2024 NBA Draft: International Prospects Final Big Board
The 2024 NBA Draft is almost here and thus, we have finalized our ranking of the international prospects whose names could be called in one of the next few nights. A reminder that international players who played collegiately last season are exempt from this. We are primarily focusing on prospects in Europe and Australia. If you want to peruse our full mock draft, you may do so here. Of course, we also recommend reading any of the full reports we wrote on a handful of players which will be linked below.
2024 International NBA Draft Prospects Big Board
1. Nikola Topic - Point guard
Team: Crvena Zvezda Meridianbet Belgrade (Adriatic League, EuroLeague)
Age: 18
Physicals: 6-foot-6, 200 pounds, and 6-foot-6 wingspan
Other Mock NBA Draft Rankings: ESPN - 10th, The Athletic - 15th, No Ceilings - 8th
Stats (All Comps): 14.48 points per game, 3.2 rebounds per game, 5.5 assists per game. 50/31/88 splits
Ceiling: Borderline All-NBA
Floor: Health permitting, backup point guard
How does a player who has barely played since the turn of the new year with looming injury concerns pole vault to the number one spot on this board? We don’t have a great answer. The reality is that pouring over the old film the past few weeks led us to the conclusion that Nikola Topic has far and away the most upside of the international prospects in this class.
He is already an elite pick-and-roll operator, capable of reliably orchestrating half-court offense as he pleases. He can make every single read and pass out of the pick-and-roll and is an excellent finisher for his lack of vertical explosion. He can snake, put defenders in jail, and generally boast a notably advanced skillset for his age.
Questions loom about the severity of his knee issues, and what medicals are revealing — and to whom - will be partially revealed on draft night depending on where Topic falls. Being concerned about his shooting as a lead guard is perfectly valid, especially with how flat the shot can get. But 31 percent on 85 attempts this season and 37 percent on 130 last season, coupled with his excellent free throw shooting and exquisite touch around the rim provide plenty of room for optimism. If the knee is good, Topic could be great, potentially the best player in this class.
2. Zaccharie Risacher - Wing
Team: JL Bourg-en-Bresse (Jeep Elite - France, EuroCup)
Age: 19
Physicals: 6-foot-8, 204 pounds, and 6-foot-11 wingspan
Other Mock NBA Draft Rankings: ESPN - 1st, The Athletic - 1st, No Ceilings - 4th
Stats (All comps): 11.09 points per game, 3.98 rebounds per game, and 1 assist per game. 47/39/71 splits
Ceiling: Third best player on a contending team
Floor: Reliable rotation wing
With draft season heating up, an anti-Risacher bandwagon is heating up. Numerous people have laid out concerns with using the first overall pick or even a top-5 pick on a player who doesn’t project to be an elite creator or all-star. Those concerns are understandable, but in a class as weak as this one has been labeled it’s hard to believe there will be more than 10 players that have better careers than Risacher.
Risacher is a winning player. He can space the floor, cut, attack well with one-to-two dribbles, and comfortably play a role as connective tissue next to stars. On the defensive end, Risacher is a superstar. With incredible size and length for his position paired with elite mobility, Risacher was THE defensive leader for one of the best defensive teams in Europe last season. It was not flashes, it was every game he was leading his team on that end of the floor even through his pre-playoff shooting slump. Risacher is not perfect, few prospects are. But we believe that he is arguably the most NBA-ready player on day one and at such a young age, he’s got room to grow too.
3. Alexandre Sarr - Athletic forward/center
Team: Perth Wildcats (NBL)
Age: 19
Physicals: 7-foot-1, 205 pounds, and 7-foot-5 wingspan
Other Mock NBA Draft Rankings: ESPN - 2nd, The Athletic - 2nd, No Ceilings - 1st
Stats (All Comps): 9.62 points per game, 4.5 rebounds per game, 1.1 assists per game. 50/28/71 shooting splits.
