Promised Russian NT preliminary roster (for your enjoyment I shall list it in a flashy way, only guards, forwards and centers
). Teams are the one in which this player ended 2016-2017 season.
Guards: Dmitrii Khvostov (1989; Lokomotiv), Ivan Strebkov (1991; Nizhny Novgorod), Maxim Kolyushkin (1990; Avtodor), Dmitrii Kulagin (1992; CSKA), Vyacheslav Zaytsev (1989; Khimki), Evgenii Baburin (1987; Lokomotiv), Mikhail Kulagin (1994; CSKA),
Alexei Shved (1988; Khimki),
Vitalii Fridzon (1985; CSKA), Sergei Bykov (1983; Avtodor);
Forwards:
Sergei Karasev (1993; Zenit),
Nikita Kurbanov (1986; CSKA), Vladislav Trushkin (1993; Enisei), Stanislav Il'nitskii (1994; Khimki), Alexander Zakharov (1993; Khimki),
Andrei Vorontsevich (1987; CSKA), Semyon Antonov (1989; CSKA),
Andrei Zubkov (1991; Lokomotiv), Pavel Antipov (1991; UNICS), Evgenii Valiev (1990; Zenit), Vladimir Ivlev (1990; Lokomotiv), Pyotr Gubanov (1987; Nizhny Novgorod);
Centers:
Timofei Mozgov (1986; LA Lakers), Artyom Klimenko (1994; UNICS), Dmitrii Sokolov (1985; Khimki), Anton Pushkov (1988; Zenit), Alan Makiev (1990; Avtodor).
Bolded are the players which most probably would make the final cut if they want to
(Semi)notable absences: PGs: Anton Ponkrashov (UNICS), Pavel Sergeev (Zenit), Artyom Vikhrov (Zenit), Vasilii Zavoruev (Enisei), Maxim Grigor'yev (Nizhny Novgorod), SGs: Egor Vyal'tsev (Khimki), Evgenii Voronov (UNICS), Evgenii Kolesnikov (Avtodor), SFs: Vadim Panin (UNICS).
Worst position is definitely C as aside from Mozgov most of the other guys were unable to crack rotations in their respetive clubs. Overall I think we have a solid quality in our ranks with enough of all-around, hard-working players whose playing potential could be a positive surprise for many of the basketball analysts and experts but we also experience a lack of true stars aside from one clinical idiot (Shved), one player who hugely overestimates his playing capabilities (Karasev) and one fake and kinda washed up NBA semistar (Mozgov). Also some of our potentially key players are coming off a fresh unsuccessful season (Khvostov, Kulagin, etc.).
