European Cup Touchstone: Five soaring players, who can have surprises?

The stage of this European Cup is still star-studded. Super stars such as Doncic, Antetokounmpo, and Wagner led the team into the knockout round, which made the fans excited. The only regret is that Jokic and Porzingis failed to go further and were eliminated early with Serbia and Latvia.

But from the perspective of the NBA, this European Cup still brings a lot of new gains to the new season. Some players have re-prove their value with their outstanding performance; some young people have taken the opportunity to show their presence, making fans look forward to his new season again.

Let's take a look at some of the people who have made a big fuss about their prospects in the NBA with the help of the European Cup.

Lauri Markanen

Reviewing Markanen's NBA resume, as the former fastest progress award winner and All-Star player, he actually no longer needs the European Cup to prove anything. But in the past season, Markkanen's condition is really worrying.

In the 2024-25 season, Markkanen played only 47 games for the Jazz, averaging 19 points and 5.9 rebounds per game. The data is pretty good, but his efficiency has dropped significantly. His actual shooting percentage is only 57.1%. There are also doubts under the big contract. Will he become a burden on the team in the future?

But in the European Cup, Markkanin gave his own response. He scored a data sheet with an average of 23.1 points per game, leading the Finnish men's basketball team to the fourth place in the tournament. For Jazz, this is undoubtedly a cardiac invigorating. And if he can continue this state into the new NBA season, the doubts from the outside world will naturally dissipate. The name of Simona Fontechio may be a little unfamiliar to many NBA fans. But in the European arena, the striker is definitely a well-deserved star player. After being traded to the Pistons in the mid-2023-24 season, he averaged 15.4 points per game to the team, which is enough to prove his offensive potential.

The European Cup is his exclusive stage, with averaging 16.7 points and 5.5 rebounds per game, and previously he scored 39 points in a single game in the group stage. Last season, he played for only 16.5 minutes with the Pistons and mainly played as a substitute. Joining the Miami Heat in the new season may be a good opportunity for him to shine in this team that is best at exploring the value of role players.

Pelle Larson

The Swedish men's basketball team failed to go further in the European Cup, but for Larson, his performance is enough to make people remember him. As a sophomore in the NBA, his previous chances of playing with the Heat were quite limited, with only 14.2 minutes of playing time per game and his personal data was 4.6 points and 1.2 assists.

But in the European Cup, Larson averaged 18.8 points per game. Although his three-point shooting percentage was still not ideal, he still showed outstanding scoring ability and attacking basket damage. For the Heat, the young forward is a potential character puzzle for the future. If he can seize the opportunity in the new season, it is entirely possible for him to continue to replicate the growth route of Heat character players in the future.

Nemias Quita

When mentioning traditional European powerhouses, few people will think of Portugal. But in this European Cup, they still performed outstandingly, and the most important one was naturally Quita in the inside position. He averaged 15.5 points and 8 rebounds in six games, and in just 24 minutes of playing time, he played an absolute core performance.

The first game of the tournament scored 23 points, 18 rebounds and 4 blocks, and almost supported the Portuguese penalty area alone. For the Celtics, Quita's position in the NBA may still be a blue-collar rotation, but with his performance in the national team, it is enough for the coach to reevaluate his front-court rotation value. Especially after the Celtics in the new season undergoes lineup adjustments, he is likely to get more playing time. The last person in Alperen Shinkyung

The last person on the list actually needs to prove himself, but it is undeniable that Shinkyung did play an evolutionary performance in the European Cup. Considering his All-Star performance averaged 19.1 points, 10.3 rebounds and 4.9 assists in the NBA, his performance in the European Cup should naturally not be ignored.

But in the European Cup, Shin Kyung performed even better, averaging 22 points, 10.7 rebounds and 6.7 assists per game, and shooting percentage of 62.5%. It is not just about the improvement of personal data, but also the dominance on the field and the maturity of the stars have been greatly highlighted. If he completes another upgrade in the new season, the Rockets' ceiling will inevitably be pushed up again.