I partially agree when Kobe said European players are more skillful than American players. I haven't seen all European players, but the European players in the NBA are very skillful.

Basketball is a popular sport in the America, but we started to get players who are just more physical, but not necessary skillful. Why? I think it's because we are getting used to watching ESPN top 10 and NBA top 10. The young players growing up wants to be like those 5 second clips, they try very hard to dribble cross over someone or to dunk over someone. We tend to forget basketball is a team sports. The basketball game does not win by fooling someone off a dribble or a highlight dunk.

Let's take a look at the type of highlight from the top 10 plays produced by the NBA on the first 4 days of the year:

1/1: 5 dunks
1/2: 8 dunks and 2 blocks
1/3: 8 dunks, 1 block, and 1 team work.
1/4: 9 dunks and 1 layup.

In the 35 highlights (1/1 is top 5 instead of top 10),  30 dunks, 3 blocks, 1 layup, and 1 team work. (The team work highlight is from the San Antonio Spurs)

No wonder why we have more dunkers in the top draft than basketball players who can actually do the basketball basic: Shoot, pass, and cut.