Noa Essengue will miss the remainder of the German league finals to attend the NBA Draft ceremony in Brooklyn, where he has been invited to the Green Room. The 18-year-old Ulm forward is projected as a lottery pick, with ESPN currently listing him at No. 9 to the Toronto Raptors.
NBA Draft prospect Noa Essengue will miss the remainder of the German league finals to attend the NBA Draft ceremony, per BasketNews sources.
The 18-year-old, 2.05-meter French forward from Ratiopharm Ulm, traveled to New York for the NBA Draft on June 25th, where he is expected to be one of the top selections.
Essengue was invited to the Green Room, reserved for the 19 most highly regarded prospects.
In ESPN's latest mock draft by Jonathan Givony and Jeremy Woo, he is projected to go 9th overall to the Toronto Raptors.
Due to the extended German league season, Essengue was unable to participate in private workouts with NBA teams. However, he remains a projected lottery pick, praised for his length, mobility, and defensive versatility, while also showing offensive efficiency this season.
Ulm currently leads Bayern Munich 2–1 in the best-of-five German league finals, with Game 4 scheduled for June 24th.
Essengue averaged 3.7 points, 1.7 rebounds, and 1.3 assists in the first three finals games.
Essengue is coming off an impressive EuroCup campaign, averaging 12.4 points, 5.3 rebounds, 1.1 assists, and 1.4 steals with a 16.3 PIR, placing him among the tournament's most efficient players.
In domestic league play, he averaged 10.0 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 1.2 assists in 23 minutes per game.
Earlier in the postseason, he had a breakout performance, averaging 13.0 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 3.3 assists in the quarterfinal sweep against ALBA Berlin, including a 21-point outing where he hit all 13 free throws.
He followed that with a dominant semifinals series against Wurzburg, where he opened with 22 points and 14 rebounds, and averaged 13.6 points and 8.2 rebounds.
Meanwhile, fellow draft prospect Ben Saraf has remained with the team during the finals.
Ulm's guard is averaging 10.7 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 3.0 assists in the series and is projected to be selected late in the first round or early in the second.
Donatas Urbonas
Donatas Urbonas is an award-winning Lithuanian basketball journalist, recognized as the best sports journalist in Lithuania in 2016 and the top basketball journalist in 2018. A Vilnius University journalism graduate, Urbonas has reported on major global sports events, including the Rio 2016 and Paris 2024 Olympics, FIBA World Cups, EuroBaskets, NBA Summer League, and NBA Draft.
About author
Support BasketNews so we could make even better content.