Investing.com -- While pundits expect a dominant back-to-the basket post player to be selected with the top pick in Thursday night's NBA Draft, a pair of international prospects also carry intrigue further down in the lottery.
Kristaps Porzingis, a 7-1, 230 pound power forward from Latvia is expected to be taken in the top 10 on Thursday, while Mario Hezonja, a 6-8, 215 small forward may also be snagged in the first half of the opening round. Porzingis, who has drawn comparisons to Pau Gasol, for his ability to run the floor, his deep range and quick release, is projected to be taken with the fifth pick by the Orlando Magic according to NBADraft.net. Hezonja, an elite athlete with a high basketball IQ and strong passing skills, is projected to be taken one pick later by the Kings.
In recent years, selecting an international prospect with an early pick has yielded mostly negative results. While three international lottery picks since 1998 have developed into NBA All-Stars, not a single foreign lottery picks selected after 2002 has made an appearance in the showcase event. In total, only Dirk Nowitzki, Yao Ming and Gasol or three of 23 lottery picks have made it to the All-Star Game during the period.
More commonly, top international prospects struggle to flourish in the NBA. In 2005, the Magic selected Fran Vazquez, a 6-11 power forward from Spain with the 11th pick in the draft. Vazquez has enraged Magic fans by remaining overseas throughout the last decade. At the 2010 FIBA World Championship, Vazquez averaged 7.9 points and 4.8 rebounds per game. In 2011, meanwhile, the Wizards selected Jan Vesely with the sixth pick overall. Vesely fizzled in the NBA, averaging 3.6 ppg in four seasons before leaving to play in Turkey in 2014-2015.
Altogether, NBADraft.net predicts that five other international players will be selected on Thursday night. Four post players, Spain C Guillermo Hernangomez, Serbian C Nikola Milutinov, Lithuanian PF Arturas Guidaitis and France C Mouhammdou Jaiteh are expected to be taken in the late-first or second round, according to the site. NBADraft.com also projects that the Celtics will take Turkey SF Cedi Osman with the No. 33 pick in the second round.