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Nikola Vucevic, Serge Ibaka among ESPN’s top International players

By Philip Rossman-Reich

Apr 25, 2016; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; Dallas Mavericks forward Dirk Nowitzki (41) shoots the ball over Oklahoma City Thunder forward Serge Ibaka (9) during the first quarter in game five of the first round of the NBA Playoffs at Chesapeake Energy Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 25, 2016; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; Dallas Mavericks forward Dirk Nowitzki (41) shoots the ball over Oklahoma City Thunder forward Serge Ibaka (9) during the first quarter in game five of the first round of the NBA Playoffs at Chesapeake Energy Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Olympics have served as a reminder of how global basketball and the NBA have become. The Orlando Magic are showing just how international the league is.

The ongoing Olympics and this wide-open Olympic basketball tournament is serving a reminder of the impact international players have had on the NBA. The United States victory in the tournament is not guaranteed because of the influx of international talent and the strength of these teams.

The NBA has truly gone global and the league has been made better for it. There are some truly gifted and fantastic international players in the NBA today.

The Orlando Magic themselves are relying heavily on these international players. Evan Fournier, Nikola Vucevic, Serge Ibaka and Bismack Biyombo are all international players. That might as well be the Magic’s starting lineup — Elfrid Payton and Aaron Gordon have both spent time with the U.S. Select Team.

The growth is truly incredible. As Bradford Doolittle of ESPN Insider notes, international players accounted for 27.3 percent of all wins above replacement last season. That is pretty significant for a still relatively small group players.

Using Kevin Pelton’s SCHOENE projection system, ESPN projected the top international players in the league for the 2017 season. Both Vucevic and Ibaka made the top 20.

Vucevic came in at No. 9, ahead of France’s Nicolas Batum, climbing one spot from last year’s rankings. Vucevic is expected to produce 6.55 wins above replacement player next year.

Vucevic, as Doolittle notes, is plenty skilled offensively. He is one of the most skilled offensive bigs in the league. And his defense figures to benefit from having Ibaka or Biyombo next to him.

Vucevic has been the focus of a lot of attention this offseason with the Magic remaking their front court and putting a major focus on defense. There are questions about what his role will be.

It is easy to forget though just how skilled he is offensively. He has the potential to do plenty more on the offensive end as he is a skilled passer in addition to his better than average jump shooting for a center.

His new partner in the starting lineup, Serge Ibaka, is also on the list, coming in at No. 20 with a projected 4.05 wins above replacement. He fell from 11th on last year’s list as his defense took a major dip and his numbers were down across the board.

Doolittle wrote he has to prove last year was merely a blip:

"Ibaka must prove that last season’s downturn was a blip and not a trend. He’ll do so on a new team, the Magic, which has lots to do in terms of sorting out roles, playing time and a style of play.Still, Ibaka’s abilities to face up on offense and protect the rim on defense should be a big part of any potential Orlando formula."

Ibaka will make a tremendous change to the Magic’s defense. It is clear talking to Frank Vogel how much he likes the idea of having a rim protector on the floor at all times. That should keep the Magic defense formidable at all times.

The projected WARP used here certainly favors bigs more than guards — Gorgui Dieng and Clint Capela come in at 11 and 12, ahead of Marc Gasol. Evan Fournier does not appear in the top 20 after his stellar year last year and his expected larger role on this year’s team.

In the similar CARMELO ranking system, Fournier is projected to begin a decline with just 2.5 wins above replacement next year. That would bring him lower on the list for sure.

Similarly, Biyombo is not a big stats producer and so this statistical measure does not fully capture his contributions. CARMELO projects him to add just 1.8 wins above replacement.

Next: Ranking the NBA's top 10 centers for 2017

The Magic though have a distinct international flavor throughout their lineup. They are taking advantage of some of the best players the world have to offer. The novelty of having an international player has certainly worn off. So has the novelty of having those players lead the team.