The Hornets sit at 17-25 on the season, just outside of the Eastern Conference playoff picture. If the season were to end today, they would have the ninth pick in the draft. Looking ahead at some mock drafts may give a clue as to who the Hornets may target – albeit this far out – and some of the projections have Charlotte going international with the pick. According to NBADraft.net the draft also sees two international players in the Top 15 in Mario Henzonja of Regal FC Barcelona and Latvia-born Kristaps Porzingis of Baloncesto Sevilla.
With international players becoming more customary in the NBA in recent years, all signs point to Henzonja and Porzinga making waves when they make the transition in North America next season. Tickets on the secondary market appear to be in high demand for Henzonja’s current team, Regal FC Barcelona, as well. According to European ticket reseller Ticketbis, more than 85% of Regal FC Barcelona’s total ticket sales came against Real Madrid, who boasts players like Sergio Rodriguez and Rudy Fernandez. Ticketbis also lists that Regal FC Barcelona accounted for 21% of total international ticket sales in Liga ACB in 2014, furthering international interest to see the 19-year-old star play.
Porzinga has also made a name for himself on his current team, Baloncesto Sevilla. Also affiliated with Liga ACB, Baloncesto Sevilla has been led by Porzinga since 2012 and has found notable success under the 6’11” big man. Porzinga initially declared for the 2014 NBA Draft but quickly withdrew his name in the following days due to the relatively strong class of North American players.
Henzonja is certainly in good company when he enters this year’s draft. With some of the NBA’s most notable international players coming out of FC Barcelona, the 19-year-old could likely add to the illustrious list when his name is called in the 2015 NBA Draft. Expect Porzinga to follow shortly behind as internationally-born players continue to saturate the palate of the NBA.
Another player currently playing internationally in China, though had he qualified would have been playing collegiately at SMU is Emmanuel Mudiay. He is currently slated to be a top-three pick, along with Duke freshman center Jahlil Okafor and Arizona’s Stanley Johnson. Texas freshman Myles Turner is also in the mix at the top of the Draft boards. One thing is for certain as it relates to the 2015 Draft, freshman and international players will dominate the lottery and teams with high picks will have to be patient until they see results from their top picks.
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