The last seven MVPs have been international, the last two overall No. 1 picks have been international, French to be exact. So making sure you have a sense of what prospects lurk overseas is a high priority for GMs.
There’s no indication — nor should we expect any — of who the Brooklyn Nets like and who they don’t but they have an extensive international scouting operation led by Simone Casali, a former Italian basketball executive. Sean Marks himself made at least one international scouting trip, to Australia, to the NBL Blitz, the Australian league’s annual showcase of their international prospects back in September.
Now that the NBA Draft is a month away, the international picture is starting to form and a number of international prospects are beginning to be linked to Brooklyn and its five current picks at Nos. 8, 19, 26, 27 and 36. None more so than Noa Essengue, a 6’10” 18-year-old French power forward who plays for Ratiopharma Elm in the German league (along with another top prospect, Ben Saraf, a 6’6” Israeli point guard.)
We’ll leave the film study to Lucas Kaplan (who’s preparing studies of top prosects) but suffice it to say that Essengue is moving up the draft boards. In their latest mocks, out this week, both Yahoo! Sports and Bleacher Report have him being picked by the Nets at No. 8.
Noa Essengue, 6’10” PF, France
The second youngest player in the Draft, only three days older than Cooper Flagg, Essengue stands out because he’s a jack-of-all-trades. Kevin O’Connor of Yahoo! Sports wrote this of Essengue in linking him to the Nets:
Essengue is a toolsy forward with a fluid handle, dynamic finishing package, and highly versatile defense. Though he’s a raw Frenchman, he’s starting to string together his best run of the season. This week, he had 21 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 steals against Euroleague team Alba Berlin in the German league playoffs. At 6-foot-9 with upside across the board, that’s why he’s rising up draft boards. But he isn’t without concerns, since he’s made only 26.2% of his jump shots this season. Brooklyn has a clean slate of a future, though, so it’d only make sense to take a big swing after not moving up into the top four.
Bleacher Report, Jonathan Wasserman similarly had this to say in his analysis of why he fits with the Nets:
Big scoring outputs are becoming more common for Noa Essengue in the German BBL.
The easy baskets off rim runs, cuts and offensive rebounds have been consistent all season. But he’s looking more comfortable converting off self-created drives and knocking down rhythm threes.
His improving on-ball skill and rising offensive production are becoming notable draft storylines, considering he’s the draft’s second-youngest prospect who also offers exciting defensive tools and movement.
in his latest tweets about top prospects, Jonathan Givony posted this...
Projected lottery pick Noa Essengue had his best game of the season in a win over Euroleague team Alba Berlin in the German BBL playoffs. 21 points (13-13 FT), 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals for the 6'11, 18-year old French power forward. pic.twitter.com/HA6syDHEaN
— Jonathan Givony (@DraftExpress) May 18, 2025
Problem for a lot of teams who haven’t seen a lot of him so far is that Ratiopharma Elm is still playing in the German League playoffs and his arrival for team workouts is TBA.
Ben Saraf, 6’6” PG, Israel
That’s true of teammate Ben Saraf as well. Saraf has also been linked to Brooklyn. In fact, in our last round-up of mock drafts, the Israeli combo guard was among those most linked to the Nets in a survey of 10 mocks. He has four mentions at Nos. 26 and 27. Jon Givony likes him for his ability to play both positions, but warns of his turnovers and defense.
Saraf brings a potent combination of size, scoring instincts, feel for the game, aggressiveness and playmaking, showing supreme timing and creativity operating in the pick-and-roll. His sharp basketball instincts are evident in every aspect of the game.
His struggles with turnovers, scoring efficiency and porous defense against higher-level competition have caused some pause among talent evaluators about how his game might translate to the NBA ranks.
Ricky O’Connell of SB Nation has similar concerns but also notes his strengths.
Saraf is a 6’5 point guard who has had a productive season as an 18-year-old in the German league playing for Ulm alongside Noa Essengue. The Israeli floor general is skilled in the pick-and-roll. He’s more of a passer than a scorer, bur he does have a nice mid-range pull-up game. Saraf is a shaky jump shooter from deep (29.4 percent from three) who will need to develop more range on his jumper to keep defenses honest from going under screens and sagging off him. Still, his 32.4 percent assist rate, 2.6 percent steal rate, and 27.6 percent usage gives him a chance if he can improve on his struggles to score efficiently in the halfcourt.
