Over the past couple of season Dontaye Draper has established himself in Europe as a pass-first type Euroleague point guard with excellent scoring skills.

After two successful years in Croatia and winning the 2010-11 season Eurocup MVP award, Draper unsurprisingly was been ranked seventh in RealGM's Top 10 Euroleague Point Guards list.

However, the 5-foot-10 Croatian passport holder, had to adjust to a new role with his new team, Real Madrid, as his playing time has been limited as never before. Draper averages only 13.8 minutes per game in Euroleague and in the ACB but he remains positive. Real has been a winning team so far this season and Draper is willing to do whatever it takes to help win championships.

RealGM caught up with Draper for a one-on-one interview to discuss his Euroleague debut, Real Madrid, Croatia and more.

RealGM: First of all, Real won eight out of 11 games in the Euroleague and remained undefeated in Spanish championship until last weekend. What are the main causes for the team success?

Draper: I think our main reason for success is that we are a very deep team and everyone is unselfish. We play really well together and work hard in practice.

RealGM: How would you evaluate your debut in Euroleague? How is it different from Eurocup?

Draper: Well, it is pretty different. When I played in Eurocup, I played more than 30 minutes per game and I had the ball in my hands a lot, so it is really hard for me to compare. But our group was very tough, it was great to finish in first place.

RealGM: Obviously, Real is an elite European team that always has high standards. Have you ever felt the pressure in Madrid?

Draper: At the beginning when I came here, I put a lot pressure on myself because I didn't know what to expect. So in the preseason I was struggling trying to find my role in the team. But as the season went on, it got easier. 

RealGM: Overall, how does it feel to be a part of an organization like Real Madrid, which is well-known all over the world?

Draper: It feels really great playing for this organization. I can't explain to you the feeling. Everything they do is first class. They really treat you well. It's like a big family.

RealGM: Throughout your career in Europe, you've always been one of key players on your team. With so much talent on Real, your playing time so far has been very limited. Is that a thing that concerns you?

Draper: Yes, this is the first time in my career I have had to take on a role like this. It is a adjustment for me but I am cool with it. We have a total of three point guards. Me, Sergio Llull and Sergio Rodriguez. They are great players and having a great season too. They been here for some years and they are both established. So when I play, I try to bring defense, intensity, leadership and run the team. There are some games where I don't even take a shot, but in that game I made my presence felt on defensive end and running the team. I try to do whatever the team needs on that night. I'm very happy though, we are winning.

RealGM: What is like to be playing and training day-in and day-out alongside great Euroleague players like Rudy Fernandez, Nikola Mirotic, Marcus Slaughter, Jaycee Carroll and many others?

Draper: Our practices are actually fun. We really compete and go after it. Like I said before, we have a deep team and all of us are matched up in practice. We do a lot of four-on-four and five-on-five. We go hard (laughing)!

RealGM: Do you believe this Real team has what it takes to go all the way to the Euroleague finals or is there something that needs to be improved?

I think we got what it takes to go to the Final Four and win the championship. Everybody on our team knows their role and if we continue to play like we have been playing, I think we have a good shot at it. 

RealGM: Talking international hoops, how did you end up with the decision to acquire the Croatian citizenship and later join the Croatian national team?

Draper: Well, after my first year in Croatia, I played pretty well in the Eurocup and Adriatic league. They came to me and asked if I would like to play. I said yes, it was a honor for me to play (for Croatia).

RealGM: Did you have any other offers than playing for Croatia?

Draper: No, I didn't have any other offers.

RealGM: In your opinion, how did playing for Croatia influence your career?

Draper: Playing in Croatia was huge for me. Aco Petrovic gave me a big opportunity to show my game. He came to me in Vegas during summer league and told me, if I don't make the NBA, come play for him and have some fun. I loved playing for him and in his system, similar to Pablo Laso. They both give you freedom to play as you feel. Aco told me I need to do everything. Score, rebound, assist and defend and that's how I became MVP of Eurocup and runner up MVP of the Adriatic League. That season was fun.

RealGM: Before you joined the Croatian national team, did you know anything about their basketball history (Drazen Petrovic, Toni Kukoc, Zan Tabak, Dino Radja and etc)?

Draper: Yes, I knew about Drazen Pertrovic, Tony Kukoc and Dino Ragja. They are legends.

RealGM: You been taking a part of NBA summer leagues for many years. Do you see yourself attempting to make it to the NBA in the future?

Draper: Well, the NBA is always a dream, but now I'm playing for Real and have a nice contract and I'm happy here. But after I'm finish playing here, if a team wants to sign me, I would look into it but I won't be doing summer league or anything like that anymore. I'm getting old (laughing).

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The 2012-13 Euroleague regular season will begin on October 19th and here are RealGM's preseason power rankings.

1. CSKA Moscow (Russia)

The absence of Andrei Kirilenko and Alexey Shved will definitely be felt, but the return of head coach Ettore Messina and the acquisition of one of the best Euroleague rookies of 2011-12 season, Sonny Weems, maintains CSKA as the most talented team in Euroleague. Also, it's going to be the second season in Russia for Serbians Milos Teodosic and Nenad Krstic, who together with Weems should lead CSKA to the Final Four.

2. FC Barcelona Regal (Spain)

FC Barcelona Regal clearly suffered some serious losses this offseason as one of the most versatile Euroleague players, Chuck Eidson, left for Unics and two big men moved south to Unicaja Malaga. Barcelona didn’t shock the market by making huge signings, but that’s what their front office usually does. The Catalonians managed to re-sign RealGM’s last season’s All-Euroleague 1st Team member Erazem Lorbek, who together with elite point guard Marcelinho Huertas, healthy Juan Carlos Navarro and Olympic surprise Joe Ingles might help FC Barcelona Regal make another Final Four appearance.

3. Real Madrid (Spain)

Real’s time has finally come. It has been 18 years since Real won its last Euroleague title and this year Pablo Laso’s team has the best chance they have had in years. This season’s Real is very versatile, having the pieces to go all the way to the top. They are both young and experienced, explosive and dangerous, which by adding Rudy Fernandez this offseason might become unstoppable in every league they’ll compete in the 12-13 season.

4. Fenerbahce Ulker Istanbul (Turkey)

It seems that Montepaschi Siena was relocated to Turkey and that’s good news for Fenerbahce Ulker fans. Fenerbahce Ulker managers opened their pockets to bring former Montepaschi players David Andersen, Romain Sato, Bo McCalebb and coach Simone Pianigiani. These pieces have experience together, therefore Fenerbahce Ulker should find a winning path straight away. Everybody in Europe knows that McCalebb, who signed a three-year deal with the Turkish team, is a game changer and a Euroleague Final Four is probably not so far away for Fenerbahce Ulker.

5. Olympiacos Piraeus (Greece)

After a stunning performance in last season’s Final Four, current Euroleague champion Olympiacos is no longer an underdog. Every team will treat Olympiacos as a champion and the expectations for the Greeks will be sky high. Despite the departure of head coach Dusan Ivkovic, Olympiacos managed to maintain the core of the team and especially the key Greek players from the last season  - Vassilis Spanoulis, Georgios Printezis, Kostas Papanikolaou, and American Kyle Hines.

6. Maccabi Tel Aviv (Israel)

Maccabi is clearly not the same dominant team as it was in 2004 or 2005, but they are one of only few who remained elite for years and are always among top candidates to claim the title. Before the start of the season, Maccabi doesn’t seem to be at the same line with Europe’s best (CSKA and FC Barcelona Regal), but David Blatt and his players are capable of beating the odds and making a long run in this year’s Euroleague.

7. Unicaja Malaga (Spain)

Unicaja has been struggling for years in the Euroleague tournament but there are signs that the dark days for Malaga basketball might be over. Unicaja, which won only five out of 24 games in the Top 16 in last four years, had to say goodbye to its team face Joel Freeland and 11 other players and build a new team from the ground up. Luka Zoric, Fran Vazquez and Kosta Perovic will form one of the best frontcourts in the league, which will be the key strength of Unicaja.

8. Montepaschi Siena (Italy)

Life after Bo McCalebb won’t be easy and Montepaschi is about to experience that. Montepaschi completely changed its team by almost completely turning over its roster and starting a new page. Montepaschi managers had to say goodbye to Siena’s biggest stars and its leader McCalebb, who had been Montepaschi’s key player since 2010. As other teams’ experience shows, it takes years to build a winning Euroleague team, therefore patience might be an essential thing for this year’s Montepaschi.

9. EA7 Emporio Armani Milano (Italy)

After years of disappointments, EA7 Emporio Armani was finally very close to making the Top 8 last season and this year’s team looks even more impressive. It seems the managers of Olimpia Milano did their best on bringing an elite player, such as Keith Langford, and missing pieces like Gianluca Basile and Richard Hendrix. EA7 Emporio Armani hasn’t looked this strong for many years and this might be the best chance for Sergio Scariolo and his guys to break their team's curse of Euroleague.

10. Panathinaikos Athens (Greece)

The post-Obradovic era begins. Nine new players and more to come as Panathinaikos was completely rebuilt this offseason. The wind of changes came when eight-time Euroleague champion Zeljko Obradovic, who coached Panathinaikos since 1999, stepped down and 11 players left the team as well. One of two players who stayed in Athens, Dimitris Diamantidis and new coach Argyris Pedoulakis is in a very difficult position as it might take more than a season to build a strong relationship between players and bring Panathinaikos back on the winning path.

11. Caja Laboral Vitoria (Spain)

The biggest upset of the last season, Caja Laboral do not have any reasons to be very optimistic about this year as well. Two key players, Euroleague leading points per game scorer Mirza Teletovic and team assist leadser Pablo Prigioni left the Spanish organization for the NBA and Caja Laboral struggles to find a proper replacement. It wouldn’t be a huge surprise to see group C’s Caja Laboral missing Top 16 for the second straight season.

12. Zalgiris Kaunas (Lithuania)

Similar to last season, Zalgiris formed a solid roster for the Euroleague tournament and seems to be a Top 8 team on paper. But Zalgiris fans know the best that it's way too early to celebrate and there's nothing to be excited about before the Top 16 starts. Statistics don't lie: over the last nine years, Zalgiris won only seven and lost 35 games in the Top 16 stage. Despite how good Zalgiris' roster seemed to be, Kaunas won just four matches in Top 16 since 2004 and holds an awful 4-32 record.

13. Khimki Moscow region

Eurocup winner Khimki formed its team the earliest among all Euroleague clubs and signed all players even before the beginning of the summer. Khimki didn’t spend as much money as they did in the past, but Rimas Kurtinaitis’ team should repeat their success in 2009-10 and make it out of the group with the talent they have.

14. Anadolu Efes Istanbul

‘Born to lose’ are the first three words, which came to my mind when I hear the name Anadolu Efes Istanbul. It didn’t matter how many top European players Istanbul had on its roster, they have always failed to meet expectations. The main reason is that chemistry is something money can’t buy. However, Anadolu Efes will have another shot to make a long run this season, as they’ll have future MVP candidate Jordan Farmar on their side and many other individually great players. As always.

15. Besiktas Istanbul (Turkey)

No doubt, last season was amazing for Besiktas and their fans as Istanbul club won three titles - Turkish league, Turkish Cup and EuroChallenge (the third best European competition). It was simply the gold age for the Turkish team, but this year’s Besiktas will be different as day and night. The whole starting five left the club and that doesn’t mean anything good for Besiktas.

16. Cedevita Zagreb (Croatia)

It’s not a secret that the last two seasons weren’t the best for Croatian basketball, but it seems Cedevita is here to change the things. Definitely, Cedevita wasn’t the luckiest club on the Euroleague draw day as they would probably like to be anywhere but in group C. However, the Croatian team’s managers did nice work this offseason by building a versatile team with few well-known names, who are good enough to shake things up make a mess in group C.

17. Brose Baskets Bamberg (Germany)

Brose Baskets proved that German basketball can compete with the Europe’s best clubs and last season was just one step away from making to the Top 16. During the offseason, Brose Baskets lost some very important pieces and is going to be quite a challenge for Chris Fleming to build a winning team with the guys he has now.

18. Partizan Belgrade (Serbia)

As usual, Partizan will be a team to watch this season. The Serbian club will have many well-known talents on its roster. Davis Bertans, Dejan Musli, Leo Westermann, Bogdan Bogdanovic have proved themselves in youth tournaments and now it’s time to demonstrate their capabilities on the big scene. Moreover, coach Dusko Vujosevic, who led Partizan to the Final four in 09-10, is back in Belgrade. The 24-year-old Marko Cakarevic is currently the oldest player on the team, but it is surely going to be fun to watch how talented and hungry Partizan will try to find its way out of the group D.

19. Lietuvos Rytas Vilnius (Lithuania)

One of the two best Lithuanian teams, Lietuvos Rytas is known for signing less-known players and making the most out of them. This season is going to be a no exception as Lietuvos Rytas lost its biggest star, Jonas Valanciunas, and didn't add any elite players to its squad. Even with the roster as it is now, Lietuvos Rytas, is capable of making it out of the group but might lack talent to shake things up in the Top 16.

20. Alba Berlin (Germany)

It’s been a while since Alba won its last title and it seems the hype from making to the Euroleague Top 16 in 08-09 disappeared. Even after being  awful last season, Alba got a chance to play in the Euroleague, where their chances are really limited. Nevertheless, everything is possible in group B for Alba, especially with the support they’ll have at home games.

21. Elan Chalon (France)

French teams has always been like tourists in the Euroleague and Elan Chalon will probably be no exception. On the other hand, Elan Chalon made one of the most interesting signings this offseason in six-year NBA veteran Shelden Williams. Of course, it would be a no-braner to believe Williams could carry Elan Chalon on his back to the Top 16 stage, but he could make some serious problems for group D underdogs, Asseco Prokom and Alba.

22. Asseco Prokom Gdynia (Poland)

The previous two seasons were horrible for Asseco Prokom and it seems that the Polish team is heading for a third one. New head coach Kestutis Kemzuras will have a very difficult task to build a winning team from very average players. Also, Asseco Prokom will be missing its biggest star, Donatas Motiejunas, who moved to Houston Rockets, and for now, there’s no such player, who could replace Motiejunas and become a leader of the team.

23. Union Olimpija Ljubljana (Slovenia)

Last season’s worst team, Union Olimpija, didn’t do much this offseason to avoid the same situation this year. Ljubljana’s team lost all its best players and the new additions look more like a lottery than a promising future. It seems that Union Olimpija don’t have financial problems anymore and that might be club’s biggest victory of the offseason.

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As all European basketball leagues have ended their 2011-12 season, RealGM has traditionally checked in on how many American players were crowned as champions this year.

RealGM has counted that just like in the 2010-11 season, 107 players from the U.S. became champions in 45 European national leagues this season.

Belgium champions BC Oostende, the winners of Czech Republic championship CEZ Nymburk, French champions Elan Shalon, Italian league winners Montepasch Siena and Portuguese champions Benfica were ‘the most American’ champion teams with five players from the U.S. on their roster in 2011-12.

In contrast, SK Tirana (Albania), Gala BC Baku (Azerbaijan), Zalgiris Kaunas (Lithuania), Athleta (Malta), UASM (Moldova) and Edinburgh Kings (Scotland) won titles without American players on their rosters.

RealGM presents the European national leagues champions list, where you can find all 107 players names (top-five European national competitions are bolded).