We already did it a breakdown of Alexandre Sarr, who plays in Australia and could be selected first overall in the 2024 NBA draft. However, before we start talking about some of the prospects playing basketball in the United States, you’ll want to know about some other international players. Here are six prospects who are part of a loaded group overseas:
Nikola Topic – Guard 6’6” (Mega Basket)
I have Topic as a top three prospect in this class. For now, I just want him to be on the radar of casual basketball fans. This season, Topic is averaging 18.9 points, 6.2 assists, 3.6 rebounds and 1.1 steals per game for Mega, the club Nikola Jokic played for before being drafted by the Denver Nuggets . The Serbian club has become a talent factory over the years, and Topic appears to be the team’s next NBA star – unless Nikola Jovic somehow beats him out. The big guard has already proven to be a pick-and-roll maestro, and he should immediately dazzle in the NBA as a high-usage player.
Topic is one of the best passers to come through the draft in some time. He always seems to make the right reads, and he can make absurd passes on a live dribble – like one-handed darts to corner shooters. His size also makes him even more dangerous as a point guard. On top of that, Topic is something of a walking paint dab, capable of using hesitant dribbles and smart footwork to get to the rim. Topic is a great finisher to the basket, and he likes to get to his mid-range jumper. So he is able to beat defenses in different ways. Topic also happens to be an 86.2% free throw shooter, which leads me to believe he will significantly improve on his 31.7% from three. I actually really like the look of his jumper, and I like his confidence in getting off the dribble.
Topic has already made some comparisons to Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, which is obviously high praise. I wouldn’t want to put that kind of pressure on the 18-year-old, but I think he’s the second-best upside bet in this draft. And if he continues to film awesome things, he might end up being the No. 1 player on my board. I love what he brings as a ball creator, and I think he has an extremely high floor.
Zaccharie Risacher – Forward 6’9” (JL Bourg-en-Bresse)
Like Sarr, Risacher is another Frenchman who looks like a lock to be a lottery pick. However, even though Sarr is a player who will be drafted high due to his enticing tools and enormous potential, teams will know exactly what they want from Risacher. The slender wing has everything teams are looking for on the perimeter. Risacher is shooting 46.7% from three in all competitions this year, which is probably a little high considering his shooting numbers over the past few seasons. But Risacher has a smooth release and good shooting instincts. The 18-year-old is constantly sliding to open up spaces on the pitch, becoming a constant target for his team’s ball handlers. Risacher also knows how to use his jumper to create a better look, whether it’s a side step for a cleaner look or an attack at the rim.
Risacher is also a guy who should be a very valuable defender at the next level. He showed impressive abilities as a help defender, often finding ways to get into passing lanes or disrupt field goal shots. I also liked seeing Risacher defend the perimeter, where he uses his length well to stay in front of his man. Risacher needs to avoid being a little too stiff and upright when defending, but this is an extremely fixable problem. He’s a pretty good athlete and his instincts are there, so he’ll likely be a higher-level defender – and that will be the case at several different positions.
Risacher just feels like a player who will start and finish games right away, as it seems like he’ll be at least a good prospect at three and D. However, there’s a bit more potential to tap into here, as Risacher has improved his control and seems somewhat comfortable getting the ball up the floor. If he ends up being a takeaway guy who can run the offense in a pinch, there just might be a path for him to one day become an All-Star.
Bobi Klintman – Forward 6’10” (Cairns)
Klintman really doesn’t feel like an international prospect, having played for Wake Forest in 2022-23. Klintman averaged 5.3 points and 4.5 rebounds per game for the Demon Deacons, then made the decision to turn professional. Klintman likely would have been a late first-round pick if he had entered the draft directly after this season, but he clearly thought it was in his best interest to go in a different direction. Well, Klintman’s journey ended up taking him to Australia, and the 20-year-old is averaging 11.5 points, 5.0 rebounds and 1.2 steals per game for Cairns this season.
Klintman has many of the tools that NBA front offices covet on the perimeter, as he is a long wing blessed with athleticism and the ability to space the court. The only problem with Klintman is that he feels extremely green, even though he’s been playing high-level basketball for a while. Klintman has everything a wing needs to come out and impact games, but his production seems to come and go – on both ends of the court. At 6-foot-10, with the ability to really move, he should be a threat defensively. But he can sometimes fall asleep without moving, and he doesn’t really lock people on an island. He should be much better on that end of the floor, which will be one of the next steps in his development.
