomoia6234 ohhh, nice info

[@Soufside_Slim]

Duncan never played Euro ball

[@davinnicode]

They call Duncan Big Fundamental for a reason. It was the main reason for his successful longevity in the NBA. Dirk was also especially fanatic about the fundamentals. Just look at the training methods of his mentor Holger Geschwendner

[@joachimmahoudeaux8619]

In 2014 the Spurs won euro fashion, a passing masterclass all the way through, why do think Popovic put Diaw in the starting 5 ? the guy could literaly do ANYTHING you asked him to do, score ? done , pass ? done , defend on Lebron James ? done, the ultimate big euro style 3D player. He failed in many teams before the Spurs because the NBA coaches didn’t have that IQ level to be able to use him correctly, and that’s why Pop is probably the smartest coach the NBA ever had. That starting 5 was indeed 3/5 euro style.

[@grosskopf2779]

Here is another one coaching style. I played for Dusko Ivanovic (best coach I ever had)a pupil of the legendary coach "Božidar Maljković "(Jugoplastik). An American has to be willing to adapt his game and many especially those in the NBA aren't willing to adapt their game, they feel that the team should adapt towards him(American). Dusko had problems with Americans who didn't like or adjust playing his pass, and pick offense as to creating their own shot etc. Also there are many coaches who get Americans at certain positions but don't use them properly, for example: a player that is a known as a great scorer by slashing to the basket but the team gets him as a shooter.

[@GalaxyTracker]

From what I've seen (Panathinaikos fan), Ivanovich has a very strict mentality on what the game plan SHOULD be. He conditions the team to be physical, putting the players through torture during practice and expects them to follow his plan to the point, but has no ability to adapt to the opponent's plan during the game.

[@grosskopf2779]

@@GalaxyTracker 1st point correct. 2nd point I wouldn't say its torture but he strives for a player to reach their physical peak, just as his coach did. 3rd point possible, but his preparation for each individual is discussed(opponents) and he goes over their strengths and weaknesses and has been very successful with that process. He has multiple championships on different levels to show for it. His philosophy is if he prepares you and everything is done to his plan perfectly and his team loses, it was meant to be.

[@dynctive]

Augustas' videos are always on point! I think that failed prospects like Mudiay and Bennett, fail in the NBA because their skill development lacks in that league as well. I would've loved to see Andre Miller spent a couple years in Europe after his NBA career was over, I think his game would've translate to the EL really seamlessly. I would love to see how a current skilled NBA backup might adjust to the Euroleague, someone like Terrence Ross or Nerlens Noel. I wish that the money in the EuroLeague was competitive enough to steal away talented NBA backups so that ideas like the ones presented in this video could be tested on a more competitive scale

[@AugustasSuliauskas]

Thank you! It would be amazing to see bigger talents here in Europe.. Not only for the reason you mentioned! However, I'm afraid that we could be going in another direction with the new CBA that's about to be signed. But hey, that's just my guess

[@Woodchuck986]

@@AugustasSuliauskas Andre Miller would be a great EL fit, his shot is not great, but he was elite passer on NBA level. Ross is a lottery depending on are his shots going in or not, and Noel would be another Faried, his offensive game is lacking and just wouldn't be worth excess money that you'd have to pay him in comparison to European centers. US players that do best in Europe are ball handling shot first guards that are considered undersized in NBA but still can shoot the lights out. Or if you're lucky to get a player that failed in NBA due to injuries like Exum now.

[@jtl9945]

USA is still the best in Olympics for a reason.

[@alexsmith6322]

So what ur saying is… a good nba player would be good overseas… and a bad one is bad overseas…. When will you guys realize how dumb this entire conversation it 😂

[@Ramathustra]

Dominique Wilkins went to play in Europe at the end of his career and even he wasn't all that great.

[@eggegg5354]

Bro's using the largest draft bust in history as a example

[@nobelwarprize]

I know, Wesley was hot ass in the NBA too.

[@m3abdi]

Also how come European teams don't dominate fiba tournaments n Olympics. I guess the poor USA team with their lack of fundamentals are destroying these Europeans with their own rules. Tsk tsk tsk

[@TMPOUZI]

@@m3abdi it's due to the pool size of the US. Imagine if whole Europe made a best of EL team. I'm not so sure who'd dominate over the years

[@m3abdi]

@@TMPOUZI go see summer Olympics medal standings. With the population us has vs all of Europe u can clearly see the us dominance. Europe is lucky african Americans kids don't shit about soccer or I'll be over for the world. If African countries had the same resources European would snifff any cup

[@bkak2245]

@@nobelwarprize people literally only know wesley after he got his ankle snatched by Harden 😭

[@dimiathan]

I agree with all you've mentioned but for me it is also the basketball atmosphere that the fans are creating in the stadium. It is EXTREMELY loud and sometimes overwhelming with the pyros and most are not used to it. I absolutely love these ecstatic games and I never want them to stop but it is clear that it is hard to play in these conditions.

