Danish Basketball Is Making Moves, Starting With The NBA Academy Games

In its fifth year, the NBA Academy Games is an annual showcase that brings together top international prospects to compete against their peers from around the world in front of NCAA college coaches and NBA scouts.

The event, which has become a staple in the July basketball circuit in Georgia, typically includes teams representing the different NBA Academies around the world, in addition to a select team of international prospects who are not enrolled in an NBA Academy program but are among the top player high school-age players in the world.

The 2024 version of the NBA Academy Games have officially concluded, with the world getting a look at which players could be cracking the NBA doors open in a few years.

Among them were two players from Denmark, a country that remains without NBA representation since Gabriel “Iffe” Lundberg played with the Phoenix Suns in 2022.

Frederik Drejer Erichsen, a 6’9 floor leader who will be draft eligible, is the nephew of Christian Drejer, who was selected as the 51st pick in the 2004 NBA Draft. The playmaker is savvy, poised, and will be draft eligible in 2025, the same calendar year he turns 19 years old.

Andreas Holst, an athletic 7-footer with wing skills, and a strong willingness to take three-pointers, offers an intriguing package of inside/outside potential. He was draft eligible this year, but has decided to wait for when the timing is right.

Both players were included on the select team.

The duo spent last year under the umbrella of Bakken Bears, the biggest club in Denmark, which also saw a third player – Gustav Knudsen – enter his name into this year’s draft.

Outside of the aforementioned trio, Danish Marqus Marion, Johan Munch, and Tobias Jensen are also making waves as players that will bring Denmark into the future of international basketball.

Erichsen, speaking after the NBA Academy event, describes being the nephew of a draftee as an “advantage”, outlining the benefits of having a famous uncle.

“It’s 100% helped me to have someone in the family who can help me with [the journey]. He’s already been in the game, so he knows what’s going on, he can help me take the extra step, and he’s got connections”, he tells me.

Erichsen averaged 22 minutes at the Academy Games, scoring 9.2 points, grabbing 4.3 rebounds, and dishing two assists per outing. His big frame, combined with strong on-ball skills, seem tailor made for the NBA, particularly if the three-point shot becomes a truly reliable weapon for him moving forward.

Holst, who notched 6.8 points in 20 minutes, also grabbed 3.0 rebounds, and took a whopping 26 three-point shots in 118 total minutes, canning 34.6% of them, and further showcasing his ability to become a big man spacer, which is still en vogue in the NBA.

While both youngsters are still improving, their respective skill sets align strongly with where the NBA is headed, where flexibility, positional fluidity, and perimeter skill is all the rage.

That may not guarantee either a selection in the draft next year, but it certainly doesn’t hurt their chances. Another year of development, and deep focus, might push them over the top.

Danish basketball players, not to mention an increasing fan base, are hoping the academy games will serve as a start for larger Danish representation, which will eventually lead to Danes occupying the NBA court on permanent basis.

As for Lundberg, 29, who signed a two-year contract with Serbian Partizan this summer, he too remains on the NBA radar.

He rejected a contract offer from the Boston Celtics this summer, due to the lack of guarantee of playing time, opting instead to become a major puzzle piece in Belgrade.

Lundberg’s two-year contract has an NBA-out clause after the first season, meaning he’s allowed to receive offers next summer from teams in the association.

Compared to where Danish basketball was just five years ago, the talent has taken a massive leap, and now thousands of Danish fingers are crossed, hoping that the hard work pays off.