Jonathan Givony, ESPN 5y

Scouting the top NBA draft prospects at the U18 Euros

NBA, NBA Draft

The U18 European Championship is easily the NBA's most fertile recruiting ground for international prospects, generating 47 first-round picks in the 15-year span between 2003 and 2017. While European players continue to rack up All-Star nods and prestigious awards, NBA teams didn't flock to this event in droves, as only a handful of U.S.-based executives elected to make their way out to Volos, Greece, for the Division A section of the event.

Nevertheless, the 2001- and 2002-born generations in Europe are considered relatively strong, which should lead to a greater influx of first-round picks in coming drafts than we've seen lately. At least a dozen players made a strong case in Volos as future draft picks, with a handful more putting themselves on the NBA radar in Oradea, Romania, at the more obscure B Division, which we also attended.

A huge contingent of college coaches were present at both events, as there's never been stronger interest in the NCAA ranks in international players, a route that has become increasingly popular even among elite prospects who view it as a legitimate pathway to the NBA.

Spain defeated Turkey in the championship game of the A division, and Poland, Israel and Czech Republic won promotion out of the B Division, replacing Finland, the Netherlands and Latvia.

Here's who we thought were the top NBA prospects in attendance.

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