[@theULTIMATElife50]

From what I saw at the Olympics the Euro league seems to be more like how the game was in the 90's and 80's. It also seems like a lot of modern NBA draft picks are made with their physical talent as the foremost reason for their high draft spot and not taking into consideration their actual on court skill set. I think more players in the draft need to spend one or two more years in college or the G League to develop a useful skill set before going into the NBA but teams are having to teach these guys what they should have already learned by the point they enter the league.

[@jhragins96]

Let the new fans tell it these NBa is filled with the most skilled players of all time. Delusional they are

[@KillaSin515]

That is what I believe. In the 80s and 90s the NBA was more physical with tougher defenses and Europe was more about 3 point shooting like how the NBA is today. Today they flip the script. The NBA is more about 3 point shooting and soft defense. Europe is about tough defense and more physical.

[@Ramathustra]

Yes, but those skills should have been trained much earlier in their career.

[@TheRealTurkFebruary]

American sports coaches/scouts have this idea that they can teach skills but they can’t teach size, speed, etc. Yet we draft a guy on pure potential because of a physical prowess and then a fire the coaches who were supposed to teach him the game. America’s obsession with size will be its downfall as the world surpasses us. Our National basketball squads will be as good as our national soccer team globally. Mid-tier at best, sometimes top 10, never the best. American better enjoy those gold medals and world championships while we can still get them. Our days are numbered.

[@unwokeneuropean3590]

You have seen national teams, not european club teams. Euroleague is the club league of the best euro clubs for that season.

[@stekons]

you forgot the most important , aside from raw skills most NBA players are not very experienced in games that matter, many didn't even have the chance even. Those who did and succeeded they wont go for Europe obviously, so those that do are players who are top athletes but no great experience...

[@jotavetres]

NBA has become a TV reality show.....pure entertaiment.

[@ronm3945]

True..but its not even entertaining

[@Ometecuhtli]

There's always been a TV reality aspect to it, and with 30 teams and that many players coming and going for 10-day contracts and so on you can easily find your media diva without even looking for it, it's probably that "back then" to produce anything like the Kardashian & Odom show it was something only from the US had any idea what was about while now Twitter, Reddit and what not are basically free platforms for their promotion and reality show aspect of it.

[@gmgmoney2643]

@@ronm3945most popular league in the world so it’s gotta be entertaining

[@ronm3945]

@@gmgmoney2643 bs it doesnt even make tge top 10 most popular leagues in the world...look it up...soccer way way more popular

[@farhan007]

People just say shit out of their ass. Remember we are taking about NBA American born players who failed to make a NBA roster going to Europe. Come back to me when someone who is currently good in the NBA moves to Europe and struggles. That will never happen.

[@lorynboatwright5761]

I train number 3 for AS Monaco, you had three clips of him, 2 from this season. And one from a few seasons ago when he played for Valencia😎🤙🏿 Training for EuroLeague is much different preparation then NBA training for sure

[@mattschroeder6081]

What are the differences in training that you see?

[@lorynboatwright5761]

@@mattschroeder6081 how you start your dribble, spacing, so quicker shots. The conditioning, they want you there 6-8 weeks before the season. And expectation is to be in midseason shape by the time you arrive. Skill level is much better in Europe due to lack of athleticism here.

[@legendarywiimaster]

@@lorynboatwright5761 the thing is you can’t bring a random player from the Euroleague and shove him into the NBA. You need to be good enough to get there because the NBA has way better players as Luka said. Jokic Giannis and Luka are good enough for the NBA, most EL players aren’t

[@SwishfulAthletics]

@@legendarywiimaster yep. Exactly

[@kondwanimkandawire2680]

W. Johnson at 32, Faried at 32 and OJ Mayo at 34 is hardly what I would call peak. There is a saying in basketball: "The wrong side of 30". Of course there are exceptions like LeBron and K.D.

[@bkak2245]

Yep, especially when Johnson and Faried at that point struggled to make an nba roster, hence why they went to EL

[@franjodugandzic2053]

Whaat .All best players in Nba are over 30. To name a few: Curry, Harden, Kawhi, Durant, Demar, Irving

[@kondwanimkandawire2680]

@@franjodugandzic2053 I think you missed the point. Re-read the answer there are "exceptions" of which I already highlighted Durant. It can be argued that Kawhi is not in his prime (hence the load management), Harden is definitely not in his prime and can hardly be considered one of the "best players" at this point in his career, he is good but not great. Even LeBron, who I already mentioned is past his prime - again the word in dispute here is "prime" not whether they are still top 20 players. In most sports that require athleticism (like basketbal), "prime" is definitely below the age of 30. A simple google will tell you that: fast-twitch fibers, aerobic athletic performance age, etc. This is science not hearsay!

