Who will be the top European picks in the NBA Draft? (2024)

19/06/2024

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Who will be the top European picks in the NBA Draft?

MUNICH (Germany) - When Victor Wembanyama was selected number one overall by the San Antonio Spurs in the 2023 NBA Draft, it was hard to fathom that there would be another draft where European prospects would take center stage to a similar degree.

One year later, we have potentially five different European prospects projected as top 10 picks, and another dozen or so players from the continent potentially being among the 58 players who will be selected by NBA teams during June 26-27.

Here's a look at the European players that you must know before draft night.

Alex Sarr - France

CENTER

Birth Date: April 26, 2005 (19 years old)
Height: 2.13m (7ft 0in)
Club: Perth Wildcats (AUS)

Sarr certainly traveled the world on his path to the NBA Draft. Born in France, Sarr spent his formative years in Spain with Real Madrid, went to the United States for a two-year stint with Overtime Elite and finally landed in the Australian NBL, where he helped the Perth Wildcats reach the league's Semi-Finals last season.

Sarr is a defensive anchor who possesses elite physical tools - 2.13m tall with a 2.24m wingspan - to protect the rim, but he can also make his presence felt in the perimeter, being mobile enough to make an impact as a switchable defender. Offensively, he adds value with his transition finishing and offensive rebounding, but the most eye-popping moments come from his budding perimeter game, as he can selectively put the ball on the floor and convert jumpers off-the-catch.

The Frenchman is expected to be one of the first players selected in the draft by multiple publications, and with his elite size and his versatile defense, he'll make an immediate impact for any team that selects him.

For more on Sarr, we looked at his road to the draft in our 'Next Big Thing' series:The rapid rise of French wonderkid Alex Sarr - the #1 pick?

Zaccharie Risacher - France

FORWARD

Birth Date: April 8, 2005 (19 years old)
Height: 2.04m (6ft 9in)
Club: JL Bourg-en-Bresse (FRA)Risacher has been a consistent presence in France's youth teams, with two World Cup podiums under his belt — bronze at the 2022 FIBA U17 Basketball World Cup and silver at the 2023 FIBA U19 Basketballl World Cup. The French wing moved on to even bigger things for the 2023-24 season, where he not only made his debut for the senior national team in the FIBA EuroBasket 2025 Qualifiers, but also making an impact for his club, earning the Rising Star award in the LNB Pro A.

Risacher is an elite shooter, who converted 38.7 percent of his three-point attempts during the 2023-24 season. The 19-year-old is not only efficient but also versatile, being able to connect on jumpers off-movement and against heavy defensive pressure. Risacher also adds value with his ability to defend multiple positions, having a unique combination of size, length and mobility, which allows him to stay in front of opponents in the perimeter.

Risacher's ability to make an impact on both ends of the floor without the ball in his hands make him one of the most coveted prospects in this year's draft, as few players possess the intersection of size, shooting ability and defensive impact that he offers.

For more on Risacher, we looked at his road to the draft in our 'Next Big Thing' series:Why is Zaccharie Risacher projected as the #1 pick in the NBA draft?

Matas Buzelis - Lithuania

FORWARD

Birth Date: October 13, 2004 (19 years old)
Height: 2.05m (6ft 9in)
Club: G League Ignite (USA)

One of the top players in his high school recruiting class, Buzelis bypassed college in order to sign with the NBA developmental program G League Ignite. His first season at the professional level took a bit of an adjustment period, but Buzelis was still able to show his combination of 2.05m size, fluidity with the ball in his hands, defensive impact and scoring instincts.

Buzelis, who was born in Chicago to Lithuanian parents and declared his intention to play for Lithuania in 2022, fits the mold of the modern NBA forward who can create for himself in the perimeter and defend multiple positions, which will make him an interesting high-upside bet for NBA teams.

For more on Buzelis, we looked at his road to the draft in our 'Next Big Thing' series:Why NBA prospect Matas Buzelis will be Lithuania's future superstar

Nikola Topic - Serbia

POINT GUARD

Birth Date: August 10, 2005 (18 years old)
Height: 1.97m (6ft 6in)
Club: Crvena Zvezda (SRB)

The reigning FIBA U18 EuroBasket MVP, Topic put the world on notice last year by leading Serbia to its fifth U18 title, only to then reprise his impressive performance in the 2023-24 Adriatic League season, for both Mega Basket and Crvena Zvezda.

Topic is one of the best passers in the entire draft. Possessing elite size for the point guard position, the Serbian floor general is a masterful pick-and-roll passer who can find teammates all over the court, showing advanced vision and creativity. While the jumpshot hasn't come around, he adds value as a scorer with his aggressiveness to attack the rim, being too quick for opposing wings and too big for opposing guards. Widely expected to be selected in the upper half of the first round, Topic's ability to orchestrate the offense will be a valuable addition for the team that drafts him.

