Portland Trail Blazers Draftee Jon Diebler Growing On And Off The Court In Greece
Eurobasketpic1__1__tiny by Wendell Maxey on Jan 10, 2012
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Jon Diebler had no idea this is how his first year out of college would turn out.
After growing up in Upper Sandusky and spending his entire life living in Ohio, the state's all-time leading scorer now finds himself halfway around the world. In a matter of three months, Diebler went from graduating as the Big Ten's all-time leader in 3-point field goals at Ohio State, to a newlywed, to being selected by the Portland Trail Blazers (51st overall in the 2011 NBA Draft) and suddenly playing for Panionios in the Greek League and living in the Nea Smymi district in Athens, Greece.
Not bad for a 23-year old who thought he'd have to battle for a roster spot with a non-guaranteed contract in Portland.
Funny how life turns out. While the NBA lockout was a curse to some players around the league, it's truly turned into a blessing for Diebler.
"I have no regrets waiting (to play overseas). I looked at this as an opportunity to get better as a basketball player, but most importantly grow as a man," Diebler told Ridiculous Upside.
"This has taught me patience and made me realize how truly blessed I am to play the game that I love in another part of the world."
Star-divide
Back in late June when the Blazers introduced the 6-foot-6 guard at a press conference along with fellow rookie Nolan Smith and point guard Raymond Felton, Diebler's agent, Lance Young, and Portland had already discussed the option of his client playing overseas with the lingering NBA lockout casting a dark shadow across the league. The opportunity was multi-beneficial: Diebler would find a club willing to feature him, and in return he'd be able to develop his overall game in a competitive league in Europe. So when Diebler signed a one-year contract to play in Greece with Panionios in the Greek League in early August, Portland borrowed a page from their old "draft and stash" playbook. But instead of being an overseas project in the guise of Victor Claver or Joel Freeland before him, Diebler would have the chance to experience the game from the other side of the world fresh out of Ohio State.
"We drafted him because of his shooting and this year in Greece will provide him with an opportunity for good minutes and a chance to develop other areas of his game," explained Portland's acting General Manager Chad Buchanan.
The development side of Diebler's game is in full-swing.
In 11 games this season, Diebler is averaging 8.1 points and 1.5 rebounds in 20 minutes per game, while shooting 50% from the field, 52.8 % from 3-point, and 92.3% from the free-throw line. Numbers aside, playing in Greece has provided Diebler the chance to soak in the knowledge of the pro game the only way a rookie really can -- by actually playing and experiencing in-game scenarios for himself.
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