[@franjodugandzic2053]

@@kondwanimkandawire2680 say that to Damian Lillard😁

[@kushberry6679]

Well, 2 of the 3 players you mentioned were just super athletic. Euroleague is all about skill so them being in the Euroleague at a younger age wouldn't do them any favors because their skills would be even worse. Also, don't act like 32 is old. This isn't the 80s, players can play at a high level at that age and even older

[@sososnagahae8169]

You can tell just from looking the score averages, we’ve reached a point in the NBA where people are averaging 30 like it’s nothing and end up with scores way over 100. In Europe you usually see games going at about 70-80 points tops

[@M4V35]

yeah but in europe the game it's 40 min, 10 min a quarter, so basically in the nba it's like having a 5th quarter, and the time it's another reason why the game have less points

[@ElliottPiano]

Amazing video thank you guys Soon 50k

[@dejamike88]

Good analysis/explanation brother! Good stuff!!

[@CqThatdude]

I just found this in my recommended and this is a really good video.. Great points. subbed

[@rollotomasse]

What are you talking about, "they barely saw the bench in their careers...". All they saw in USA is the bench, that's why they came here 🙄🙄

[@sethrockwood]

To be fair, any high level nba draft picks that succeeded in the nba, never went to Europe, so you are already dealing with the lower end of the talent pool. If you sent the best performing rookies to the euro league, then the results would be different. I think it also shows that the Euro league has significantly caught up to the nba over the last 20 years and is clearly better than college level basketball in the states, and likely better than nba g league level.

[@Kingme3144]

Your first sentence debunks the entire thesis of this video. If they were successful in the nba they wouldn't be in Europe. So why are they using these nba busts as a metric for nba talent against the current best available in the Europe League? Makes 0 sense to me

[@sethrockwood]

@@Kingme3144 Exactly

[@RosecityTone]

@@Kingme3144 right Anthony Bennett is considered one of the biggest bust in NBA history

[@Kingme3144]

@August that's a fact. He carved out a nice career stateside off all heart.

[@willeonfly]

@@Kingme3144 to the point！

[@earving3245]

This is exceptional analysis withouth showboating:, loved it, good job!

[@youngharrio]

I love this channel, and the content is amazing, with great insights in the EuroLeague!!

[@miggyalejandro]

I'm a basketball purist. i wanna see the NBA adopt FIBA rules.

[@ConcaCon]

I look at a talented guy like Donatas Motiejunas, whose floor running, inside footwork/touch and three-point range makes him an undeniable threat on offense. He carved up ALBA Berlin for 22 points in 20 minutes, missing only once and punishing every mistake. Even so, in the Euroleague, he's averaging a merely serviceable 9 and 4, not making much of an impact on defense, either. The misconception that ex-NBAers would dominate in Europe by default is definitely unfounded due to the differences you've described.

[@AugustasSuliauskas]

Hey, 9 & 4 isn't that bad in EL haha. Obviously, not at the star level that some people might have expected only because he played in the NBA. But yeah, when he was healthy, he dominated the post in ISO situations even in the NBA. But it depends so much on the skillset you have to be compatible to dominate here. (Larkin wasn't dominant in the NBA, but has the right skillset to dominate in Europe, for example)

[@purpleirklegrovestreet]

9 and 4 in europe are above average numbers. The nba is the only pro league where u are even capable of scoring over 20 ppg due to the spacing

[@grostoss4259]

No it is founded and there is INSANE anti american racism in europe lets keep it a stack (played against french, germans and serbs in top divisions for my part) that hinders American style of play. The reason why scores are so low is because coaches are THAT bad. Pacing is THAT bad, spacing is THAT bad. Europeans have major flaws when it comes to physical training as people are not gym rats here so the style of play is softer in general.

[@ConcaCon]

@@AugustasSuliauskas It's not bad, for sure. Especially with the general fluctuation of production from game to game. I see my hometown team ALBA play, I never know what anyone is gonna do. An important guy like Jaleen Smith could have 22 points and 4 assists or 2 points with 6 turnovers.

[@ConcaCon]

@@purpleirklegrovestreet I think also rotations and minute distribution come into play here. On good teams, Euro coaches often spread out minutes quite equally. In the NBA, there's often still this 36 and 12 model.

[@williambreeze2659]

Thanks for the video!

