NBA Draft 2014: Analyzing the Top Hispanic Players in Thursday's Draft
If there is one thing the San Antonio Spurs proved -- rich with international stars, including several Latino players -- it's that with the right scouting team willing to take chances, talent can be found anywhere around the globe.
Here is a look at some of the Hispanic talent NBA scouts may be looking at in the year's 2014 NBA Draft on Thursday:
Bruno Caboclo
Age: 19
Height: 6 foot 8 inches
Team: Pinheiros (Brazil)
Home Country: Brazil
Caboclo was trained in the academy of Barueri and is considered the "Kevin Durant" of Brazil; Caboclo has said he emulates his game similarly to this year's NBA Most Valuable Player award-winner. Caboclo impressed scouts in Argentina's Basketball Without Borders program, but struggled in his season with Pinheiros, averaging 4.8 points and 3 rebounds per game.
Lucas Mariano
Age: 21
Height: 6 foot 10 inches
Team: Franca (Brazil)
Home Country: Brazil
Having participated in the 2014 Adidas Eurocamp, Mariano played better than he did the previous year, having shown to be lacking in basketball IQ, though he has skills that have been have drawn comparisons to Matt Bonner. While undersized for the center position and likely to play power forward in the league, Mariano has skills that allow him to be effective on the offensive side of the ball, but he will likely face taller, more mobile opponents at both the center and power forward position in the league. However, scouts do believe he may be a defensive liability on the defensive end.
Shabazz Napier
Age: 22
Height: 6 foot 1 inches
Team: University of Connecticut
Home Country: USA
Napier won the American Athletic Conference's (AAC) Conference Player of the Year award this year in the NCAA athletic conference's inaugural run, helping the UCONN Huskies win the NCAA Final Four men's basketball tournament basketball title this year. Born in Roxbury, Massachusetts, the young Puerto Rican helped legendary coach Jim Calhoun win a national title during the 2010-2011 season. He also made the All-Big East First Team and nailed two key free throws against the University of Kentucky Wildcats during his freshman year and stuck around to help new head coach Kevin Ollie bring another NCAA title to the storied basketball program last season, winning the Bob Cousy Point Guard of the Year award along the way as he helped lead the Huskies over the University of Florida Gators in this year's championship final.