'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
The 2020 NBA Draft, which was held on November 18th, 2020, brought us the class of rookies for the 2020-21 NBA season. As has been the case in NBA Drafts since the late 1970s, a bevy of non-American players - 13 from ten different countries - were selected in the 2020 NBA Draft .
In this article, we will take a look at the top five international players selected in the 2020 NBA Draft and the expectations from them.
2020 NBA Draft - Top five international players picked
The 2020 NBA Draft class was not highly rated by many, but it included some exciting players.
LaMelo Ball went to the Michael Jordan-owned Charlotte Hornets as the third overall pick, and Anthony Edwards from Georgia, who was the first overall pick, joined the Minnesota Timberwolves. In an intriguing pick, the Golden State Warriors selected center James Wiseman as the second overall pick.
Though Wiseman might give the franchise solid play on the paint, Klay Thompson's latest Achilles injury could leave the Golden State Warriors scratching their heads about not selecting a guard with their second pick.
The first non-American player picked in the 2020 NBA Draft came in the seventh spot. Let's have a look at that player as well as the four other top international picks. Without further ado, let us get started.
Killian Hayes (France) - #7 pick
Killian Hayes is an American-born French guard who played three seasons at a professional level in France and Germany.
The Detroit Pistons selected him with the seventh pick in the 2020 NBA Draft. In the process, Hayes became the highest-drafted French player in NBA Draft history.
The game of Hayes, who has been a professional basketball player since the age of 16, has evolved nicely since his pro debut.
He played two years in France for Cholet (42 games) and then played for Ratiopharm Ulm in Germany, where he competed in the EuroCup (10 games), averaging 12.8 points and six assists per game in 27 minutes per night.
Hayes is a left-handed guard who is a good playmaker; his three years of pro experience could be significant for the franchise that picked him.
Deni Avdija (Israel) - #9 pick
The Washington Wizards selected small forward Deni Avdija of Israel with the ninth pick of the 2020 NBA Draft.
Avdija excelled in his country's league. He led Maccabi Tel Aviv to the title and won the MVP award; in the process, he became the league's youngest MVP winner in history.
He averaged 12 points, six rebounds and three assists in Maccabi's run to the domestic title. Avdija averaged four points and three rebounds per game in 26 games in the EuroLeague, where he played only 14 minutes per match.
Avdija became the highest-picked Israeli in NBA Draft history. His Top 10 selection, along with that of Hayes, made it eight consecutive years that have had at least two international players in the Top 10 of the NBA Draft.
Aleksej Pokusevski (Serbia) - #17 pick
The Minnesota Timberwolves selected 6' 11" forward Aleksej Pokusevski with the 17th pick of the 2020 NBA Draft.
Pokusevski comes to the NBA after a long career in Greece, where he played for the Olympiacos youth team and the regular team. At only 18 years of age, he has experience in the Euroleague with Olympiacos.
The fact that he was already a professional player only raised his stock in the 2020 NBA Draft, where he went to the OKC Thunder in a trade that involved Ricky Rubio.
Josh Green (Australia) - #18 pick
Australian shooting guard Josh Green was selected as the 18th pick by the Dallas Mavericks. Unlike the three international players selected before him, Green played collegiate basketball in the US, doing so with the Arizone Wildcats.
The 6' 6" Sydney-born guard played 30 games in his only season for Arizona Wildcats, where he displayed solid shooting. He averaged 12 points and five rebounds per games while shooting 42% from the field, 36% from 3P and 78% from the free-throw line.
His True Shooting Percentage in college was 52.8. Green is the highest-picked Australian in the NBA Draft since Ben Simmons went first overall in the 2016 edition of the Draft.
Precious Achiuwa (Nigeria) - #20 pick
Another international player who played collegiate basketball in USA, Nigerian Precious Achiuwa, was picked in the 20th spot in the 2020 NBA Draft by the reigning Eastern Conference champions Miami Heat.
Achiuwa is a 6' 9" forward, who played a single season in the University of Memphis of the American Athletic Conference.
In 31 games for his collegiate team, Achiuwa averaged a double-double of 15.8 points and 10.8 rebounds per game. He shot quite well from the field (49%), but his three-point shooting was only 32% on a little more than one attempt per game. His free-throw shooting (59%) must improve if he wants to become a solid NBA player.
Defensively, Achiuwa had a decent year for Memphis, where he averaged over a steal per game and close to a couple of blocks a night. He led the AAC in rebounds per game, total rebounds, offensive rebounds, defensive rebounds and ranked third in blocked shots.
Achiuwa became the third Nigerian player to be selected in the first round of the NBA Draft since 2000 after Festus Ezeli and Josh Okogie.
Also read: Predicted Golden State Warriors' starting-5 for the 2020-21 NBA season.