[@poppinc8145]

Could you please do a video on the Euroleague/EuroCup system vs the FIBA Champions League/Europe Cup system, and how or which clubs qualify for or choose to compete in each of the two systems? Both pyramids draw clubs from the same national leagues. And any plans to cover the the playoffs and prospects from the FIBA Champions League, and do videos on their MVP, awards and record holders from each season?

[@richcantgame]

There’s plenty of great European players but I hate when people act like they’re any different than most other NBA players. They’re anomalies in a league of anomalies. Giannis is a physical specimen, Jokic is one of the biggest guys in the league, and Luka is a massive guard. I don’t get why some people will point out them being European and top players and act like a different style of game is what got them here. It played its part obviously, but they’re all built perfectly for how they play.

[@g.berwald5312]

exactly, genetics are their Nr. 1 trait... the mindset, skills and playstyle come second

[@dusica1904]

Yes, they are playing miles away basketball from other NBA players. Period. They are normal, family, humble gys, with all the skills. They are miles away from others.

[@thewriter8762]

I think it mainly has to do with who goes. Sometimes you are discussing people who never made it or people who are past their primes and wanna get a payday. They look at Euroleague the same way they look at playing for China. And the gap in talent is staggering.

[@Ramathustra]

In talent, you might be right. But in actual all-rounded playing skills you are very wrong. Let's not forget the World Cup in 2019, when the (honestly) amazingly gifted US team finished 7th, managing to lose one quarter against Serbia 7 to 32 on the way.

[@patrickmcpartland1398]

​@@Ramathustrago look at that roster lol we don't even send our best players

[@jeremymartintorres]

As someone who plays the point, it is only in Europe (Germany, in particular) where I've played pick-up basketball where teammates who you've only met there a few minutes prior offer screens without being asked to.

[@shauncobbs6155]

great break down, somethings i knew and alot I didnt. Thanks

[@scorchone2310]

Since my family is from San Antonio and I was born in “98 I got the chance to watch a lot of great fundamental basketball from an early age. The fact is that somewhere in the 2010’s the NBA went from a basketball driven league to a star driven league. Rules changed, franchises focus more on making stars and trading for more stars than educating and growing players into a well rounded cohesive unit. It’s sad, most of the moves you see in the NBA wouldn’t even work on a casual pickup court because they rely on offense being so protected by the rules in the NBA. I’m just glad I can still get my basketball fix from the euro league. Really nice to see more Americans coming around to how good the product you guys are putting out over there is.

[@marcovandenberg6719]

Thank you for speaking truth!

[@LordSteeleCastleClashPsteele68]

The NBA has always been a star driven league that's what David stern wanted going back to magic bird and jordan

[@boonebeasley9622]

So explain why euro players suck compared to nba

[@scorchone2310]

@@boonebeasley9622 they don't most just suck under NBA rules, 3/4 of the MVP frontrunners are Euro players, euro players give the US team smoke constantly. We aren't even ranked number one in the world anymore

[@boonebeasley9622]

@@scorchone2310 as a league they suck mike James is a MVP over there stop it Giannas and joker didn't play for euro league

[@dxfifa]

Some NBA role players have EL written all over them. Kenrich Williams being one that comes to mind. He can score at all 3 levels, just not quite at NBA level, can handle the ball, again, at meh NBA level, plays great defensem hustles and moves well off the ball. I think his isolation and pnr would be much better in EL and him being allowed to be more physical would have him really effective.

[@AlexH-yd4vj]

I'm new to your channel but it would be interesting if you did a list of top 5 NBA players who became stars/very good in Europe. If there are any at all. Love the vid

[@Personalmagnetism]

Great video. This my first video from your channel saw on recommended

[@BasketNews_com]

Thank you! Make sure to subscribe to the channel for more videos like this 🙏

[@jamesmacker]

Most of their peaks: Guys over 30 and the youngest player is Anthony Bennett. Not a good way to start an argument lol

[@TMPOUZI]

the argument's solid tho. Lack of fundamentals won't get you far in EL

[@bkak2245]

@@TMPOUZI yea but using Faried and Bennett as an example is wrong imo, both got out of the nba quick cause teams noticed they were fundamentally shit, Farried was just athleticism and Bennett is all size

[@joeblowe3180]

@@TMPOUZI Then why do Europeans always lose to Americans in the Olympics??

[@kaliduncanel3356]

I got lucky man. I'm from Kentucky (home of the Cards and The wild cats). Even on the blacktop we took the game seriously. People were moving towards streetball but, if you didn't know how to run the lane, box out, or stay in front of your guy you'd get laughed off the court. People just want to be fancy now and can't tell the difference between AND1 and effort.

[@philippal7985]

Stellar Analysis again!

