Puerto Rico, an enclave and autonomous state of the United States in the Caribbean, qualifies for the tournament alone in the field of sports. On this large island with a total population of just over three million people, baseball and basketball are the two most popular sports, and the performance and influence are more familiar to domestic audiences.
With reference to the latest FIFA World Rankings, Puerto Rico currently ranks 18th. In the past, this Central and North American team has often appeared in major competitions, and the 92-73 victory over the "Dream Six" of the United States at the 2004 Athens Olympic Games is a classic in the history of modern basketball, and there are some relatively familiar faces in its team history. Combining the national team career and club achievements, the author will take stock of the five most representative players in the history of Puerto Rican basketball in this article for reference. Of course, due to space limitations, if you have the choice of lost pearls, please leave a message in the comment area to add.
V. David Huertas
Scoring guard David Huertas, 33, is the ace of the Puerto Rica men's basketball team. Regarding Huertas's ability, I believe that fans who pay attention to the Puerto Rico men's basketball team at the FIBA World Cup in China in 2019 will be quite impressed.
In that tournament, Puerto Rico's only win was against the Iranian men's basketball team. In that game, David Huertas angrily scored 32 points and four assists. Throughout the World Cup, David Huertas averaged 14.2 points, 2 rebounds and 2 assists per game, shooting 53.1%/43.0%/87.5% of the shot. Since being named to the team in 2006 at the age of 18, David Huertas has steadily grown into the team's core player.
As a professional player, David Huertas had NCAA experience, but did not make it to the NBA. In his peak years in the French league, David Huertas was able to deliver an average of 15+ per game, enough to prove that he was a very good scorer.
Iv. Reinaldo Balkman
Back in the 2006 draft, Balkman was selected by the Knicks with the 20th pick in the first round. As a player with a height of 2.03 meters, Balkman was a more embarrassing player at the time, with a general basketball foundation, lacking talent on the offensive end, but winning at the defensive end, working hard and keeping up with the star-level small forwards. Perhaps it was the performance of the melon defense while playing for the Knicks impressed the Nuggets management, who later initiated a trade with the Knicks to get Balkman's trade.
In six seasons in the NBA, Balkman averaged 4.0 points, 3.5 rebounds and 0.7 steals per game, and his last NBA season was 11/12. In the history of Puerto Rican basketball, there are very few players who can stand in the NBA, and Balkman's performance is obviously quite good. At present, the then 37-year-old Balkman has not retired and is mixed in the Southeast Asian League. In terms of international competition, Balkman has long been the main internal player of the Puerto Rica men's basketball team. At the FIBA World Cup the year before, Balkman, who was already a veteran, also averaged 9 points, 5.2 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game.
III. Daniel Santiago
Giant center Daniel Santiago, who is 2.16 meters tall, is the flag figure of Puerto Rican basketball after the new century, and presumably the beginning of many NBA fans to know Puerto Rican players. From 2000 to 2005, Daniel Santiago played for the Suns and Bucks in the NBA, leaving a record of 3.4 points and 2.1 rebounds per game.
As a member of Puerto Rico, Daniel Santiago played for the team until after 2014, when he officially retired in 2015. In the international arena, Daniel Santiago is accustomed to wearing sports glasses to play, and his style is still quite memorable.
Ii. José Barria
Seven years after being shadowed by a small guard from Puerto Rico, another, more mini-sized Puerto Rico has created bad memories for James. Veteran fans who know both NBA and FIBA events will definitely know that the first player I am talking about is NBA Ronin Arroyo, and as for the second place, it is the Mavericks star Barria.
As a non-draft player, Barria joined the NBA in the 06-07 season. In his 14-season career, Barria played for the Dallas Mavericks and Minnesota Timberwolves, averaging 8.9 points and 3.9 assists per game, peaking with 11.3 points and 5.7 assists in the season.
As a substitute player, Barria is full of energy, good at using speed and breaking through the defensive line in chaotic battles, disrupting the rhythm of the opponent. The 10/11 championship ring, nearly $40 million in career salary, marrying Miss Universe, has its own famous scene, it can be said that José Barria is the most successful player in puerto Rican basketball history in a secular sense.
I. Carlos Arroyo
In NBA history, Arroyo is the fifth Puerto Rican athlete to land in the NBA. At fiba, Arroyo was probably the first player to truly shock the world with puerto Rica.
Looking back at Arroyo's NBA career, it began in the 01/02 NBA season. Prior to this, Arroyo had become popular in Puerto Rica basketball as a talented teenager, and had come to the Florida Business School in Miami early to study and chase basketball dreams. In his four years of college, Arroyo averaged 16.6 points and 4.0 assists per game.
Helplessly, on the night of the 2001 draft, no team was willing to choose this skinny defender from Puerto Rico. After losing the election, Arroyo had to go to the Spanish league with his unfinished NBA dream to pan for gold and train. Without waiting long, Arroyo was quickly called by the NBA, and the Nuggets subsequently signed Arroyo on a short 10-day contract.
With his efforts, Arroyo eventually managed to stay until the end of the season. A year later, Arroyo was offered the Jazz. At that time, legendary point guard Stockton was old, and the Jazz wanted to develop a qualified successor on the guard line, and Arroyo became the object of their observation.
By the 03/04 season, in the competition with Spain's Raúl Lopez, Arroyo overwhelmed his opponents, promoted to the starting point guard position, and played the best NBA season of his career, averaging 28.3 minutes per game, contributing 12.6 points, 5.0 assists and 2.6 rebounds, shooting 44.1% from the field. Unfortunately, in the following year, Arroyo's form fell back slightly, and he was immediately demoted to a substitute, and then began his ronin career.
Two years later, in the 05/06 season, Arroyo played highlights again at the Magic, averaging 10.2 points, 2.9 assists and 2.2 rebounds for the team with 22 minutes per game, shooting 50.1 percent from the field. Unfortunately, after such a performance, Arroyo still failed to win the trust of the NBA team, and later in his career he still maintained the position of a backup point guard or a fire point guard.
In his nine-year NBA career, the Puerto Rican Demon Guard has moved from seven NBA teams, leaving an average of 18.7 minutes per game and contributing 6.6 points and 3.7 assists. Frankly, if he can meet an NBA team that is willing to give him stable development time and patience, the NBA career achievements may be even more brilliant.
As far as the NBA career is concerned, the height reached during the highlight period is similar to that of The Barria, but the length and honor are not as good. However, in terms of the lethality and highlight performance shown in the FIBA venue, Carlos Arrow is about the first puerto rican basketball player, presumably most fans still agree.
Back at the 2004 Athens Olympics, Arroyo scored 24 points, 7 assists and 4 steals in the matchup, completely suppressing Iverson in the matchup, and finally led the team to a 92-73 victory in the group stage. Since then, Arroyo and his Puerto Rica men's basketball team have become the eternal representatives of the Giant Killer in the history of basketball.