France isn’t the only country producing top-notch NBA prospects – that’s just an impression.
Victor Wembanyama was the first choice of the NBA Draft a year ago and won the league’s rookie of the year award.
Two other Frenchmen, Alexandre Sarr and Zaccharie Risacher, are expected to be the first picks in the draft on Wednesday night. Tidjane Salaun is another potential French lottery pick, and Pacôme Dadiet could be selected late in the first round.
But the international pool is not limited to 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 more detailed look:
Nikola Topic (Serbia)
The 6-foot-2 point guard is dealing with a partially torn ACL but is still a projected first-round pick. He doesn’t turn 19 until August. He was considered a top-five prospect entering the 2023-24 season after his performance with Belgrade Mega, the former team of Denver Nuggets center Nikola Jokic. Topic returned to his original club, Crvena Zvezda, midseason to play alongside one of his idols, Milos Teodosic, and get some meaningful minutes in the Euroleague. But he missed time with a left knee injury before the ACL issue later cropped up.
“I’m working on my rehab 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 pre-draft camp in Treviso, Italy. “After that, I’ll work on basketball. … I’ve been doing some weight training. It’s not 100 percent healed. I haven’t started running or basketball training. I’m focusing on my rehab, on my knee and my body mainly.”
In the latest AP NBA mock draft, Topic is projected to be selected 15th overall. He needs to improve his three-point shooting, as he shot about 30 percent last season. He averaged 14.5 points, 5.5 assists and 2.3 turnovers per game in an injury-shortened season.
Nikola Djurisic (Serbia)
The 2.01-m winger has played significant minutes the past two years as a starter with Mega, where he was teammates with Topic for part of last season. Djurisic, 20, has improved his three-point shooting this season but is still shooting just 30.5 percent overall — and 33.6 percent in 30 Adriatic League games. He has averaged 14.8 points, 2.8 rebounds, 3.4 assists, 1.2 steals and 3.2 turnovers.
In an interview with the Indiana Pacers during his visit to their facility for a pre-draft workout, the 200-pound Djurisic said he was trying to show that he was a “three-level scorer, capable of defending multiple positions, capable of going 1-through-4.” He said he was “definitely a creator” on the court “who cares about finding available teammates.” He is projected as a second-round pick.
Bobi Klintman (Sweden)
The 21-year-old Swede played last season in Australia as part of the National Basketball League’s Next Stars program. A versatile 6-foot-10 forward, Klintman shot 36 percent from three-point range in 23 NBL games for the Cairns Taipans, averaging 9.7 points and 4.8 rebounds per game. The 210-pound Klintman played one season at Wake Forest and withdrew from last year’s draft. The AP mock draft predicts Klintman will go late in the first round.
Juan Nunez (Spain)
After playing in Real Madrid’s academy, the 2.03m point guard has played at Ratiopharm Ulm in Germany for the past two seasons. The left-hander shot 31.9% from three-point range during his two seasons there.
Nunez, 20, has shown signs of improvement. He averaged 9.9 points, 4.9 assists and 2.3 turnovers in 2023-24 and in 15 Eurocup games, he has increased those numbers to 10.8 points, 5.7 assists and 35 percent from three-point range. A crafty pick-and-roll player, the 205-pound Nunez lacks explosiveness. He’s not an elite defender, but he can be disruptive there. Nunez shot just 60.7 percent from the free-throw line last season. Most mock drafts have Nunez as a second-round pick, which could make him a draft-and-stash candidate.
Ulrich Chomche (Cameroon)
The 6-foot-2 center is trying to become the first NBA Academy student-athlete to go straight to an NBA team. The 230-pound Chomche narrowly qualifies for the 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, he averaged 13 points, nine rebounds and 2.7 blocks. His game is often described as “raw,” due to his limitations on offense. With a 7-foot wingspan, he can certainly block shots and protect the basket. African academy alumni Babacar Sané of Senegal and Thierry Darlan of the Central African Republic are off to G League Ignite. Sané is in the draft; Darlan had declared but withdrew.