[@nikolababic3588]

I think the biggest problem for NBA players coming to Europe is to adapt to serious basketball, learn strategies and to play defense. Unlike NBA that is all about individuals, Euroleague is about teams and tactics.

[@gabrielegatti2322]

I believe the NBA is more star driven while European Leagues force players to play more for the team. In NBA is far easier to have a single players dribbling the ball most of the time. In Europe most of the time you have to be quicker and ready to pass the ball to keep your team on moving. Also I believe in Europe there is more concern of the defense.

[@kjo2130]

Some nba players do struggle in euro league but on the flip side, he showed us a bunch of busts lol. Not a single nba star.

[@jah-leah]

pro player in my 2nd year in Europe. I am a bit older and late start as a pro. I am doing well, but not how I KNOW I can so I will never blame anyone else. I will say this, and the sentiment is echoed by friends in TOP leagues, Refs/ calls favor home/ euro players. American players get less calls. Add being a post?! FUGEDDABOUTIT. I'm sure issue in top leagues isn't as much lack of experience by refs as players, but learning only one or two refs ever played basketball in my league blew my mind. LASTLY, these players lack skill (again an issue because I am second division) so they rely on being physical at times dangerously so. We keep our heads down and keep trucking though.

[@AugustasSuliauskas]

Good luck man, keep grinding

[@alfonsstekebrugge8049]

Why would you start out saying you aren't blaming anyone else and then blame the refs? This makes you sound dishonest, while if it is your observation that the refs are a factor you can just claim that one of your observations is that refs are a factor. It's nothing new, refs are always a necessary evil and they are just human beings too. But yeah, as the other dude stated, good luck man.

[@TheByzantineEmpire]

1:42 I have called this the Ben Simmons effect for a long time. He didnt have the range to play PG in the NBA but the consensus that he was the best pick in the draft. For the first couple years in the league it was clear ben was great at passing, great scoring under the rim, quite a good defender but he didnt have the range. Once everyone started exposing his range and his FT% his mins have started to decline.

[@leofreestyle9209]

You have to qualify your vision. Look at the potential Euroleague MVP's this season like Mike James or Musa from Real Madrid, they played in the NBA and it allowed them to develop the talent that they have today. Most NBA players succeed in Europe, it's only a minority of them who fail.

[@kurtcometa4818]

The ones who fail in EL are just the mediocre players in general

[@dxfifa]

@@kurtcometa4818 Not really, it's mainly players who were not good offensive players in the NBA that fail. a player like Pat Bev or Draymond would look far far worse in EL

[@kurtcometa4818]

@@dxfifa Thats what I mean

[@panoskakkavas4022]

​​@@dxfifa Beverly has played in the Euroleague in the past , back in 2009 ( for Olympiakos to be precise , my favorite team ) .

[@cabdriver123456]

@@dxfifaBeverley was the Eurocup MVP in 2012 at only 24 years old, not nearly in his prime. It's not EL, but still Europe and it's safe to say he would probably do just fine in the EL.

[@YakosIoakim]

As a hard core nba fan from Europe, I think that a video regarding how boring nba games are becoming with no defenses, no post play and only stretch fours scattered at the corners would be very welcome.

[@evsvdb]

Great video!!

[@WestbrickFansGotNoBrains]

Having a jumpshot is gold in any league. Able to play off the ball. Be a threat without the ball. Less spacing because of shortened 3pt line and heavy hybrid zoning(junk defense). Corner 3s are very important No harden-tatum-young soft fouls. Most importantly. Playing basketball the right way. Damn zone are really intense.

[@santio9701]

all i saw was wes johnson bricks 🤣🤣🤣

[@MeechYaboy]

To be fair neither mudiay or Johnson were ever efficient even with pace and space.. and faried was always just a finisher.. I think there’s skills at all levels however the higher you go up the better the raw athleticism

[@47hundo86]

LMFAO thumbnail got Emmanuel Mudiay and Wesley Johnson talmbout NBA players struggling in Europe😂

[@rmku66]

Tik dabar pastebėjau kad basketnews čia. Liuks! 😁

[@matthieusaade3616]

I'd love to see a tournament euroleague teams vs NBA teams 1 game in the US 1game in European Coin toss for the location of the 3rd game if needed

[@elevenrings5871]

Yeah Dwayne Bacon and Mike James against the guys they couldn’t get a spot over would go so well lmao

[@OK-yy6qz]

It used to happen in the 90s and i believe early 2000s between Euroleague champions and MVP champions

[@elmasmiller4371]

im pretty sure good EL teams would beat most bad NBA teams, but in the end the talent at the top of the NBA is just too strong i guess

[@tonycalryastreams2176]

which rules would they play? nba or euro league?

