Next up for the 2017 series

MELBOURNE (Paulo Kennedy’s View from Downunder) - In case you missed the news, there is now less than a year until the first FIBA Basketball World Cup qualifying window in November 2017.

While it is still a case of wait and see what this innovation delivers, there is no doubt it will be a revolution for international basketball, with people not only attending games mid-season, but also gathering in pubs and other venues to watch their national team play.

Add to that the additional interest generated by the selection of the team and discussion around club form, and international basketball is about to become much more prominent, and an integral part of the hoops landscape year round once the New Competition System is in place.

For those Downunder, think about how many players have put their hands up with strong performances in the opening seven weeks of this NBL season. If Australia and New Zealand had to pick national teams right now there would be plenty to talk about.

So that's what I'm going to do this week, continue my preview of the '2017 Series' with a look at five more players putting their hands up for international duty when Oceania’s two powerhouses move into the Asian qualifying section.

First though, a couple of snippets of related news with FIBA this week announcing they will cover the cost of sports injury insurance for all players participating in World Cup qualifiers, and that FIBA Media will take charge of production and distribution of the television feed for all Division A qualifying games.

These two moves will help ensure as much talent as possible is involved in the qualifying windows, and the product presented to the global audience will be of a high quality, speaking volumes to the improvements FIBA have made in the past five years in terms of both strategy and capacity.

In layman's terms, it means when Australia or New Zealand play in a World Cup qualifier, there will be a high-level television broadcast there ready for a rights holder to purchase, rather than having to worry about their own production.

That increases the likelihood of the Boomers being on Australian television, so now all we have to do is select the teams. Here are five players who are giving selectors reason to think.

Jarrod Kenny
While this 31-year-old point guard is a late developer, possibly through lack of opportunities, he rose to prominence at the right time with some quality moments at Spain 2014 and a big performance for the Tall Blacks in Game 1 of the 2015 FIBA Oceania Championship.

He's proven himself to be a solid international, but I've included him in this list because I think he is capable of more, even with the emergence of Tai Webster and Shea Ili for NZ. A point guard who can push the tempo without playing out of control is invaluable in international basketball, especially in the Oceania style of game, and Kenny does that consistently for the Perth Wildcats.

Kenny has upped his aggressiveness for Perth this season, but he is still exhibiting the same level of poise and composure despite playing at a higher speed.  That the Wildcats are +40 with him on court this season and -15 with him on the sidelines speaks volumes to his value.

Nathan Sobey
There is no way I thought I'd include Sobey in this category at the start of the season, given he was an enthusiastic but error-prone rookie for Adelaide last year who shot 37 per cent from the field and 30 per cent from deep.

However, his extreme hard work has paid off so far, as shown by his averages of 15.1ppg, 5.1rpg and 3.1apg, with all his major stats at least triple his 2015/16 output. More impressively, Sobey's turnovers haven't even doubled despite far more use of the ball, while his shooting numbers have soared to 46 and 41.

Where Sobey enters the international equation is his athleticism and his willingness to defend and do whatever his team needs, regardless of whether he gets shots. If his decision making keeps improving at the current rate, he is someone who could be considered as a bench spark for the Boomers given his all-around talents.

Head over to https://t.co/olxKyoarHy for a great read about @sobes2zero aka Sobey Wan Kenobi and his relationship with NBL legend Al Green 👬 pic.twitter.com/bcehWHzhlp

— NBL (@NBL) October 25, 2016

Majok Majok
He'll never be an international scorer, but there is still only one ball to go around in FIBA ranks, so Majok becomes a Boomers proposition because of his ability to defend - both close to the basket and in ball-screen situations - and clean the glass.

Majok finishes well (63 per cent from the field), is averaging 6.1 boards in 20 minutes per game for Melbourne in the NBL and has coughed up more than one turnover just once this season, all of which suggest to coaches that he is a safe option who will get the job done.

His international potential shone through in recent weeks as he guarded the big bodies of Nate Jawai and Josh Powell without looking out of place, making him a possible match-up for the raft of naturalised big men in FIBA Asia ranks, especially given his ability to defend in multiple situations.

.@majok55majok testing out the rim at @HisenseArena. 💥💥#Yourgame pic.twitter.com/iNG6FhmClU

— NBL (@NBL) October 9, 2016

Mitch Norton
Norton is another player who provides countless things that don’t go on the stat-sheet. The Hawks are 4-2 with him on the floor and 0-4 when he was injured earlier in the season.

Like Kenny, Norton leads his team's +/- count by some distance, his ability to dog the ball-handler, stay in front of the penetrator and use his speed in the open court are all traits coaches love in back-up point guards.

Looking to the Boomers in 2017, if Damian Martin isn't in the line-up, who becomes the defensive sparkplug off the bench? With a mix of speed, physical toughness and leadership beyond his 23 years, Norton has the attributes to play a small but important role in qualifying for China 2019.

.@mitch_norton nabs @ladbrokescomau player of the game honours in the @illawarrahawks win 🙌 with 13 points 2 boards 3 dimes and a steal. pic.twitter.com/GTQzd2m9Y2

— NBL (@NBL) November 12, 2016

Alex Pledger
It's strange that a guy who once had five blocks in 25 minutes in a crucial international would be on the 2017 Series list for emerging internationals, but in the case of Pledger he is like the Prodigal Son returning.

After a slow start to this season, Pledger has averaged 12ppg. 7.3rpg and 1.8bpg while shooting 67 per cent from the field in his past four games. What those numbers don’t tell is how well Alex is guarding the paint, utilising the 2.15m length he has been given.

Steven Adams is unlikely to be playing in the mid-season qualifying windows, so Pledger still shapes as New Zealand’s number one option, and after banging bodies with Jawai, Powell, AJ Ogilvy, Cam Bairstow and Aleks Maric with strong success in recent weeks, it’s fair to say Pledge is over his injury struggles and back to being the defensive force and inside passing target the Tall Blacks need.

Come next year we'll look in depth at each of these payers, and investigate just whom has the best shot of wearing the green and gold, farewell!

Paulo Kennedy

FIBA

FIBA's columnists write on a wide range of topics relating to basketball that are of interest to them. The opinions they express are their own and in no way reflect those of FIBA.

FIBA takes no responsibility and gives no guarantees, warranties or representations, implied or otherwise, for the content or accuracy of the content and opinion expressed in the above article.