Scouts from All 30 NBA Teams Heading to Australia to Appraise Draft Prospects in NBL

All 30 NBA teams will have scouts descend upon an oft-overlooked international league this season — Australia’s National Basketball League (NBL).

According to Olgun Uluc of ESPN, 25 scouts and executives from 22 NBA teams are set to suit up for the latest edition of the NBL’s annual preseason tournament, the 2024 NBL Blitz. Brooklyn Nets general manager Sean Mark is set to number among those attendees.

“It’s exciting to welcome another large contingent of NBA scouts to the Blitz,” said Liam Santamaria, NBL’s General Manager of Next Stars recruitment, through a statement to Uluc. “With so many elite prospects developing in the NBL these days, the Blitz has become a premium event on the NBA scouting calendar and this year’s class of Next Stars is set to bring another big group of scouts and front office executives to the Gold Coast.”

Three players currently projected to be picked in ESPN’s latest 2025 mock draft will be suiting up for their teams during the Blitz: Brisbane Bullets center Rocco Zikarsky (ranked as the No. 20 selection), Perth Wildcats power forward/center Izan Almansa (seen as the No. 40 pick), and Sydney Kings forward Alex Toohey (No. 57).

“All 30 NBA teams will have representatives visit Australia and New Zealand throughout NBL25, but it’s great to see so many keen to get an early look at this year’s Next Stars, as they prepare for the season ahead,” Santamaria added.

Comprising 10 teams, the NBL has emerged as a small but mighty talent resource for the NBA. And that exchange works both ways. To wit, recent former first-round draft pick Dylan Windler opted to sign with the Perth Wildcats this summer.

Read more: NBA Free Agent Sharpshooter Heads Overseas to Continue Pro Career

During June’s 2024 NBA Draft, three NBL players were selected. Combo forward Bobi Klintman of Cairns Taipans was taken by the Minnesota Timberwolves with the No. 37 pick in the draft’s second round, only to see his draft rights flipped to the lowly Detroit Pistons. U.S.-born Illawarra Hawks shooting guard AJ Johnson, projected to be a second-round pick, was instead picked up by the Milwaukee Bucks with the No. 23 selection.

But of course, most impressively, high-upside, French-born Perth Wildcats center Alex Sarr was selected by the Washington Wizards with the second overall pick.

Read more: 2024 NBA Draft Results: All 58 Picks of the First and Second Rounds

The NBL has emerged as a tangible pro league alternative to college, at least for a certain segment of top NBA prospects. Charlotte Hornets All-Star point guard LaMelo Ball opted to forgo the NCAA and link up with the Illawarra Hawks for the 2019-20 season, prior to being drafted with the No. 3 pick that summer.