Overseas scouts flock to Summer League searching for talent

Seated in the back row of section No. 113 at UNLV’s Thomas & Mack Center, a small delegation of four watches the basketball game in front of them. On the court, Paolo Banchero and Jabari Smith Jr., the top two picks of the recent NBA draft, shine in the first game of the NBA’s Summer League.

Tei Kim and the rest of his companions from Wonju DB Promy didn’t travel 5,948 miles from Wonju, South Korea, to see Banchero and Smith, though.

“We’re looking for big men,” Kim, a scout and translator for DB Promy, said.

The four from DB Promy aren’t the only international scouts at the Thomas & Mack Center for Summer League. They’re not even the only ones from South Korea. Kim points out several men seated one section to his left — scouts from Changwon LG Sakers, also hoping to add talent to their roster for next season.

“It’s a really important time for our league,” said Kim.

Summer League is a chance for NBA fans to see recent lottery picks get their first professional experience before the ensuing season. But for professional franchises abroad, the event is a gold mine of talent.

Scouts from several leagues and countries flock to Las Vegas to network with players and agents, making their pitch to convince borderline NBA talent to try to make a name for themselves overseas.

“This is a good opportunity to see the younger guys coming in — the two-ways … that get their chances,” said Mat Campbell, general manager of the NBL’s Illawarra Hawks, for whom Charlotte Hornets All-Star guard LaMelo Ball played in Australia.

In-person scouting

Campbell has been in Las Vegas since July 2. His assistant general manager Tom Wilson only completed the 16-hour flight from Australia two days before the summer league began. However, both believe it is crucial to have a physical presence at the event.

They want to see everything live, including how players react to calls, keep composed on the bench and interact with coaches and officials.

However, the most important aspect of all the international teams’ trips to summer league is to develop relationships with agents who represent international players.

Each team has a different approach to how they pitch their situation.

Campbell and Wilson are looking for more experienced players. They say the play in Australia’s NBL has improved in recent years. They now scout players coming off two-way contracts or players who were on an NBA roster during the past season.

Wilson cited Houston Rockets wing Jae’Sean Tate and former Indiana Pacers point guard Keifer Sykes as players who made names for themselves in Australia and returned to the NBA.

Mate Jakab is an assistant coach for German club Brose Bamberg. Armed with an iPad and a color-coded list of players in an Excel spreadsheet, he says European clubs like his provide the best all-around experience to players out of college, in addition to good developmental opportunities.

“European coaches have a completely different eye for the game,” he said. “For sure, we can add something to their skills.”

G League an option

All of the international scouts are facing increasingly difficult competition from the G League, too. The NBA’s developmental league has taken big strides in recent years, increasing its payrolls and providing more direct pathways toward the top level.

International teams are still confident about what they can provide, even with the allure of the G League limiting their talent pool. Campbell, Jakab and Kim all say they can offer players who might be buried on G League rosters more minutes and larger roles to prove themselves.

Scouts are able to get game information on players at summer league, but the networking itself often happens at exposure camps.

These exhibitions coincide with the Summer League in Las Vegas and often include players who weren’t invited or summer league players looking for additional opportunities.

Kevin Tarca is an independent agent who specializes in overseas contracts. He spends most of the Summer League bouncing between the actual games and exposure camps, talking to as many team representatives as possible.

Relationships between scouts and agents are extremely important for overseas contracts. Many leagues have restrictions on the number of American players a team can have on its roster. They are trusting Tarca to send them high-caliber players who won’t waste one of their valuable international player slots.

The agents, however, are looking for reliability. Tarca says certain leagues are notorious for paying late or putting players in poor situations.

He always feels the most comfortable when he already knows a team.

Difficult decision

Making the decision to go overseas can still be an extremely difficult one. Sykes, who made his NBA debut during the 2021-2022 season after spending several years abroad, still remembers trying to decide in 2016 where he was going to go.

After going undrafted in 2015, Sykes shined at Summer League and spent the next year playing with the San Antonio Spurs’ G League affiliate. Entering the 2016 season, the Spurs still held his draft rights, and it became apparent he wasn’t going to get picked up by another NBA team.

Sykes began pursuing other opportunities and caught some attention at a KBL exposure camp. He was drafted by South Korean team Anyang KGC a few days after the end of Summer League.

Sykes had two children he needed to take care of and the KBL contract was significantly better than any of the ones offered by the D-League at the time.

“It’s a short window,” he said. “It’s only about two weeks, and if you’re not signing, someone else might sign.”

Sykes’ performances in South Korea earned him better contracts in new countries. He played in Turkey, Italy, China, Greece and Australia before finding a spot last season with the Pacers.

“I wanted to be a globetrotter, play in more places,” he said. “Now I feel like I’ve scored at least one basket in every league in the world, so that feels amazing.”

Contact reporter Andy Yamashita at ayamashita@reviewjournal.com. Follow @ANYamashita on Twitter.