Klintman also needs to continue shooting as a shooter. He’s shooting 35.2% from three and he’s doing it on 4.5 attempts per game, which is a big development for him. Klintman’s jump shot was one of the things people were hoping to see improve, and it certainly seems like he’s doing just that. But this is still a relatively small sample size, and the jumper will be a swing skill for him. It would also be nice if Klintman was a little more aggressive as an offensive player, in general. Overall, he kind of feels like a guy lacking purpose right now. But it remains something of a ball of clay that NBA teams will be eager to try to shape.
Tidjane Salaun – Forward 6’10” (Panier Cholet)
Salaun is averaging 8.4 points, 2.9 rebounds and 1.3 steals per game this season, and he is shooting 34.2 percent from three. None of those numbers jump off the page, and Salaun has disappointed some people with his performance in the Jeep Elite league this season. However, the 18-year-old should be a borderline first-round pick whenever he comes out, and that’s because of his ability to shoot the ball and move at his size.
Salaun’s shooting hasn’t been particularly impressive this season, but he shot 36.3 percent from deep last year and 35.1 percent the year before that. His mechanics are actually pretty clean and he shoots a beautiful moon ball, much like Dirk Nowitzki did. I’d be very surprised if Salaun doesn’t end up being a good four, at the very least. But Salaun also has pop as an athlete, and I like the way he gets to the baseline and reads the game from the dunker point. This at least gives him the potential to impact things as a play finisher.
It would be nice if Salaun’s production started to match his physical tools and improve his skills, but that might not even be necessary for NBA front offices. I think he’ll end up drawing some lottery looks because of his potential, and I have a hard time imagining he’ll fall out of the first round.
Melvin Ajinca – Forward 6’8’’ (Saint-Quentin)
Ajinca is an interesting prospect as a very good three-point shooter who doesn’t possess much upside. Given his size and high-level athleticism, this will make him a highly coveted prospect. Ajinca is shooting just 32.9 percent from deep this season, but he shot 38.8 percent from three last year. And I just have a hard time worrying about his shooting numbers because I think he has as good mechanics as anyone in this draft. Ajinca has a nice left jab that he executes quickly, and he’s also good at resetting his feet after moves and preparing to shoot. In today’s NBA, it’s very easy to imagine how he can help a team. When I watched some of his tape, I immediately thought of Reggie Bullock. But Ajinca has much better tools than Bullock.
There are some people who are a bit better than me when it comes to Ajinca’s creation abilities, but improving a bit as a driver and scorer off the dribble would do wonders for him. The Frenchman could potentially be a guy who feels really good in the league, if he makes some of these improvements. But for now, I see him as a fifth starter, or a spark plug off the bench. He has the firepower to swing games, which is not a common ability.
Ajinca is also a sturdy rebounder and has the frame and athleticism to make a defensive impact on games. This is actually an area where he has a lot of room to improve, but becoming a more reliable player in these aspects of the game would earn him a lot of money at the next level.
Juan Nunez – Guard 6’4” (Ratiopharm Ulm)
Nunez is going to be a difficult player for NBA front offices to evaluate. The 19-year-old has an incredibly high basketball IQ and he should immediately be one of the best pick-and-roll decision-makers in the league. Nunez is a special passer and is able to manipulate defenses to make his teammates look better. But Nunez is also a below-average athlete and has a lot of work to do as a shooter.
Nunez is a smart team defender and usually positions himself in the right spots and plays the angles on that end of the court. But more explosive NBA guards could cause him a lot of problems. So he projects as a player who will have to be hidden at the next level, which is not going to be easy.
The jumper is also a big problem right now. I don’t think there’s anything mechanically wrong with the guard, but he’s only a 64.8% free throw shooter. And it’s not a random number either. He shot 60.7% from the line last year and under 60.0% in each of the previous two seasons. So at some point you have to believe there’s work to be done there, even if he’s shooting 37.2% from deep this season. The reality is that Nunez needs to become a guy who can be trusted to hit big shots. If he doesn’t consistently make triples, it will be difficult for him to stand out from NBA defenders.
Ultimately, I think Nunez will figure things out with the jumper, and I’ve been impressed with how he’s played this season. He’s reaching career highs in points, rebounds, assists and steals per game this season, and he’s really developing at a rapid pace. That said, I like his chances of working on his flaws and becoming a productive NBA player. At the moment, the Spaniard is considered a second-round pick, if anything. But given what I saw from him at the FIBA World Cup, as well as the minutes I saw him play for Ratiopharm Ulm, I think he can greatly outperform his draft pick. But I have a soft spot for guys who see the field the way he does, and I totally understand why people are a little skeptical of him.