Ceiling: Defensive anchor - third-best player on a contending team surrounded by solid creators
Floor: Backup big, NBA journeyman
Similar to Topic, there’s a wide range of outcomes for Alex Sarr’s career. The physicality can improve, the shot legitimizes and in turn, his passing becomes more impactful. That with his defensive floor quickly becomes the starting lengthy and mobile four-five that so many NBA teams desire. But if none of those things connect, what is Sarr but another athletic tweener who can start in a pinch for some teams in the regular season?
4. Nikola Djurisic - Wing
Team: KK Mega Bemax (Adriatic League)
Age: 20
Physicals: 6-foot-8, 214 pounds, 6-foot-8 wingspan
Other Mock NBA Draft Rankings: ESPN - 49th, The Athletic - 39th, No Ceilings - 39th
Stats (All Comps): 14.78 points per game, 2.8 rebounds per game, 3.4 assists per game. 44/31/77 shooting splits
Ceiling: Fifth starter or sixth man
Floor: EuroLeague starting wing
Nikola Djurisic closed the 2023-24 season strong shot the ball well, and carried that into an impressive performance at the NBA Draft combine. Djurisic has good size and skill, he’s got a great handle and good court vision for a wing — and soaked up plenty of on-ball reps after Nikola Topic decided to return to Crvena Zvezda. He’s a solid help defender and is comfortable switching onto bigs in the post. He showed several times this season that he’s already stronger than plenty of professionals in Europe.
Can he become a more consistent shooter? Can he develop a reliable touch around the rim so he’s not so reliant on explosive finishes and can the on-ball defense match the rest of his skillset on that end?
5. Pacome Dadiet
Team: Ratiopharm Ulm (BBL - Germany, EuroCup)
Age: 18
Physicals: 6-foot-8, 210 pounds, 6-foot-9 wingspan
Other Mock NBA Draft Rankings: ESPN - 30th, The Athletic - 35th, No Ceilings - 29th
Stats (All Comps): 6.61 points per game, 2.3 rebounds per game, 0.6 assists per game. 50/36/74 shooting splits
Ceiling: Potential fifth starter in the right environment
Floor: EuroLeague starting wing
An NBA body, very consistent 3-point shot, reliable finishing, and impressive rebounding have placed Dadiet on nearly all respectable big boards out there. But the vacillation in his rankings can be vast. Some have put him close to the lottery, and some have pegged him as one of the last picks of the draft. That’s strange for an established professional with desirable NBA skills who will still be 18 on draft night. He and Djurisic are fairly close as prospects and while age would usually give Dadiet the nod, we believe Djurisic has more on-ball upside which raises his ceiling just a notch above Dadiet’s.
6. A.J. Johnson - Guard
Team: Illawarra Hawks (NBL)
Age: 19
Physicals: 6-foot-5, 160 pounds, 6-foot-8 wingspan
Other Mock NBA Draft Rankings: ESPN - 37th, The Athletic - 33rd, No Ceilings - 37th
Stats (All Comps): 2.9 points per game, 1.2 rebounds per game, and 0.8 assists per game. 35/28/54 shooting splits.
Ceiling: All-Star
Floor: CBA MVP
Johnson is the last guy on this list who we truly believe has a chance to be the best among this group. He was a four-star prospect and ranked in ESPN’s top 50 but ultimately decided to pursue opportunities with the NBL Next Stars program. Playing time was hard to come by but whenever Johnson is out there, he is tantalizing to watch.
He glides across the floor with elite acceleration and speed, and with and without the ball. He’s got good court vision, and can finish with authority or with touch — floaters, wrong foot, backboard, no backboard, etc. he showed it all this season. His future will depend on his shot, but if he becomes respectable from beyond the arc he’s got legitimate starter potential and more in this league. He could also be a player who peaks on YouTube and dominates in China as a professional. No matter how it ends for Johnson, he will always be a pleasure to watch.
