Olympic Basketball 2012: 5 Foreign National Players Who Should Be in the NBA

For NBA fans, the Olympic stage is often the first look at international players who might make the trip across the pond.

In 2008, American fans got their first look at Minnesota Timberwolves guard Ricky Rubio, who looked marvelous against Team USA in their gold medal matchup against Spain at just 17 years old.

Looking at Rubio, anyone with a keen basketball eye knew the Spanish point guard could play at the NBA level and even develop into a star.

Who are the guys in these London games with Rubio-like potential? Follow along for five foreign stars who should be playing in the NBA.

Joe Ingles

Position: Shooting Guard/Small Forward

Country: Australia

Olympic Stats: 13.5 PPG, 4.5 RPG, 2.5 APG (two games)

Ingles has been on the NBA's radar for years now but never officially entered his name into the draft after poor workout performances hurt his draft stock in 2009.

But if his strong Olympic performance thus far is an indication, the 24-year-old lefty has enough talent to make an NBA roster right now.

Ingles is a strong outside shooter who can make it rain when he's feeling his shot. He's also a below-average decision maker with questionable (at best) shot selection. If Ingles can ever find a happy medium between rhythm shooter and gunner, he could contribute toward the end of an NBA bench.

Marcelinho Huertas

Position: Point Guard

Country: Brazil

Olympic Stats: 15 points, four rebounds, 10 assists (one game)

Despite a 4-for-12 shooting performance, Huertas was Brazil's most vital player in their opening 75-71 victory over Australia.

The 6'3" point guard carved up his counterpart Patty Mills, weaving in and out of the Australian defense with ease and almost always making the correct decision with the basketball.

At 29 years old and under contract for three more seasons with FC Barcelona, Huertas will likely never play in an NBA game. But his abject brilliance thus far in these Olympic Games shine a light on those general managers who left Huertas undrafted altogether in 2005.

Ike Diogu

Position: Power Forward

Country: Nigeria

Olympic Stats: 13 points, 10 rebounds, one assist (one game)

American audiences have seen Diogu in the NBA as recently as a January stint with the San Antonio Spurs, but the Nigerian forward is currently a big league call.

If Diogu's performance in international competition is any indication of where he's at as a player, then big-needy NBA teams should be lining up at his door. The 6'8", big-bodied Diogu has continually dominated the paint for Nigeria, using his massive lower body to overpower smaller forwards.

In the NBA, he's been mostly unable to use his lower body power for good. But if Kwame Brown can keep getting millions thrown his way, there's little reason Diogu shouldn't be on an NBA bench somewhere.

Sergio Llull

Position: Shooting Guard

Country: Spain

Olympic Stats: 5.0 PPG, 4.0 RPG, 2.5 APG (two games)

Llull has been a surprising disappointment thus far for the world's second-ranked team.

After taking just one shot in Spain's 97-81 opening victory against China, the 24-year-old guard shot just 2-for-10 and added three turnovers in Spain's contest versus Australia.

For Llull, whose NBA rights are owned by the Houston Rockets, that type of performance isn't good enough. Making a move into the starting lineup was supposed to symbolize Llull's ascendance into stardom. Llull is known across Europe as one of the world's most athletic guards and someone who can explode for a ferocious slam at any minute.

But so far, he's just becoming known as the guy who can't handle the starting spotlight.

Juan Carlos Navarro

Position: Shooting Guard

Country: Spain

Olympic Stats: 14 points, three rebounds, two assists (one game)

Let's make one thing clear: Navarro's one-year run with the Memphis Grizzlies in 2007-08 was not a failure.

Navarro was just never going to be the star he is in Spain or the one people thought could translate to an All-Star NBA player.

Navarro could have been a very solid fifth starter on a playoff team. He's a brilliant outside shooter, has a sky-high basketball IQ and knows how to fit into a team-oriented offense.

But simply being mediocre made the Spanish national team captain's time in the U.S. look like a bust, so he high-tailed it back to comfort.

And at 32 years old, it's unlikely that we'll ever see Navarro's face in the NBA again.

For that matter, we also may not even see him in international competition again as a foot injury may cause Navarro to miss an extended period of time.

Via BasketSession.com (translated using Google):

"

He was injured in the match against China. He suddenly felt a strong pain in his foot that had nothing to do with his previous problem. It's always at the foot arch, but at another location of the foot. This is a new injury. If he did not play today is that he was not capable and I do not know yet how many games he might miss.

"