In a few days, the 2016 Rio Olympics will be at the center of the athletics world.
For basketball, the crop will be led, once again, by traditional favorite Team USA followed by European powers Spain and Lithuania. Other contenders vying for the gold are Australia, Croatia, and France.
Now, what these world powerhouses have in common is the presence of NBA players, with the United States obviously having the best of them. But outside of these household names, there are other notable individuals that needs serious attention as well.
Here are a few of them from the list compiled by The Score’s John Chick:
Dario Saric (Croatia)
The Philadelphia 76ers‘ mini-saga the past few years about when Saric would come to the NBA team is resolved. It's happening this season, and you can bet some Sixers fans will be glued to Croatian games next week (they have a tough draw opening against Spain on Sunday).
The 6-foot-10, 240-pound forward was named MVP of the Turin qualifying tournament that got his country into the Olympics, averaging 14 points and 10 rebounds along the way. For now Croatia is Bojan Bogdanovic‘s team, but the 22-year-old Saric and Orlando Magic swingman Mario Hezonja could be primed to change that.
Sergio Llull (Spain)
Llull (pronounced YULE) remains one of the most intriguing players in the tournament, because unlike the others on this list, he still apparently has no plans to come in the NBA. The rights to the 28-year-old combo guard are held by the Houston Rockets, who paid $2.25 million – a record for purchasing a second-round pick's rights – to the Denver Nuggets for him after the 2009 draft.
The Rockets' attempts to lure Llull stateside in 2015 also came up short. While his stats with Real Madrid don't jump off the page – 11.6 points and four assists per game over the last four seasons – he's a player with a scorer's mentality and a tough, heart-on-his-sleeve disposition. He's also been a key cog for the Spanish national program since he was a teenager.
Furthermore, there is also one player that fans need to train their eyes on, and it’s Serbia’s Milos Teodosic. The cerebral point guard suffered a hand injury in their recent exhibition match against Argentina, but if he checks out fine, then everyone is in for a treat when they watch his team play.
For years, Teodosic has managed to stay away from the lure of America, but has recently stated that he’s still open to playing in the NBA under the right situation.
There you have it. These names are only a few of the many talented players that will be showcasing their skills at the Olympics. Who knows, when they eventually land with an NBA team (save for Saric who's already set to play in Philadelphia), we might see ourselves rooting or hating them in the future.
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