Could the Nets draft two firsts off the same team. They did that once back in 2004 when they took Marcus Williams and Rod Boone from UConn. That did not work out well.
Givony’s take and video...
At 19, Ben Saraf brings an impressive combination of size, scoring instincts, feel for the game, aggressiveness and playmaking, with supreme timing and creativity operating in pick and roll, and sharp basketball instincts which manifest themselves in every part of the game. https://t.co/hpEtdQTYgo pic.twitter.com/6gHRdqbSDT
— Jonathan Givony (@DraftExpress) April 18, 2025
Hugo Gonzalez, 6’7” Wing, Spain
The player with the most mentions in our most recent mock draft roundup, domestic or international, was a smart, athletic 6’7” Spanish wing, Hugo Gonzalez, who was linked to the Nets at four of the five draft positions, missing out only at No. 8.
He’s an intriguing piece. A few years back, when playing internationally, he was compared favorably to Cooper Flagg. As Stephen Gillaspie of No Ceilings wrote recently in one of their extensive takes, back in the 2022 FIBA U17 World Cup, Gonzalez helped Spain earn a silver against Team USA, leading Spain with 16 points to Flagg’s 10. (If you’re interested in watching, here’s the tape including a nice dunk by Gonzales 23:00 in.)
Indeed, scouts think Gonzalez’s FIBA footage may be give you a better read of his potenial than his more recent time with Real Madrid. where he has been behind a lot of NBA-level wing talent, He’s been getting only 10 minutes a game this season. It would seem to make individual workouts essential for teams trying to grade him. Problem is that Real Madrid will be playing right up to the Draft! Did the Nets scout him? Yes.
Gillaspie wrote this of Gonzalez’s hard-to-read prospects as an NBA player.
The scout on Hugo Gonzalez is an interesting one. There isn’t anything that jumps out are screams: “Hey! I’m definitely a translatable NBA skill set!” with him, but there are some strong moments of production when he has been in a setting with his peers. It’s hard to rely exclusively on the Real Madrid film this year, as it is a smaller sample size than many of the other players in this class. How much will NBA teams want to invest in a player like this?
I’m of the mindset that the team will: 1) Have to either have multiple picks. 2) Be deep and established enough to take a chance on a young talent. 3) Take him in the second round.
In his most recent take on the 2025 Draft, Sam Vecenie of The Athletic/New York Times thinks he’d be a good fit for Brooklyn at No. 26.
Gonzalez is a tremendous athlete playing in Spain for Real Madrid and has started to get some playing time here and there for the senior team as a teenager. He plays with an exceptional motor and just consistently plays incredibly hard all of the time. He’s one of those dudes who always gives second and third efforts across the board, both on offense and defense, to get loose balls.
Givony too thinks he’s worth a shot because of that intensity.
Hugo Gonzalez brings outstanding physical tools, defensive versatility, high-level intensity, and winning qualities on both ends of the floor. He wreaks havoc in passing lanes and as a rim-protector, while moving the ball unselfishly and flying out energetically in transition. https://t.co/NZt7IgQmrK pic.twitter.com/Nbc1zFapai
— Jonathan Givony (@DraftExpress) April 19, 2025
Givony has also pointed out that Gonzalez, who’s been with Real Madrid since age 9, turned down $1 million in NIL money from BYU last year. Instead, his teammate, Egor Demin, came to Utah.
Nolan Traore, 6’3” PG, France
Another international player whose stock isn’t as high as it once was is 6’3” 18-year-old French point guard Nolan Traore. In preseason mock drafts, Traore was seen as a top 5-to-7 pick, but his transition from one level to another in the French league initially did not go well and he dropped. Of late though he’s been playing well for Saint-Quentin in Serie A and Kevin O’Connor for one likes him at No. 19 for the Nets.
