Players to watch in Europe 2025/26 #1

With the season well underway, I want to revise some players that are definetely on my watch list. I do not have any filter on the players on the list, rather than the fact I am intrigued by them, I believe they have potential and I find them to be kind of under the radar.

Antonio Blakeney

The only Euroleague player on this list. Blakeney caught the attention of most people when he was a teammate of none other than (at the time) generational talent Ben Simmons, at LSU. He then torched the G-League with the Windy City Bulls, being a dominant scorer. I have not seen many better season-long performances that good in that League. He earned a roster spot with Chicago, playing 50+ games in the NBA, being an efficient microwave scorer. However, the NBA was not attracted by his package, and he moved to China (2019-20), G-League (2020-21, not nearly as dominant), Brief stint in Israel, and two season in China once again (22-23, 23-24), before joining Hapoel Tel-Aviv last year. To be honest, by 2021, I had lost faith in him, but his performance last season showed that he can be an Euroleague level player. He is, as previously mentioned, an elite pure scorer. Deadly from mid range, knockdown shooter from 3, athletic and a good slasher. Complete package. However, he was never a playmaker, has bad Basketball IQ and his defensive capabilities bring question marks. He is not really an under the radar player, however I could not stop myself from mentioning Blakeney, due to how captivating he was for me in his Windy City stint.

Tobias Jensen

Tobias Jensen is a 6'6 Danish SG who has been torching the EuroCup and is proving to be the great next product out of Ulm's talent factory. He can also function as a PG, or at least as a very competent secondary ball handler, as he has proven to be a great playmaker (5.5 assists in the Bundesliga, 4 in the EuroCup). His scoring numbers are also very good, averaging a bit shy of 15 ppg in the European competitions, and over 12 pppg domestically, although he can be inconsistent at times. At 21 years old, he improved considerably this season, and I think we will be seeing him in the Euroleague soon. 

Gonzalo Corbalan

The number 10 for Argentina this summer, and the MVP of San Pablo Burgos, who rose to the ACB. Corbalan is an excellent slasher, who needs to find consistency in his shooting. Coming from a very good Americup campaign, he has shown brilliant flashes in the most difficult domestic league in Europe, averaging over 13 ppg, but with 0 threes made. He defends the ball very well, showing incredible amount of passion and fight, enhanced by his physical tools. He also has some playmaking skills, good enough to be SG. He is a good rebounder for his size, a product of his hustle.  

Keye Van Der Vuurst

The Dutch PG will look to relaunch his career with a loan to Turkish side Buyukcekmece, after a bad stint at Badalona last year, which resulted in a loan spell to Lleida. He is one of the few classic PGs in Europe, with a floor general approach to the game. He is an excellent passer, averaging very high assist numbers throughout his career. He is not a bad scorer either, but he needs to gain consistency if he wants to reach the elite of European basketball.

Justin Wright-Foreman

Since leaving the NCAA, Wright-Foreman has never been able to find a place in the basketball world, playing for 13 teams since 2021. I really hope he cements himself at Iraklis this season, to potentially make a jump to a Eurocup/BCL team. JWF has an elite scoring talent, as he showed in the NCAA, with athletic ability and an ability to destroy defences out of the Pick and Roll. He needs to be paired with a tall PG, as he lacks both the size and the playmaking ability. 

Alvaro Cardenas

Another talented, undersized, scoring PG from the Greek Basketball League, loaned from Valencia to Peristeri. Coming from a successful NCAA season, Cardenas is having an important role in the Athenian club, being the player who has the ball in his hand the most. He can both generate for himself and for others, as he has good playmaking skills. While he lacks the size, he is decent as an on-ball defender, but not as good off-ball. We will most likely see him in the Euroleague and in major international tournaments with Spain in the near future.

Samuel Griffin

After many years in the NCAA, Griffin made his European debut last season, playing 20 games for Lavrio and 5 for Granada. With both teams, he averaged good scoring numbers with good shooting splits. Now at Merkezefendi, a team with a very good scouting network, he is again showing his scoring talent. His, main problem is that he is a SG in a PG body, as he is a subpar playmaker (assist to turnover ratio numbers are bad), with elite, or at least very good, scoring insticts as he both is a very good shooter and a good slasher. His off the dribble scoring makes him very dangerous in a mismatch or in a high Pick and Roll. As a defender, I would say he is average. Not noticeably bad, but he does not have any elite defensive skills as of now.

Devin Robinson

I do not really understand why Devin Robinson has not played in the Euroleague. At 30 years old, his time for that is running out. He is a physically gifted Forward, who had good years in Manresa or Cedevita. I expected him to pursue a Euroleague contract, but in the end he signed for Zaragoza. He is an inside the arc scorer, in the sense he is very good cutter or as a threat in the mid range area, either shooting from there or using his athleticism to beat his opponent 1v1 and attack the rim. His long wingspan and athleticism help him defensively, where he is above average overall, but he is not the strongest PF out there, so he struggles against strong, post up players, even though he is an adequate rebounder. 

Elijah Hughes

Hughes had a good NCAA career, but he never managed to stick in the NBA, where he was drafted in 2020, passing a lot of time in the G-League. In 2025, he made his first steps in Europe, signing to Breogan. This move did not work at all, playing 7 games, with less than 10 minutes per game and averaging 2.4/0.6/0.3 with 17.2/15/100 shooting splits. He moved to Ludwigsburg of the Bundesliga, where his form has dramatically improved scoring 16 ppg in the first 3 games of the season, on 50/40/90 shooting. Small sample size, but it is not bad. Hughes is a swingman with a very complete offensive package, as he is a good shooter from 3 (Catch and Shoot, Off the Dribble or Off Screen) and from the mid range. He is a good athlete, so he can be effective as a slasher as well. He has inconsistency and shot selection issues, but overall he can be a deadly scorer, who is not weak on the defensive end. 

Melwin Pantzar

Melwin Pantzar is playing in Bilbao currently, where he has had some excellent seasons, and will be joining Unicaja in the summer of 2026. He is an excellent defender, who can be a Ball Hawk. His Point-of-Attack defensive skills pair very well with his very good physical profile. He is an adequate playmaker, rebounder and scorer (especially as a slasher), although he needs to improve his shooting.   

Hugo Benitez

The french PG made a "sideways" transfer club quality wise from Bourg from Manresa, however joining the ACB could prove to be an important jump in his career. He has had a good start of the season, showing how gifted he is at passing, while also having good scoring numbers (hovering at 10 ppg). His floor general qualities, his size for a PG and age (2001 born) make him an interesting profile for Euroleague clubs.

Chris Ledlum

Another player from Ratiopharm Ulm, who has caught the eye of many due to his performances in the Eurocup. He is an undersized Forward who excels at many facets of the game. He is a very good stealer of the ball, elite inside scorer (just look at his numbers in the Eurocup and Bundesliga, averaging 17.5 and 18.7 points), good rebounder, sees the court well, defends well... His problems are his lack of shooting ability, as he cannot space the floor and his height. 

Ke