5 Young international NBA players ready to lead their country to glory

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Golden State Warriors Jonathan Kuminga (Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports) /

Jonathan Kuminga, DR Congo

The only African on this list is Kuminga, who is from Central Africa’s largest country. Despite being the largest country in this region of Africa, DR Congo’s senior national team has never found great success in the FIBA scene.

DR Congo is ranked 71st in the FIBA rankings, a far cry from Poland’s 14th ranking. They rank 10th among all African nations and are in a completely different tier compared to the top African nations. They have never qualified for a FIBA World Cup or Olympics. They did not participate in FIBA AfroBasket in any of the four editions from 2009 to 2015 but have qualified and participated in the editions of 2017 (6th place finish) and 2021 (13th place finish).

It’s simply this: DR Congo needs a star, and Kuminga should be exactly that for the Congo. In African terms, he can be something like what Gorgui Dieng was for Senegal, leading them to three AfroBasket bronze medals and two FIBA World Cups in 2014 and 2019. It’s also similar to what former Atlanta Hawks and Cleveland Cavaliers big Edy Tavares is quietly doing for Cape Verde, having just helped them to finish 4th in the 2021 AfroBasket and to qualify for the upcoming FIBA World Cup for the first time ever.

Kuminga has represented DR Congo just once thus far in his playing career, and that came in the qualifiers for the 2023 FIBA World Cup, which DR Congo ultimately missed. He played three games in the blue DR Congo jerseys in late August 2022, but the team, unfortunately, went 0-3. Through those three appearances, Kuminga averaged 17.7 points and 5.3 rebounds on a poor 40.1 TS% (41.7/23.8/69.2 splits). He was a force getting to the line, attempting 8.7 shots a game from there.

It wasn’t the most efficient showing, but let’s not forget Kuminga is still 20 years old. He has lots of time to help elevate the Congo basketball team. He’s an athletic freak who still has loads of upside with his two-way potential. He’s a great finisher and perimeter defender already, and now it’s about putting the pieces together to maximize his ability.

Out of every player on this list, I feel best about predicting Kuminga to lead his country to success, largely due to African competition being generally weaker than any other region. It’s unclear whether or not he will play for DR Congo in the Pre-Qualifying Olympic Qualifying Tournaments in August, so that is something to keep an eye on.