A study on the Portuguese League of Basketball — Part 3
College impact and how it translates
One of the easily noticeable problems in the last article was the way teams usually sign players who don’t have a great impact in college and are asked to be stars in Portugal. I am going to dive into this and compare the impact they had in college (and at what level they played) with how they fared in LPB. This study takes on every player that arrived in Portugal in the last 4 seasons, either right out of college or that went to college but experimented other leagues before coming to Portugal.
High impact — averaged 20+ minutes and 10+ points
Medium impact — averaged 20+ minutes or 10+ points
Low impact — averaged -20 minutes and -10pts
A quick look into the graphics proves us, and starting from the bottom, that highly impactful Division 2, 3 and NAIA players don’t really produce what is asked of them. Again, the difficulties to scout them create obstacles for teams and they’re usually not a great fit with their teams or well used. There are some cases of D2 players leaving for better situations or staying with their teams and that has to give teams hope that it is a strategy that can work. The D1 players are the most represented and where we can take most notes of. Most of them don’t really evolve and end up leaving for similar or worse situations and that has to be worrying, as this is the major market for Portuguese teams. Players on major D1 conferences are a hit or miss, with them not really staying with their teams past the one-year mark and either proving to be really good or having clear problems adapting.
Surprisingly, medium impact players in college have a good experience in Portugal. Division 2 players not so much, but that can be attributed to less quality than needed for the level they come into. Most of the Division 1 players either find a team they can stay with or find better situations for themselves, evolving in Portugal. The number of players in this case isn’t really big, but is a route most teams should look into, because they aren’t really stars in college but are highly serviceable players that come from a competitive setting.
Low impact players are a small sample but, as we can see, aren’t really a great market for Portuguese teams. They have low impact because they lack the quality to produce in college and will have the same problem in Portugal. Some players proved to be useful and there will always be a place for them, but not at a high enough percentage to be a clear successful path for teams in LPB.
The first idea I take is that, with better scouting, Division 2 and non-high major Division 1 can become gold mines for Portuguese teams, especially high and medium impact players. But again, good scouting is important to find them and use them in the best way. Highly impactful high major conference players will usually find Portugal to be a step back in their careers and aren’t really commited to their teams. Low impact players in college have usually a low impact for some reason and aren’t really a market worth exploring for Portuguese teams. Of course there’s always exceptions and a more professional scouting program from teams would help in this matter
Next up: Portuguese youngsters
