San Antonio Spurs News

Home

Quizzes

Watch

Newsletter

Basketball's evolution: Examining the NBA's new horizons

San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama Scott Wachter-USA TODAY Sports

Basketball's evolution: Global talent, college changes and the NBA Draft's new horizon

By Bennett Silvyn | Last updated 2/1/24

For the first time since 2001, when Kwame Brown and Tyson Chandler were selected straight from high school along with Pau Gasol from Spain, NBA mock drafts are predicting none of the top three picks will come from college basketball.

The influence of global and professional talent in the NBA Draft is becoming more evident each passing year. During the 2023 NBA Draft, Brandon Miller from Alabama stood as the sole college basketball player selected in the top five. The remaining selections were international or professional players, with the San Antonio Spurs selecting Victor Wembanyama from France's Metropolitans 92 with the first overall selection.

Per multiple 2024 NBA mock drafts from outlets such as Bleacher Report and ESPN, Alexandre Sarr, currently playing professionally in Australia for the Perth Wildcats, is projected at No.1.

Alexandre Sarr is projected to be a top 3 pick in the 2024 NBA Draft

Is he the next big thing out of France?

(via @Frankie_Vision)pic.twitter.com/KgNmAcobfE
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) January 28, 2024

Following him in the loose consensus are Zacchaire Risacher, who players overseas with JL Bourg and Nikola Topic, who plays in Serbia. The first college basketball player projected off the board is Colorado's Cody Williams with the fifth overall pick.

Even within the NBA there is a trend of international players taking center stage. The last American player to win the MVP award was James Harden with the Houston Rockets in 2018. Since then, the prestigious honor has been claimed by international players, with Nikola Jokic and Giannis Antetokounmpo each winning in consecutive years.

In addition to the rise of international talent, the college basketball talent pool has leveled out due to new transfer portal rules – leading to numerous upsets. During the week of Jan. 8-15, 14 AP top-25 teams lost to unranked opponents, with the top 10 teams combining for nine losses.

The top 10 teams in the AP Poll have combined to lose nine times this week. Utter madness. The records:

PURDUE - 1-1
HOUSTON - 0-2
KANSAS - 1-1
UCONN - 1-0
TENNESSEE - 1-1
KENTUCKY - 1-1
NORTH CAROLINA - 2-0
ARIZONA - 0-1
OKLAHOMA - 0-2
ILLINOIS - 1-0
— John Fanta (@John_Fanta) January 14, 2024

With international talent rising and college basketball becoming more even, players are choosing to go pro early. Programs like G League Ignite and Overtime Elite offer an alternative route to the NBA, providing professional development and greater financial benefits compared to NIL deals while diverting players from the conventional college path.

The global shift in talent and evolving player development is transforming the dominance of American college basketball. As international prospects make their mark in the NBA Draft and college basketball undergoes continued changes, the sport has an exciting future with a significant chapter set to unfold on June 27, during the NBA Draft.

More must-reads: