For the two-and-a-half months between the end of Summer League in mid-July and the opening of training camp in late September, the NBA world takes a well-deserved hiatus. But on the international hoops scene, things are just starting to heat up.

Obviously, the Olympics and FIBA World Cup serve as the primary avenues for basketball competition between nations, but in the years between the two quadrennial events a handful of regional tournaments take their place. In the late Summer of odd-numbered years, EuroBasket pits European teams against one another to earn qualification for the Olympics and FIBA World Cup, the FIBA Americas Championship does the same for North and South America, AfroBasket serves as the qualifying tournament for the African continent, and the FIBA Oceania Championship and FIBA Asia Championship do so for those regions.

This summer, three players involved with the Sixers are competing in these tournaments – 2014 first-round pick Dario Saric is representing Croatia at EuroBasket, reserve center Furkan Aldemir is doing the same for Turkey, and Canadian-born Nik Stauskas is playing alongside Timberwolves swingman Andrew Wiggins for their country’s national team at FIBA Americas. Here’s a look at how they’ve performed to this point:

Dario Saric, Croatia

Through two games (1-1), Dario Saric has shown flashes of brilliance in front of a friendly crowd in Zagreb, Croatia. In a team-high 31.5 minutes per game, the 6’10” combo-forward has averaged 9.5 points on 58.3% from the floor and 50.0% from beyond the arc to go along with 6.5 rebounds and 2.0 assists. He’s shown an impressive combination of power and finesse, drawing 6.0 personal fouls per game and leading his team in rebounding while also making plays like this one in the open court:

Saric, who models his game after Hall of Fame point guard Magic Johnson and fellow countryman Drazen Petrovic, has continued to show the improving perimeter game that could make him an interesting matchup option at small forward once he makes the jump to the NBA. He has always been an outstanding playmaker and ballhandler for his position, but his improvement as a shooter from beyond the arc over the past year has been impressive.

After shooting just 31.8% from range with Cibona Zagreb of the Adriatic League during the 2013-14 season, Saric opened his first year with Turkish League powerhouse Anadolu Efes on a similar skid. In the opening 23 games of last year, he went just 11-for-51 (21.6%) from distance, but in the 52 regular season games that followed he converted 56 of his 147 attempts from beyond the arc, good for a 38.1% conversion rate. Through two EuroBasket games, he’s made two of the four threes he’s attempted.

Furkan Aldemir, Turkey

Nicknamed the Twelve Giant Men, the Turkish National Team is stacked with frontcourt talent. Still, Furkan Aldemir has been able to carve out a role at EuroBasket, logging 27 minutes in two games (1-1) and notching six points, seven rebounds, a pair of assists, and a blocked shot.

Nik Stauskas, Canada

Playing for a stacked Canadian squad, Nik Stauskas starts at shooting guard alongside four other NBA players – Spurs point guard Cory Joseph, forwards Andrew Wiggins and Anthony Bennett of the Minnesota Timberwolves, and Celtics center Kelly Olynyk. Through six games (5-1), the 6’6” Stauskas has averaged 13.8 points (52.6 FG%, 48.3 3P%), 3.8 rebounds, and 3.5 assists per game. His 48.3% clip from distance is especially impressive given the fact that he’s taken 29 already, averaging 7.3 attempts per 36 minutes.

The former lottery pick figures to be in the mix for a starting wing spot for the Sixers after an underwhelming rookie season with the Sacramento Kings. In 23 games after the All-Star Break last season, Stauskas saw his three-point efficiency improve from 26.1% on 90 attempts to 42.1% on 58 attempts.

Up Next

Luckily, EuroBasket and FIBA Americas games are being televised through WatchESPN (using a service provider login). Here’s a rundown of upcoming games:

Tuesday, September 8, 2015

Turkey vs. Germany – 11:35pm (EST)

Croatia vs. Macedonia – 3:00pm (EST)

Canada vs. Mexico – 9:20pm (EST)

Wednesday, September 9, 2015

Turkey vs. Serbia – 8:20am (EST)

Croatia vs. Netherlands – 2:50pm (EST)

Canada vs. Dominican Republic – 3:20pm (EST)

Thursday, September 10, 2015

Croatia vs. Georgia – 11:50am (EST)

Turkey vs. Iceland – 2:50pm (EST)