[@jeffgumawid7554]

​@@tonycalryastreams2176 Homecourt rules apply I guess For a tiebreaker, standard fiba rules

[@zehzaunm]

Guys, you got to pick just one option: A - EuroBasketball is more physical than the NBA B - Euro prospects are soft You can't pick both

[@joeblowe3180]

Nobody says Euro is more physical... if it was you would BEAT the US in the Olympics

[@MRDYNAMITEDAWG]

The NBA has changed so much in the last 10 years. I remember watching those heat spurs finals and that was like perfect NBA basketball. Now it just seems like blow out after blow out with no intensity on either side of the court.

[@listrahtes]

I sometimes watched NBA until 2012 and then recently to get grip about it before the world championships I watched some games. It was shocking how dumbed down and pussified it had gotten. Star players get every little contact as foul doing offensive fouls or flopping. It was not much fun to watch despite above 100p. No finesse, defense...etc. Sounds so strange to write that but Euro ball nowadays is more physical, more true to basketball and simply the better product. Never thought I would write that. NBA now is is often just a player as a brand for a shoe company getting free reign to do what he wants to get a blowout win no one cares about and pamper his ego and stats. They castrated the NBA with their rule changes. The Harden syndrome. At the world championships US players often went for their stats and celebrated their points while you could see little team cohesion. Just a bunch of egomaniacs while the Euro teams played as a team. If Le Bron etc really come to Olympics they will have an awakening how good Euro Teams have gotten and how dependant on fake foulcalls they have gotten to play their iso ball.

[@BuckledFrame2187]

another reason is that the rules are more strictly officiated and defence is allowed which makes fundamental basketball needed more than flashy plays that will quickly get you an and1 opportunity. the refs call fouls less which also makes it more tougher to play.

[@TheMoukis]

You mean why failed NBA players fail in Europe. Let's be honest between each other.

[@AugustasSuliauskas]

True, but there are players right now in Europe that failed in the NBA but are having great careers in the Euroleague. It's all about the right skillset and quick adjustments.

[@Klonopoihmenogidi]

Cause they are NOT playing actual matches(regular season),they are just competing in scoring and stats.They stil have the egde on athletisism but that's just about it.The examples of Joker,Giannis and Luka just prooves my point.

[@Islam.is.the.truth..]

The three players who you just named would even laugh at you lol

[@innosanto]

@@Islam.is.the.truth.. they wouldnt Giannis knows how hard European basketball is he was 3,4 years all star while being one of worst players in Greek team, and he would say “NBA si ebttwr suiting for my skillset, my skillset wuropean basteball is different and suits me less” He then worked another 2,3 years and flipped that but he was 3,4 years all star material in NBA while bad in european tournaments or European preparation Greek team games. Then him, bring a great basketball player and very hard wrkwr became great jn both badketbapl plays and increased hia akillset even more. But by then lets not forget he was almost MvP material in NBA

[@Klonopoihmenogidi]

Nah i think they would laugh while discussing the draft picks of players such as Anthony Bennett(lol)

[@Islam.is.the.truth..]

@@innosanto the Greek would laugh at you themselves. Ballers have respect for ballers. You’re a random person on KZbin who probably can’t even shoot a ball properly. You must be kidding me if you think the euro league is better then the nba

[@Ometecuhtli]

Probably analytics has ruined it as it will be taken in consideration when dealing with the next salary/contract adjustment.

[@MrOreo76]

You nailed it man, completely

[@RayNLA]

Great take!

[@agadc]

Nah. They avg or below avg in NBA at best, not a good baseline for analysis. They out of the NBA early for a reason and that's why.

[@VayeNNNgaming]

Respect to BasketNews for putting Eu basketball on the map...

[@alexandreHamardthimothee]

great video I do agree with all the points (I played semi pro in Europe)

[@Carlos-ms1yx]

Great video

[@silver33]

In other countries they really hammer in the fundamentals. Here in the US, it's all about getting famous on KZbin, not saying that every player is like that. The mentality is just different in other countries.

[@brandonhall4547]

Most of those guys weren’t lighting up the NBA up either lol

[@miltongopa]

Sports have become a business. That's why staging a show is a bit more important than technique or tactics for instance. Look at boxing, it's getting to the point where the knockout is the most important thing no matter what, why? Because it sells and looks "spectacular", while good technicals fights may look "boring" because there is no blood or a flamboyant knockout.

[@lwbhslgy6722]

Same can be said about Euro players who didn't make it in the NBA.