Traoré oozes upside with his size, blazing speed, and shiftiness off the bounce. And it’s starting to manifest into actual production: In his last game, he dropped 21 points with seven assists to only two turnovers. And he continued to shoot the heck out of the ball too. Over his last six games, he’s made 50% of his 3s. And over his last 10 games, he’s made 82% of his free throws. Inefficient scoring and erratic decision-making are the big concerns with Traoré, but if he keeps this up there’s a chance he won’t even make it to this pick for Brooklyn to pair him with a French teammate in Essengue.
O’Connor adds that Traore is likely the speediest prospect in the Draft. No argument here after watching what Givony posted earlier this month.
Another big game for Nolan Traore in France. Tied his LNB career-high with 25 points in 20 minutes, 4 assists and the W to help Saint-Quentin clinch the play-in tournament. Pace, handle, and burst were on display, along with his playmaking and shot-making prowess. pic.twitter.com/CRbhsfqIZN
— Jonathan Givony (@DraftExpress) May 9, 2025
Traore won’t be in NBA gyms for a while. He too is still playing.
Hansen Yang, 7’1” C, China
One player who’s rising up the boards, but as of our last round-up wasn’t linked to Brooklyn, could wind up as a surprise either on June 25 or 26: Hansen Yang, a legitimate 7-footer who has shown off some surprising skills in Chicago at the Combine last week and Klutch Sports agent day this week, both of which were heavily attended by Sean Marks and co.
The Nets were among a handful of teams who traveled scouts to China to watch Yang play for the Qingdao Eagles in the Chinese Basketball Association. He is China’s best big man prospect and one of several young international bigs this year with some terrific passing skills along with Danny Wolf of Israel and Michigan and Bogoljub Marković of Serbia.
Yang does have some predictable issues as Kevin O’Connor wrote of him:
Yang is a massive Chinese 7-footer who scores with old-school craft, passes well, and cleans the glass. But how much his slow feet and lack of shooting range can be improved will determine whether he can stick in the pros. The Wizards should roll the dice because Alex Sarr could in theory help Yang on defense, while Yang’s offense could lift all the other talent already on the roster.
Yang did surprise at the combine with a max vertical of 30”, the same as Khaman Maluach from Duke and South Sudan.
However, the Nets are in need of development projects and, yes, Joe Tsai said as far back as 2019 in an interview with NetsDaily that he’d like to see Chinese players in a Nets uniform as long as they’re qualified.
“I’ve been on record saying if there’s good Chinese players, I would do anything to help them come — if they want to come play in the NBA, I would do anything to help them do that.” he told us.
Moreover, Tsai will be hosting the Nets, with a full training camp roster, in Macao next October for a couple of preseason games. Let’s not forget that until he tore his ACL in December, Jacky Cui was on a two-way. Yang turns 20 the night of the second round of of the NBA Draft on June 26.
Givony thinks he could worth a second round pick, moving him up to No. 41, just south of the Nets second round pick, this week.
Hansen Yang had a positive showing at the NBA draft combine, demonstrating his unique blend of size (7'2), bulk (252 pounds), length (9-3 standing reach), skill and feel for the game, with two effective scrimmages this week. pic.twitter.com/lU5UeQXXM8
— Jonathan Givony (@DraftExpress) May 17, 2025
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There are lot of other international prospects, including a number who played for NCAA teams making them more collegiate prospects than international. Three of them have been regularly linked in mock drafts to the Nets: Khaman Maluach, the Duke 7-footer from South Sudan and the two big point guards 6’6”Kasparas Jakučionis of Illinois and Lithuania and 6’10” Egor Demin of BYU and Russia. There’s also Will Riley, Jakučionis 6’8” teammate from Canada, and 7’1” Maxine Reynaud of France who played at Stanford. .
Two Australians, Rocco Zikarsky, at 7’4’ easily the biggest player in the draft and 6’8” sharpshooter Alex Toohey, were among the players Marks scouted in September. Plus there’s always Frenchmen like 6’11” Joan Beringer and 6’7” Noah Penda, occasionally mentioned as possible Brooklyn targets.
The Nets do not advertise who they like or even who they have in for workouts nor much else, particularly in a draft where they have so many picks. Indeed, we don’t know and likely won’t know until late June how many times first Adam Silver and then Mark Tatum will call the Nets number and how many times they’ll be using phenetic spelling to pronounce the names.