The 2025 NBA Draft class is being billed as a potentially generational crop of prospects. However, that’s not just limited to the players that are competing in the United States as there are several lottery-level prospects playing internationally.
• Nolan Traore: 6-foot-5 guard, Saint-Quentin
Teams that need lead guards will be happy with the options available in this draft. Between Rutgers star Dylan Harper, Illinois guard Kasparas Jakucionis and Traore, there’s several ball-handlers with serious pro potential.
Traore has been on the NBA radar for quite some time. The 18-year-old is currently averaging 9.8 points and 5.0 assists per game in a huge on-ball role for Saint-Quentin, which plays in the highly competitive LNB Elite. Traore is a very polished pick-and-roll operator, capable of scoring in a variety of different ways and creatively setting up teammates — he can make every pass in the book.
Traore has a nice-looking jumper and can hit off the dribble. He also possesses an impressive ability to change speeds, and he can get to his solid floater whenever he wants. All of those weapons allow him to score at all three levels, despite the fact that he is a fairly average athlete.
Traore’s efficiency has been a concern though. He’s shooting just 32.1% from the floor and 25.0% from deep. The key question is whether his limited athleticism will be a huge detriment at the next level. However, Traore is a young player that is playing in a good league. It’s possible he just needs some time to adjust. He should also benefit from the extra space that playing in the NBA will provide him.
Traore also has the length and instincts required to be a decent defender, and he plays extremely hard. That said, while he might not be a plus-level defender right now, he’s not a lost cause on that end of the floor.
• Hugo Gonzalez: 6-foot-7 wing, Real Madrid
Gonzalez isn’t playing much for Real Madrid, as the team is loaded with talent and plays in one of the best leagues in the world. With that in mind, you can’t read much into his statistics, or lack thereof. However, whenever Gonzalez has gotten to play on a big stage, like he did at the FIBA U18 EuroBasket, he has shown off a very intriguing NBA skill set.
With Gonzalez, it’s hard not to start with the defense. The Spaniard has great size on the wing, has awesome ball-hawking instincts and competes his tail off on every single possession. Gonzalez is a guy that really racks up “stocks” in a hurry, and it isn’t hard to picture him being a great NBA defender rather quickly. Gonzalez is long, can move his feet and simply doesn’t give his opponents an inch. He’s tremendous as both an on-ball defender and an off-ball menace.
Offensively, Gonzalez is a bit more of a connector right now. He’s a good play finisher, likes to attack the basket and has great playmaking chops. He probably won’t be a player that NBA teams will roll the ball out to, but secondary or tertiary creation can absolutely be expected.
Gonzalez just needs to prove that he can consistently make shots. His jumper isn’t particularly pretty to look at, and three-point success has completely eluded him throughout his young career. But he did shoot 82.0% from the line last year, and he has decent touch. And a player with his motor and work ethic can be counted on to eventually develop. If he does, you’re looking at a high-level two-way presence that any team in the league would be happy to start.
• Ben Saraf: 6-foot-6 guard, Ratiopharm Ulm
Like Traore and some of the other guards playing in college, Saraf is a big lead guard that can really make plays as the engine of an offense. Saraf loves to get downhill, where he has a few different ways he can beat opponents.
As a lefty, Saraf’s finishing around the basket will remind you a bit of Goran Dragic. He likes to use his big body to bump smaller defenders off of him, and he’s good at using all of his steps to change directions. Saraf is also comfortable taking floaters and runners. All of that, combined with a solid jumper, makes him a threat as a three-level scorer. However, Saraf does miss more bunnies than you’d expect, and he also runs hot and cold as a shooter. If he wants to live up to his immense potential, that will need to change.
If Saraf doesn’t find consistency as a shooter or finisher, it’ll be hard for him to be a great NBA player. He moves at a slow pace, so being a dangerous shot maker is necessary for him to create space and make sure defenders can’t get right in his face. But Saraf deserves the benefit of the doubt as an 18-year-old averaging 12.4 points, 4.4 assists and 1.1 steals per game for a good Ratiopharm Ulm club. He’s also a relatively sturdy defender, and his size allows him to defend up and down in pinches.
• Michael Ruzic: 6-foot-10 forward, Joventut
Ruzic’s situation isn’t all that different from that of Gonzalez. Joventut simply isn’t going to prioritize playing him starter minutes, making it hard to rely on his numbers when evaluating him as a prospect. However, Ruzic isn’t going to have a difficult time impressing scouts.
Players with Ruzic’s combination of size, length and offensive ability just don’t last that long on draft night. He has great touch around the basket, a weapon of an outside jumper and just generally makes the right decisions when he has the ball. To add to all of that, he moves well for a player with his size, and he seems to want to be great. And that’s true of both ends of the floor. He’s a smart defender that works hard when switched onto guards or true centers, even if he’s at his best defending bigger wings and power forwards right now.
If Ruzic adds muscle without sacrificing any of his mobility or overall finesse, he’s going to be a fun player in the NBA. He might be a bit of a project, as he is probably a year or two from being a reliable contributor. But that didn’t stop teams from salivating over Tidjane Salaun last year. That said, you shouldn’t be surprised if Ruzic goes earlier than expected.
• Noa Essengue: 6-foot-10 big, Ratiopharm Ulm
This season, Essengue is averaging 10.7 points and 4.7 rebounds per game. The forward has really popped in Eurocup action, and it’s easy to see why he has fans around the league. There’s a little Tari Eason to Essengue, as he’s a big wing that defends multiple spots, plays with a lot of activity and can put the ball on the floor to get to the basket. His athleticism, tools and motor give him a relatively high floor, but the jumper is the swing skill for him.
Essengue’s jumper isn’t broken. He has decent form and is shooting 35.3% from three in Eurocup action. He’s also a 70.8% free throw shooter. If Essengue’s shot ever becomes respectable, he’ll massively outperform his draft slot as the type of versatile, two-way forward that teams dream of. However, if it doesn’t come around, he’ll be relegated to being an energy guy off the bench that needs to be surrounded by floor spacing in order to be playable.
There’s a significant risk in taking a player like Essengue, but there’s also a massive reward. Some believe he’s the best prospect on Ratiopharm Ulm. It’s hard to blame them.
Honorable Mentions
Three other names to monitor are Brisbane’s Rocco Zikarsky, Sydney’s Alex Toohey and Mega’s Bogoljub Markovic.
Zikarsky is a mountain of a human at 7-foot-3 with good shot blocking instincts and decent feel for how to score around the basket. However, he badly needs to get stronger, and he’s not a very fluid mover. HIs defense is supposed to be a legitimate strength, but he gets pushed around a little too easily and he can’t cover in space. There are tools here that teams will fall in love with, but he needs to make some serious strides the rest of the NBL season.
Toohey is another wing with good size (6-foot-7) and an impressive all-around game. He’s capable of doing a bit of everything on offense, but it’ll be interesting to see how he progresses as a shooter. He’s up from 27.3% in 2023-24 to 35.3% in 2024-25. Is that a legitimate leap? Or is it just a small sample size? Toohey also leaves a lot to be desired as a defender, so the offense will need to be good enough to overcome that.
Markovic is this year’s obligatory Mega prospect. The 6-foot-11 big man might be a draft-and-stash option late in the first round or early in the second, but he’s a good three-point shooter, has a decent post-up game and is an awesome target as a screener. He’s comfortable rolling or popping. Markovic also has decent ball-handling skills and reads the court nicely. Markovic just has to get a bit stronger, while continuing to work on his agility. And he is going to have to prove he can defend NBA-level athletes. But there’s a high-level player here somewhere.