[@rocknroll7065]

Interesting I'm a nuggets fan and i always wondered what happened to Mudiay

[@OK-yy6qz]

It's debatable whether or not the European way is the right way. European players are taught fundamentals from an early age but it usually comes at the cost of individuality in their games. Even in Euroleague when teams need a pure scorer, someone that can create their own shots they almost always turn to American players (with some exceptions of course)

[@jorgovan-ni9kz]

Yeah, you are right on this, in my opinion:)

[@nickklavdianos5136]

There is definitely truth to what you say but it works the opposite way too. American players rely too much on hero ball, isolation and not running plays. They play for themselves and not the team. Not everyone on the court must be a pure scorer, but everyone must have the fundamental knowledge of the game. Especially in Euroleague because it's a defensively oriented league as opposed to the NBA. In Europe you can average 5ppg but be very impactful for your team by making the right plays, and being a helping presence on all sides of the floor. In the NBA if you average 5ppg you are getting benched for life. Look at Tsanasis Antentokounmpo for example. When he plays in Europe he is a solid player that comes off the bench and provides energy, athleticism, quickness and also is a very capable defender ( when Greece played Serbia in the World Cup qualifiers he did a very good job against Jokic of all people ). In the NBA the same guy is a benchwarmer who hardly plays, because he isn't really offensively talented.

[@OK-yy6qz]

@@nickklavdianos5136 True both systems have their flaws and both systems are learn from the other,adapting and compromising. But if i had to pick the "right way" between the 2 i would definitely pick the American way. There's a reason they have more talented basketball players than the rest of the world combined and like it or not it has led them to dominating Basketball on a global level. Every time the US doesn't win at least a medal in an event whether it's the Olympics or the world cup it's considered a suprise. Especially if they're actually trying and have their best players available.

[@nickklavdianos5136]

@@OK-yy6qz Well to that last point, it's a bit unfair because of population. The USA is a huge country and dwarves the competition of mostly European countries. If all of Europe unites I think we can give the States a run for their money. Hell last time France alone came very close. International basketball is the closest NBA stars ever come to playing European Basketball and a lot of them look lost out there, while players that are simple role players in the NBA like the Hernangomez brothers, Ricky Rubio, Patty Mills and Bojan/ Bogdan Bogdanovic become stars and MVPs.

[@OK-yy6qz]

@@nickklavdianos5136 i don't think there's a population issue when the competition is literally the rest of the world. 100 best American players vs 100 Best European or even international players wouldn't even be close, Americans win by a landslide. Even worse if we make it 100 all time vs 100 all time. They don't look lost in FIBA and Olympics though. Like i said it's a suprise if they don't win (which of course happens sometimes especially when everything is decided in single games). Even in Euroleague there's almost as many Americans as there are Europeans. Especially if we count players raised in America and Players that took on a different citizenship after playing a few years in Europe

[@MEVeloSupreCITy]

I thoroughly enjoyed Bubble NBA everything seemed more efficient. There needs to be a middle road it has been clear some players can't manage their off-time effectively IMO.

[@jamesnnabeze687]

Insightful

[@prettyboyrickey]

I think it just depends on the player. And even so I think the best euro league players aren’t matching up with top nba players. If we just talking skill or plain athleticism.

[@bkak2245]

Euroleagues top players like Larkin and Mike James was only a role player in the nba

[@montycarlomusic]

These are not “nba players” these were just dudes drafted to the nba .. specially Anthony benett smh

[@scott4825]

We train our players to be individuals/premadonnas from an early age....ranking players and not teams. The focus is on individual skills, and not decision making or teamwork. And maybe our rules/officiating support that style of play. US has improved but for a while there (around the time the US lost the Olympics) guys were so caught up on dunking skills that they couldn't shoot the deep ball.

[@quelquel5079]

You forgot to mentioned that when coach asks a play y execute, if not on the spot bench. If you do it many times you done. Very few teams playing without some sort of set play.

[@elevenrings5871]

Who’s failing? A bunch of former NBA benchwarmers are atop the Euroleague rn lmfao

[@user-hj8mz3hp3s]

But once you put a box and 1 defenc,nah its totally different.James was locked against alba for 40 minutes with box and 1/isolation and gave 2 poitns.He was crying on twitter about that .Monaco won with lucky shot

[@Kingme3144]

Successful NBA players in their prime would never leave the NBA for the Euroleague. Using these busts as a metric for anything makes 0 sense. These were bottom tier nba players towards their contract expiration, the fact that they fall to the Euroleague tells you all you need to know.

[@jemazondo9331]

You missed the point. You're forgetting about all the lottery picks that are in the G league and are stuck there because they cant even get to Europe.