For more on Topic, we looked at his road to the draft in our 'Next Big Thing' series:What makes Nikola Topic one of the top guards in the NBA Draft?

Tidjane Salaun - France

FORWARD

Birth Date: August 10, 2005 (18 years old)
Height: 2.05m (6ft 9in)
Club: Cholet (FRA)

Salaun is a late bloomer who only made his FIBA debut for France in last year's U18 EuroBasket, where he led the team in points and steals per game en route to a fourth-place finish in Nis.

A unique prospect who possesses the measurements of an interior player - 2.05m tall with a 2.12 wingspan - but moves with the speed and fluidity of a guard, Salaun thrived for Cholet this season with his ability to convert three-point jumpers and to attack the rim in transition. The most impressive moments, however, came when he was tasked with creating his own shot off-the-dribble, both via drives and pull-up jumpers.

Salaun is still far from an efficient self-creator, but he possesses a unique combination of elite size, flashes of shotmaking and defensive potential for an 18-year-old; he's definitely one of the highest-upside players in the draft.

Tristan Da Silva - Germany

FORWARD

Birth Date: May 15, 2001 (23 years old)
Height: 2.04m (6ft 8in)
Club: Colorado Buffaloes (USA)

Da Silva capped off a stellar four-year career at Colorado with a second straight All-Pac 12 Team selection, being one of the centerpieces of a team that won 26 games for the first time in program history.

Da Silva had already shown his elite shooting ability at the FIBA U20 European Challengers in 2021, where he converted 42.1 percent of his three-point shots, but he was equally as impressive during his career at Colorado, where he developed into an off-ball forward who thrives in cuts and spot-ups. Defensively, Da Silva adds value by creating events as an off-ball defender. The German forward can be a valuable addition for any NBA team looking for a day-one four-man who can space the floor at an elite level.

Kyshawn George - Switzerland

SMALL FORWARD

Birth Date: December 12, 2003 (20 years old)
Height: 2.01m (6ft 7in)
Club: Miami Hurricanes (USA)

One of the best stories in this year's draft, George was a late bloomer who only played limited minutes for Switzerland at the FIBA U16 EuroBasket 2019, Division B. Since then, George hit a growth spurt, going from 1.75m as a 15 year old to his current height of 2.01m.

In his first season at the NCAA level, George showed a tremendous shooting ability, as he converted 40.8 percent of his three-pointers on 130 total attempts. While he played mostly off the ball, his flashes of playmaking for others and versatile defense are enticing. With his intersection of size and shooting ability, George will not only be one of the cornerstones of the Swiss national team moving forward, he'll become a day-one impact player at the NBA level.

Bobi Klintman - Sweden

FORWARD

Birth Date: March 6, 2003 (21 years old)
Height: 2.05m (6ft 9in)
Club: Cairns Taipans (AUS)

One of the best prospects to come out of Sweden over the last decade, Klintman was a youth-level stand out for the Swedish national team, being named to the All-Star Five at the FIBA U20 EuroBasket 2022, Division B.

After a stint at Wake Forest in the NCAA, Klintman made the move to the professional ranks ahead of the 2023-24 season signing with Cairns in the Australian NBL, where he made an impact with his combination of 2.05m size, spot-up shooting and ability to create defensive events. Klintman is an experienced prospect who has played different roles through his career. His prototypical size for a forward and his offensive versatility should be enticing for multiple NBA teams.

Pacome Dadiet - France

SMALL FORWARD

Birth Date: July 27, 2005 (18 years old)
Height: 2.03m (6ft 8in)
Club: Ratiopharm Ulm (GER)

Dadiet had shown flashes of his potential while playing a limited role in France's runs at both the 2021 FIBA U16 European Challengers and the 2022 FIBA U17 Basketball World Cup. After moving to Germany to join the ranks of Ratiopharm Ulm, Dadiet exploded onto the scene with dominant performances for Ulm's academy team.

Last season, Dadiet found a spot in Ulm's senior team and was tremendously efficient within his role, displaying an impressive combination of size, fluidity with the ball in his hands and shotmaking potential that few 18 year olds can show in such a competitive setting. The French wing also made a strong impression in the athletic testing portion of the latest Adidas Eurocamp. With his physical tools, athleticism and all-around game, Dadiet has become a late riser in the draft cycle, who could be selected significantly higher than where most publications are projecting him to go.

The Next 10

These are not all the players that will hear their names called on draft night, as a number of European prospects had impactful seasons both at the professional and college levels during the past 12 months.

On draft night, you should be also keeping an eye on:Adem Bona (Türkiye), Nikola Djurisic (Serbia), Melvin Ajinca (France), Ajay Mitchell (Belgium), Juan Nunez (Spain), Pelle Larsson (Sweden), Ariel Hukporti (Germany), Quinn Ellis (Great Britain), Mantas Rubstavicius (Lithuania) and Quinten Post (Netherlands).

But which European player do you think will hear their name called first on Draft night? Vote below.

FIBA