ACB League: Spanish players are in danger, with only two being in scoring's TOP 50 / News - Basketnews.com

Credit: Rodolfo Molina/Euroleague Basketball via Getty Images Credit Rodolfo Molina/Euroleague Basketball via Getty Images

It's not news, and it does not seem to be solved in the short term. In the ACB League, Spanish players' importance is decreasing. This is the conclusion from an article published by Marcaa few days ago.

There are fewer local players in the league. Actually, just 30% of them could be selected by Sergio Scariolo to represent the Spanish National Team. And it's not just the total number. Even their stats are lower than in the previous seasons. Fewer players, even lower impact on the floor.

If we take a look at the stats, just two Spanish players are among the best 50 scorers of the season so far.

One of them is Nikola Mirotic (FC Barcelona), who is seventh in the ranking averaging 14 points per game. The other one is Jaime Fernandez (Unicaja Baloncesto), in 34th place with 11.3 points per game.

Regarding the PIR ranking, things are quite similar. Mirotic is in the Top 5, but only four other local players are among the best 50 of the ACB League. Apart from Jaime Fernández (#46), we found Pau Ribas, Dani Díez and Guillem Vives.

Adding another remarkable stat to see how important they are, just Guillem Vives (Joventut de Badalona) is among the Top 10 in minutes. The guard is averaging 28 minutes, something understandable due to Ferran Bassas' injury.

"We always had, and there will always be seven or eight good local players. What we are missing is the middle class", explained Alfonso Reyes, president of the Professional Basketball Players Association (ABP).

Since FIBA began to publish its Report on Migration in International Basketball (2011), it has been proved that the ACB League is the competition with fewer local players.

The current legal framework, the obtaining of passports, and the small effective market that LEB Oro (the Spanish second division) produces are some of the causes. Which is the solution? Hard to say.

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