[@Kingme3144]

Jemazondo 93 That literally has nothing to do with what I said. His argument is NBA players struggle in Europe. My argument is only players that aren't good enough for a significant role in the NBA are in Europe at all. But to address what you said players hang around the g league because 2 good weeks of basketball in it can land you another shot in the league. Successful american players in the Euro league generally finish the season there. Teams overseas put crazy buyouts in place to make sure if the NBA calls they get compensated. One of my old teammates had to pay 800k out of his own pocket to leave his Euro league team for an NBA 2 way. If he had the same success in the game league that year he saves 800k lol.

[@Kingme3144]

Jemazondo 93 nobody is "stuck" in the g league thats just where they would rather be. There a million European opportunities out there for players with a name from the Euroleague, eurocup, champions league etc and all the domestic leagues out east. Some players just don't care to go. In the upper rooms in the NBA going overseas is looked at as an embarrassment unless a players is old.

[@almightyweebu2581]

Man no disrespect to Faried and the other players he named but he was just a role player, and the other guys he named were bench players in the NBA who didn't achieve anything

[@patrik32]

In Europe the court is smaller so to play iso all the time won't work, you can play real zone, clugging up the paint, even good iso players can have trouble running into Tavares or other bigs. Here if the coach say something you need to do it otherwise you end up released in 5 games. These players used to play meaningless games, so they can't produce on there maximum all the time. Even Farried who was nicknamed Manimal for physical play, he is now just an average player

[@rowannixon3180]

Dude, I just looked up the stats for the EuroLeague. Four of the five top scorers are from the US. I don't think American basketball players are struggling too bad in Europe.

[@bkak2245]

The exampled he used for this video was nba bust too

[@bentaylor6995]

That's because the best players from Europe are in the nba

[@priceshaan]

Europe has great basketball but in an interview coach Steve Kerr said that there are more European players that don't make it in the NBA because they can't deal with the athleticism and speed of the game

[@dislexyc]

In Europe, no matter what sport, you live to play or you don't play at all. Recently a Man United football player was late to a meeting or some shit by 15 minutes. He was their best player at the time, as he was in incredible form. Not sure if he even made the bench in the next game 😂

[@Lynellf]

If top prospects didn't have a successful NBA career, why would the expectation be that they'd be moderately successful in another league?

[@ivandoe7961]

any nba team would sweep any euro league team in a 7 game series

[@JayRM714]

Best players in the league aren't american. Jokic, Embiid, doncic, gianis, are literally the top 4 players in the NBA right now. We need to recruit more non american players to the NBA because they simply have a much harder work ethic over 90 percent of these so called "allstars" and "superstars" in the NBA that were born in america...

[@marquesmurray]

The one thing left out is the principles are hard to pick up. It took me less time because I wasnt an NBA player. But something simple as moving baseline and popping to the fouline on ballside drives isnt a thing in American basketball. European basketball is more read and react, American basketball is ISO or play call dominant.

[@wlight27]

You based your theory on a couple of players that came from NBA.. What about Norris Cole who averaged 20+ points for Buducnost after coming to Euroleague? I am sure there are other examples as well..

[@DonGivani]

Luka Doncic mentioned on JJ Redick channel, that the 3 second defensive rule in the NBA, creates him 10 extra free points

[@legendarywiimaster]

He did not say that. However, the paint being less packed is a huge benefit

[@knicknack4511]

Deron Williams went to the Euroleague and dominated during the lockout. You said as much in the video, but, the featured players weren’t good enough to be in The NBA. So when you take into account all the nuances of the European game and that these players coming over aren’t very good, the results aren’t really surprising.

[@eduardobranco8349]

He did not dominate. He averaged 20 points a game in turkey. He had one 50 point game and thats all people remember, but he also had crazy scoring games in the nba too. He also had a 16 point game loss against an average turkish team, but that didnt make the headlines

[@GBelfastboy]

Not easy to play in places where you don’t know if you will finish the game alive. In some stadiums it’s a war.

[@gastly123]

As a life long Timberwolves fan, there’s no surprise that Wesley Johnson was a bust over in Europe lol. One of the worst #4 picks ever NBA or euro league

[@asapzebo8117]

We forget how bad Giannis and embid were until they got to America as well as gobert. And jocik like I feel like no one remembers how bad these guys were Rubio. Markkennen. He s been better but remember how bad he they were until they got here

[@waratahfilm2350]

In Europe the regular season is serious with strong defense unlike the circus of regular season in NBA where few people defend

[@les6485]

-"no 3 seconds in the paint" rule when your team is defending so way less space when attacking (combined with smaller courts) -EuroLeague doesn't give a f*** about entertainment and doesn't let attacking players get away with travels, double dribble or some other bullshit that, when overlooked regurlarly, gives an important advantage to the attacking player. I guess some players might get entitled to these favorable treatments and the wake up call is harsh when they move to Europe. IMHO these are the 2 main reasons