NBA Players Heading Overseas Could Aid in Player Development

With Deron Williams and Ron Artest already signed and other stars like Dwight Howard, Kevin Durant and Kobe Bryant considering overseas play, what effect will these movements have for the NBA and player development? 

The NBA lockout has caused many players to consider the option of playing in other leagues throughout the world instead of losing an entire season if the player's union and the owners don't come to an agreement soon.

Most of the players who have signed contracts are younger players and rookies who are looking to use the European league to improve their game and stay sharp, with the opportunity to return to their respective teams with an opt-out clause.

With the European style of basketball being very different from the style of play in the NBA, players could use this opportunity to explore different styled offenses and defenses while getting the opportunity to get ready for the NBA season with actual games in a competitive league.

The biggest difference between the two leagues is probably the speed of the game. In the NBA the players tend to rely more on their athleticism and speed to push the offense, which leads to a lot of one on one style offenses.

The European leagues usually have less athletic teams that look to use slower set offenses in order to get the ball to any team mate, rather than just the star, that has the best opportunity to score.

This could greatly help the younger players to get more playing time in a more challenging league than what is currently available with the NBA currently locked out in the USA.

Also, the lack of total domination of the ball by star players will allow for more touches by rookies and less developed players, giving them an opportunity to not only have more effective minutes but be an integral part of a team's general strategy.  

The most obvious change in the rules can be seen by looking at the court, as the three-point line is much closer than that of the NBA three-point line. This could help some players develop a better jump shot from just inside the NBA three-point line, but it will be important for any American player to keep practicing the longer distance shot to stay sharp for the NBA season.

The closer three-point line can cause the court to get more congested, which will help the NBA players learn to operate with more precision in movements without the ball and passing. 

The next big difference is the lack of a defensive three second rule, that allows players to spend more time under the basket and gives defenders a chance to help their teammates when the offense shifts to the opposite side of the floor.

The NBA players need to avoid familiarity with this aspect of the game, but it could help them learn to not rely on driving to the basket as often and work more on getting an open jumper or finding a teammate for an assist.

The games in Europe are not as long as NBA games (40 minutes instead of 48) which is a slight disadvantage for the NBA players looking to develop their game. Less focus will be put on conditioning, so it will be up to each of them individually to remain in shape to be able to play the amount of minutes necessary when they return to the NBA.  

Finally, the European Leagues have fewer games in the season and each week, having more practices while in season.

During the NBA season, teams play so many games a week that practices can become more of a routine than a real opportunity to work on important skills needed for the game.

The European coaches hold a lot of practices between games, and focus mostly on skill-based aspects that players are needing. This will allow the NBA players who are lacking in an aspect of the game to focus on these issues with more efficiency due to the extra rest they have between games and the extra attention the coaches devote to it.

Overall, Europe seems like an excellent choice for players at this point in the NBA lockout. The players and owners are so far apart, it appears the season will most likely start late or not happen at all.

Rookies and younger players get to use the opportunity as perhaps a more competitive version of the rookie league and summer leagues that the NBA would have provided them during this time.

NBA All-Stars like Williams, Howard, and Bryant will probably find these leagues lacking the challenge they need to really develop, but the role players and players looking to immerse themselves into more game time can take advantage of a rare opportunity to learn a different style of play.

For now, some players seem to be making a choice that could greatly benefit their careers, while others have to decided to wait out the lack of work back home.

Whether this lockout will end in time for us to see these players return to the United States this season is questionable, but it will be interesting to see whether the players who stayed home or those who went overseas will be more prepared for the upcoming NBA season.