Commissioner interest in starting a new NBA venture in Europe goes beyond the potential financial rewards, writes Joe Vardon of The Athletic. The biggest benefit, according to Vardon, would be direct access to a player development pipeline that has produced numerous NBA stars over the past decade.

“The European development of the kids, especially in the Yugoslavian area, especially in terms of fundamentals, is 10 times better than in the States,” said , the former head of Mega Basket, Belgrade’s pro club, and current Serbian-based agent for . “This is the reason you are getting more and more players from Europe.”

Vardon explains that there are no school teams in Europe, so the top players join clubs run by the professional organizations. Unlike the AAU system in the United States, there’s more of an emphasis on developing skills than on playing several games in a weekend. Players who show early signs of stardom like Jokic, or Victor Wembanyama quickly move on to the pro team, often by the time they’re ready for high school.

“At the age of 15 you get Jokić, you get Dončić, that kind of player, if you don’t teach them how to play basketball, don’t develop their skills and don’t develop their IQ, they will score zero points because based on their athleticism, their quickness, they cannot score anything (in the NBA),” Ražnatović added. “That’s the reason that the guys from this area are getting more skill and a better basketball IQ.”

There’s more from around the basketball world: