France isn’t the only country producing top NBA prospects – that seems to be the case.
Victor Wembanyama was the No. 1 pick in the NBA draft a year ago and won the league title. Rookie of the Year Award.
Two other Frenchmen – Alexandre Sarr and Zaccharie Risacher – would be the first choices Wednesday night at the draft. Tidjane Salaun is another potential lottery pick in France, and Pacôme Dadiet could come in late in the first round.
But the international pool extends beyond France. Other hopefuls include Nikola Topic and Nikola Djurisic of Serbia, Bobi Klintman of Sweden, Juan Nunez of Spain and Ulrich Chomche of Cameroon.
Here’s a closer look:
Nikola Topic (Serbia)
The 6-foot-6 point guard has a Partially torn ACL but he should still be a first round pick. He won’t turn 19 until August. He was projected as a top-five prospect entering the 2023-24 season after his performance with Belgrade club Mega – center for the Denver Nuggets. Nikola Jokic The old team. Topic returned mid-season to his original club Crvena Zvezda (Red Star) to play alongside one of his idols, Milos Theodosic, and to get significant minutes in the Euroleague. But he missed time with a left knee injury – before the ACL problem that arose later.
“I’m working on my rehabilitation from my knee injury, and that’s my main focus right now,” Topic said during a video call with reporters June 4 from the NBA’s preliminary camp in Treviso, in Italy. “After that, I will work on basketball. … I did (the) weight room. It’s not 100% cured. I didn’t start running or training with (the) basketball. The focus is on my rehabilitation, on my knee and on my body mainly.
In the last AP NBA Mock Draft, The topic should be selected 15th. He needs to improve his 3-point shooting – as he shot about 30% last season. He averaged 14.5 points, 5.5 assists and 2.3 turnovers per game during an injury-shortened season.
Nikola Djurisic (Serbia)
The 6-7 small forward logged major minutes over the past two years as a starter with Mega, where he was teammates with Topic for part of last season. Djurisic, 20, improved his 3-point shooting this season, but still shot just 30.5 percent overall — and 33.6 percent in 30 Adriatic League games. He averaged 14.8 points, 2.8 rebounds, 3.4 assists, 1.2 steals and 3.2 turnovers.
In a interview with the Indiana Pacers during his visit there for pre-draft training, the 209-pound Djurisic said he was trying to show he was “a three-level scorer, that he can defend multiple positions, that he can go from 1 to 4”. He says he’s “definitely a creator” on the court “who cares about finding open teammates.” He is projected as a second-round pick.
Bobi Klintman (Sweden)
The 21-year-old Swede played in Australia last season as part of the National Basketball League team. Next stars ” program. A versatile 6-foot-9 forward, Klintman shot 36% from 3-point range in 23 NBL games for the Cairns Taipans while averaging 9.7 points and 4.8 rebounds per game. Klintman, who weighs 212 pounds, played one season at Wake Forest and withdrew from last year’s draft. The AP’s mock draft predicts Klintman heading toward the end of the first round.
Juan Nunez (Spain)
After playing in Real Madrid’s youth system, the 6-4 point guard played with Ratiopharm Ulm in Germany for the past two seasons. The left-hander shot 31.9% from 3-point range in his two seasons there.
Nunez, 20, showed improvement. He averaged 9.9 points, 4.9 assists and 2.3 turnovers in 2023-24 and in 15 Eurocup games he brought those numbers to 10.8 points, 5.7 assists and has shot 35% from beyond the arc. A crafty pick-and-roll playmaker, the 205-pound Nunez lacks explosiveness. He is not an elite defender but can be disruptive on that end of the floor. Nunez shot just 60.7 percent from the free throw line last season. Most mock drafts predict Nunez as a second-round pick, which could make him a draft-and-stash candidate.
Ulrich Chomche (Cameroon)
The 6-10 center is trying to become the first NBA Academy student-athlete to join an NBA team directly. Chomche, who weighs 232 pounds, barely qualifies for this draft — he turns 19 on Dec. 30.
He played two seasons in the Basketball Africa League. Chomche was preparing for a third season but withdrew when he received an invitation to the NBA Combine. In three BAL qualifying games playing for the academy team, he averaged 13 points, nine rebounds and 2.7 blocks. His playing is often described as ” raw”, due to limitations on the offensive side. With a 7-foot-4 wingspan, he can certainly block shots and protect the rim. Africa academy alumni Babacar Sané of Senegal and Thierry Darlan of the Central African Republic have left for G League Ignite. Sané is in the draft; Darlan said so but withdrew.
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