NBA Draft: Barrett, Hachimura, Bitadze among 20 draftees with FIBA experience

MIES (Switzerland) - RJ Barrett of Canada, Japan's Rui Hachimura and Goga Bitadze of Georgia headlined a talent-packed crop of players with international experience at the 2019 NBA Draft, a draft featuring 20 of the selected players who have already put their skills on display in FIBA competitions.

All told, seven of the drafted players have already played for their senior national teams, there is one FIBA U19 Basketball World Cup champion, one winner of the FIBA U18 European Championship and one FIBA U18 African Championship champion.

RJ Barrett, Canada (3rd pick)

Barrett, who was picked third overall by the New York Knicks, famously won the FIBA U19 Basketball World Cup 2017, giving Canada their first-ever FIBA title and averaging 21.6 points, 8.3 rebounds and 4.6 assists. Barrett also debuted in the Canadian senior team at the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019 Americas Qualifiers after also having played the FIBA U16 Americas Championship 2015 and FIBA U17 Basketball World Cup 2016.

Coby White, USA (7th pick)

White is the only player from the United States team that won the FIBA U18 Americas Championship 2018 to qualify for the FIBA U19 Basketball World Cup 2019. He led the USA team in scoring with 15.3 points to go with 4.3 rebounds and 3.0 assists.

Rui Hachimura, Japan (9th pick)

Hachimura first played internationally at the FIBA U16 Asia Championship 2013, followed by the FIBA U17 Basketball World Cup 2014. He then guided Japan to their best-ever 10th place showing at the FIBA U19 Basketball World Cup 2017 with 20.6 points and 11.0 rebounds a game. The hope of the country jumped to the senior level and played a big role in Japan advancing through the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019 Asian Qualifiers to China 2019, contributing 21.5 points, 6.0 rebounds, 1.8 steals and 1.3 assists in four games.

Cam Reddish (10th pick); PJ Washington (12th pick); Romeo Langford (14th pick); Carsen Edwards (33rd pick) USA

Let's lump these four players together because they played together at the FIBA U19 Basketball World Cup 2017 and were part of the United States team that lost to Canada in the Semi-Finals and ended up finishing third. Washington, who also played at the FIBA U18 Americas Championship 2016, led the USA team in scoring at the U19 World Cup with 12.9 points while Edwards was the top assist man with 3.3 per game.

 Sekou Doumbouya, France (15th pick)

Doumbouya is the only European champion in the draft as he was named to the All-Star Five at the FIBA U18 European Championship 2016, where he played just days before his 16th birthday. For the tournament, he averaged 17.8 points, 7.0 rebounds, 1.3 steals and 1.2 blocks. 

Nickeil Alexander-Walker, Canada (17th pick)

Alexander-Walker played for Canada at the FIBA U18 Americas Championship 2016 and averaged 17. 4 points, 4.2 rebounds and 2.4 steals. 

Goga Bitadze, Georgia (18th pick)

Bitadze is the next big thing for Georgian basketball and he worked his way up through the country’s youth ranks, playing at the FIBA U16 European Championship 2015, Division B, FIBA U18 European Championship 2016, Division B and FIBA U20 European Championship 2017, Division B. He was with the Georgian senior national team but did not play due to an injury at the FIBA EuroBasket 2017 before finally playing for the red and white at the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019 European Qualifiers and collecting 11.5 points, 5.9 rebounds and 1.6 blocks in 10 games.

Luka Samanic, Croatia (19th pick)

Samanic played three summers for Croatia, starring at the FIBA U16 European Championship 2016 and then helping Croatia win the title at the FIBA U18 European Championship 2017, Division B. Samanic then played last summer at the FIBA U18 European Championship 2018. In his most recent competition, Samanic averaged 17.0 points, 7.7 rebounds and 1.8 blocks.

Nicolas Claxton, Virgin Islands (31st pick)

Claxton helped Virgin Islands through the CentroBasket U17 Championship 2015 and then played at the FIBA U18 Americas Championship 2016. He then played for his senior national team at the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019 Americas Qualifiers, picking up 6.0 points, 6.5 rebounds and 1.0 assists in two games.

Bruno Fernando, Angola (34th pick)

Fernando first played for Angola at the FIBA U17 Basketball World Cup 2014 and then jumped to the senior national team for the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament 2016. Just days later, he guided the country to the title at the FIBA U18 African Championship 2016, picking up 18.2 points, 6.6 rebounds and 2.1 assists.

Marcos Louzada Silva, Brazil (35th pick)

Louzada appeared for Brazil at the FIBA U16 Americas Championship 2015 and then emerged again for his country at the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019 Americas Qualifiers, where he averaged 5.4 points, 1.8 rebounds and 1.0 assists in five games.

 Deividas Sirvydis, Lithuania (37th pick)

Sirvydis helped Lithuania to second place at the FIBA U16 European Championship 2016 and then played a major role in a fifth-placed finish at the FIBA U18 European Championship 2018, where he averaged 12.7 points, 3.3 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 1.7 steals.

Alen Smailagic, Serbia (39th pick)

Smailagic appeared in Serbia’s colors at the FIBA U16 European Championship 2016, where he tallied 5.0 points and 5.7 rebounds a game.

Jaylen Nowell, USA (43rd pick)

Nowell helped USA win the FIBA U16 Americas Championship 2015, picking up 5.0 points and 1.8 rebounds a game.

Ignas Brazdeikis (47th pick)/Marial Shayok (54th pick), Canada

Brazdeikis and Shayok both played for Canada twice, at the FIBA U16 Americas Championship and FIBA U17 Basketball World Cup - 2015 and 2016 for Brazdeikis and 2011 and 2012 for Shayok. Brazdeikis averaged 14.7 points and 6.9 rebounds at the 2016 U17 World Cup and Shayok picked up 12.0 points, 5.5 rebounds and 1.4 assists in the same competition four years earlier.

Vanja Marinkovic, Serbia (60th pick)

Marinkovic helped Serbia to three podium finishes at the youth level: second in the FIBA U16 European Championship 2013 and FIBA U18 European Championship 2014 and third at the FIBA U17 Basketball World Cup 2014. He also played at the FIBA U19 Basketball World Cup 2015 and FIBA U20 European Championship 2016 and 2017. Varinkovic's best numbers came at the 2017 U20 competition, collecting 15.4 points, 3.7 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game. He also debuted for the national team in the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019 European Qualifiers.

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