Washington Wizards fans have become uneasy at the thought of having international players on the team. We’ve lived through Oleksiy Pecherov, Darius Songalia, and the worst of all, Jan Vesely.

While neither Pecherov nor Songalia had high expectations coming into the league, Vesely was the sixth overall pick in the 2011 NBA Draft. He’s no longer in the league and will probably never step on an NBA court again.

Ernie Grunfeld was convinced that the 6’11” Czech star would become a perfect running mate next to John Wall, but he failed to leave any sort of positive impact on the team. That pick alone makes people worrisome of any gambles that Grunfeld may take in the draft.

So when the Washington Wizards picked Vesely’s teammate, Tomas Satoransky, over Draymond Green in 2012, fans were furious.

Satoransky, an unpopular guard from the same country as Vesely, had “bust” written all over him before he even donned a red-white-blue uniform in the nation’s capital.

Like many of you, I hated the Satoransky pick.

I would’ve taken Green out of Michigan State, but since 2012 I’ve had the chance to watch Satoransky play against elite-level talent overseas and my opinion has changed.

Most NBA general managers love tall point guards and Grunfeld isn’t any different. Satoransky is the prototypical tall point guard. He can shoot the ball pretty well from the perimeter, defends, and most importantly, knows how to run the team.

After several years of playing in Europe, including a current stint with Barcelona, Satoransky will reportedly join the Washington Wizards next year.

The Wizards are hoping to land a top free agent next summer (*cough Kevin Durant cough*), so most people won’t focus on the Satoransky signing when it actually happens. However, if/when he finally joins the Wizards, the organization will get another player that could potentially become a part of their core.

Satoransky is just 23-years-old and has played against top competition for most of his life, which cannot be said for most rookies coming into the NBA.

Unlike Jan Vesely, Satoransky has shown a steady progression in his game. A few seasons ago, Satoransky couldn’t shoot the ball well from three. Last year with Barcelona, Satoransky shot over 45 percent from three. That’s…good.

Now that he’s knocking down jumpers consistently, Satoransky is becoming a bigger threat off the dribble. Satoransky is virtually the only player on the Czech national team’s roster that can create for himself, but that hasn’t limited his game.

In this year’s Eurobasket Tournament, Satoransky has averaged over 14 points to go along side 6 rebounds and 6 assists per game. Those numbers don’t necessarily jump off the screen, but it does show how versatile he’s become.

Satoransky has all the tools to become a very solid contributor at the next level. At 6’7″, Randy Wittman (or whoever is coaching the team next season) will be able to play Satoransky along side both Wall and Bradley Beal. The Washington Wizards are looking to play more small-ball and have slowly acquired a number of players that will fit perfectly in that system.

Wall, Beal, Otto Porter, Kelly Oubre and Satoransky will make up one of the best young cores in the Eastern Conference. Not many people, including myself, were high on Satoransky a few seasons ago, but he’s really grown into a star overseas.

We’re seeing more and more players come from Europe and make an impact in the NBA. Nikola Mirotic spent a few years overseas after getting drafted by the Chicago Bulls and seems to have a bright future with their team. Satoransky isn’t as highly touted, but the transition should be just as seamless.