NBA outsiders

Will there be an NBA return for the 36-year-old slotman? Still quite unlikely

DONGGUAN, China — I’ve been away for three solid weeks, but I have to admit that covering the FIBA Basketball World Cup from the ground has been a uniquely enriching experience.

I have never been around so many of the best basketball players on the planet in the same event and to think that some of these guys don’t even play in the NBA.

So here are some of the best guys I watched at the World Cup who are currently not in the NBA.

Luis Scola (Shanghai Sharks) — Who was not enamored with how this 39-year-old center played throughout the World Cup? I mean, this was already his fifth World Cup and for most of it, he looked like he was 10 years younger.

By tournament’s end, Scola became the second player to reach the 700-point milestone in World Cup history, just behind the legendary Oscar Schmidt.

Will we see him as a white-haired 43-year-old in Manila in 2023? Unlikely. But if there’s anyone who can make it happen, it’s definitely Scola.

Facundo Campazzo (Real Madrid) — If Scola was Argentina’s ageless Batman, Campazzo was his wily, shifty and clever as heck Robin.

The man nicknamed “Facu” by his fans may not be the most imposing player, but he was hell good at running rings around opposing defenders. Only three players in World Cup history have ever put up more than 15 points, 10 assists, five rebounds and three steals in a game and Facu is one of them.

Who are the other two? They are World Cup Most Valuable Player (MVP) Ricky Rubio and multiple NBA champion Toni Kukoc.

Gabriel Deck (Real Madrid) — If Scola is the past and Facu is the present, Deck definitely represents the future of Argentine basketball.

At just 24 years old, the 6-foot-6 combo forward will probably see action in two or three more World Cup tourneys, but he had already played a big role for his national squad here in China.

He is one of the only two players in the competition to score 100 points or more while coming off the bench.

Nando De Colo (Fenerbache) — De Colo spent few years in the NBA when he played for the San Antonio Spurs and the Toronto Raptors.

But his best years have always been in Europe, where he emerged as two-time Euroleague champion and was named Euroleague MVP in 2016 while plying his trade for CSKA Moscow.

Now, the 32-year-old guard is in his first year with Turkish side Fenerbache and he should continue being a strong offensive force as he scored 132 points off the bench for France in this prestigious 32-nation tournament. Crazy.

Mateusz Ponitka (Zenit Saint Petersburg) — Poland was one of the Cinderella stories of the World Cup, and there’s no doubt that Ponitka was the biggest reason it reached the quarterfinals.

The 26-year-old swingman is a fearless slasher and a strong finisher and he had a lot of sideliners talking about a possible stint in the NBA.

He has the skills and the size, but for now, he remains in the VTB United League and EuroLeague with Zenit Saint Petersburg.

Nikola Milutinov (Olympiacos) — Before the tournament, much of the talk around Serbia revolved around its towering frontline of Nikola Jokic, Boban Marjanovic, and Nemanja Bjelica.

But it was Nikola Milutinov who was surprisingly impressive for most of the tournament.

Actually, Milutinov was picked by San Antonio in 2015 but was never signed.

I wouldn’t be shocked if he gets some looks in the future from teams who need high quality big men who love to bump and grind in the paint.

Jaromír Bohačík (CEZ Basketball Nymburk) — Tomas Satoransky of the Chicago Bulls was the face of Czech Republic in the World Cup, but Bohačík’s play shouldn’t be overlooked.

The 27-year-old was an explosive scorer who averaged 15.3 points for the sixth-placed Czechs and he’s expected to do some damage for CEZ Basketball Nymburk in the Basketball Champions League this coming season.

Alessandro Gentile (Movistar Estudiantes) — NBA players Danilo Gallinari and Marco Belinelli led Italy, but Gentile was actually one of their most dependable players, too.

At 6-foot-7, he has great size for a wingman, and though his stroke is a little strange, he can put the ball in the basket and mix it up with the rest of them.

Anderson Varejao (Flamengo) — The 12-year NBA veteran was never a big time scorer in the NBA, but he turned into one for Brazil.

Whether it was out of design or out of necessity is questionable, but the fact is that Varejao had some of his finest reserved for the World Cup.

Will there be an NBA return for the 36-year-old slotman? Still quite unlikely.

Corey Webster (NZ Breakers) — The Tall Black guard was one of the best scorers in the World Cup with an average of 22.8 points per game.

Turkish side Darüşşafaka Basketbol offered him a spot, but the NZ Breakers are not budging. He was one of only three players to have scored an average of more than 10 points while making 50 percent or more of their field goals, 40 percent or more of their three-pointers and 90 percent or more of their free throws.