Rudy Gobert (FRA)
25/01/2015
Jeff Taylor's Eurovision
to read

Staying up to watch Giannis, Gobert and Joe

VALENCIA (Jeff Taylor's Eurovision) - It was not an NBA Finals game, a play-off contest or a showdown with big implications.

But the Utah Jazz at Milwaukee Bucks game on Thursday night had us wide awake and staring at our televisions in the early morning hours in Europe, numerous time zones away, smiling like big Cheshire Cats.

"See that, we knew our boys could play," we thought.

It wasn't the San Antonio Spurs taking on the Dallas Mavericks or the Golden State Warriors battling the Houston Rockets

Yet we watched, and we enjoyed an international basketball-fest.

We jumped off the sofa when Giannis Antetokounmpo did this at the start of the game.

We then shook our heads and remembered that in 2013, the Bucks drafted him at 15th overall.

That’s right, 15th! Pity the teams that passed on Antetokounmpo.

He's playing like a top-five pick or better right now.

With a FIBA Basketball World Cup under his belt, the young Greek star has returned Stateside and put up nice numbers and done so with plenty of flair.

We saw more than Giannis on Thursday. We took a sip of coffee and drank in some Rudy Gobert. Was the Frenchman really the 27th pick in that same 2013 draft by the Denver Nuggets? 

Yes he was and yes, what a steal it is turning out to be for Utah, who picked Gobert up in a trade the same draft night with the Nuggets.

Defensively, the 2.16m 'Eiffel Tower' is menacing, just as he proved to be for France at the World Cup.

He is also putting up solid numbers, and Quinn Snyder is giving him big minutes.

Gobert is a giant, yet moves well, like he did against the Bucks.

How good will he be? We can only imagine.

Gobert is 22 years old.

There are some in Salt Lake City calling for Snyder to start him instead of the more offensive-minded Turkey international Enes Kanter.

Snyder started both against the Bucks, though, and they each finished with double-doubles in points and rebounds.

As for Kanter, well, he had a combined 47 points and 33 rebounds in Wednesday's loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers and Thursday's victory over the Bucks.

He was going for a third big game on Saturday against the Brooklyn Nets.

We haven't seen Kanter play for the national team since EuroBasket 2011, but I'm guessing we'll see him a Turkey jersey again soon.

There is also the nice story unfolding in Utah with Joe Ingles.

He is an Australian, yet one with strong ties to Europe.

The South Australia-born baller spent several years playing in Spain and one in Israel before trying out for the Los Angeles Clippers last summer.

He was among the last cuts but Utah and Snyder saw something in him they liked and added Ingles to their roster.

This past week, Snyder told the Salt Lake Tribune that the 27-year-old is a big part of the team. 

"Joe has a tremendous feel for the game," the coach said.

"He's a great passer and he's fit in with us on and off the court. There were times this past week when we had him playing the point."

The ex-South Dragons, ex-Granada, ex-Barcelona, ex-Maccabi Tel Aviv man has gone from barely making the Jazz roster to entering the starting lineup.

Well done, Joe.

Ingles's fellow Australia, Dante Exum, started against the Bucks and hit five three-pointers. 

He, along with Bucks duo Ersan Ilyasova of Turkey and Zaza Pachulia of Georgia added to the international flair of the game.

Utah are going to need a minor miracle to make the Western Conference post-season while the Bucks would be in the Eastern Conference play-offs if the regular season ended today.

That's quite a turnaround for a Milwaukee team that had a nightmare 2013-14 season

For the Jazz, there are signs that Snyder is making progress and building a winner. That’s an encouraging development for their fans.

And for those of us in Europe, well, we're thrilled to see some fresh faces from the old continent, some of our guys, prove they belong in the best league in the world.

Jeff Taylor

FIBA

FIBA's columnists write on a wide range of topics relating to basketball that are of interest to them. The opinions they express are their own and in no way reflect those of FIBA.

FIBA takes no responsibility and gives no guarantees, warranties or representations, implied or otherwise, for the content or accuracy of the content and opinion expressed in the above article.

Jeff Taylor

Jeff Taylor

Jeff Taylor, a North Carolina native and UNC Chapel Hill graduate, has been a journalist since 1990. He started covering international basketball after moving to Europe in 1996. Jeff provides insight and opinion every week about players and teams on the old continent that are causing a buzz.