7. Juan Nunez
Team: Ratiopharm Ulm (BBL - Germany, EuroCup)
Age: 19
Physicals: 6-foot-3, 180 pounds
Other Mock NBA Draft Rankings: ESPN - 35th, The Athletic - 37th, No Ceilings - 35th
Stats (All Comps): 9.9 points per game, 3.4 rebounds per game, 4.9 assists per game. 47/32/61 shooting splits
Ceiling: Sixth man
Floor: EuroCup star
Nunez is slow and looks like an old man when he’s playing sometimes. But what he lacks there he makes up for with astounding court vision and IQ. He is easily the second-best pick-and-roll maestro on this list after Topic. His athletic limitations and questionable shooting put hard caps on his ceiling, but a future as a reliable NBA role player is very visible.
8. Ariel Hukporti
Team: Melbourne United (NBL)
Age: 21
Physicals: 7-foot, 250 pounds, 7-foot-3 wingspan
Stats (All Comps): 8 points per game, 7 rebounds per game, 1.5 blocks per game. 57/0/62 shooting splits.
Other Mock NBA Draft Rankings: The Athletic - 57th, No Ceilings - 50th
Ceiling: Borderline starting center
Floor: Overseas starter - NBL, ACB, etc.
My father had a saying about basketball growing up: “When height doesn’t matter anymore, I’ll let you know.”
Essentially, the basketball world always needs players like Ariel Hukporti. He’s good enough to be a backup NBA center now and probably will be for the next 10-plus years as long as his body holds up. Is he ever more than that? Unlikely. But in the second round, you can do a lot worse than a high-energy big with good hands, decent touch, and applicable defensive versatility.
9. Tidjane Salaun - Forward
Team: Cholet (Jeep Elite - France, Basketball Champions League)
Age: 18
Physicals: 6-foot-9, 203 pounds, 7-foot-2 wingspan
Stats (All Comps): 9.74 points per game and 3.9 rebounds per game. 41/32/75 splits.
Other Mock NBA Draft Rankings: ESPN - 12th, The Athletic - 9th, No Ceilings - 19th
Ceiling: Starting forward
Floor: EuroCup starter
Salaun is young, has an NBA body, lets it fly with NBA-level confidence, and is already a solid defender on and off-ball. But the rest of his offensive game lacks all conviction, some skills are almost entirely non-existent. The eye test can make you dream but truly, if you’re betting on Salaun, you’ve got to buy the shooting. We don’t, and that’s why he’s on the lower end of our final rankings.
10. Melvin Ajinca - Wing
Team: Saint Quentin (Jeep Elite - France)
Age: 20 (Draft night birthday!)
Physicals: 6-foot-7, 210 pounds, 6-foot-6 (conflicting reports on his wingspan)
Stats (All Comps): 10.2 points per game and 3.5 rebounds per game. 40/36/81 shooting splits
Other Mock NBA Draft Rankings: ESPN - 47th, The Athletic - 48th
Ceiling: Reliable bench wing
Floor: EuroCup starter
Ajinca can shoot, and he’s got the physical tools. He’s left-handed with a classic lefty shooting form and like many other lefties, has next to zero right-hand. Besides shooting, his standout skill might be rebounding. He tracks and positions himself for missed shots perfectly. It’s easy to see him having a Sam Hauser-type of impact in the NBA.
11. Bobi Klintman - Forward
Team: Cairns Taipans (NBL)
Age: 21
Physicals: 6-foot-10, 225 pounds, 6-foot-11
Stats (All Comps): 10.15 points per game, 4.7 rebounds per game, 0.92 assists per game. 44/34/81 shooting splits
Other Mock NBA Draft Rankings: ESPN - 32nd, The Athletic - 36th, No Ceilings - 41st
Ceiling: Backup forward
Floor: Reliable overseas rotation player
Klintman has an NBA body but that’s it. He has flashes of hot shooting and transition playmaking, but our general belief is that he will not be an NBA player.
12. Mantas Rubstavicius - Guard
Team: New Zealand Breakers (NBL)
Age: 22
Physicals: 6-foot-6, 184 pounds, 6-foot-7
Stats (All Comps): 9.36 points per game, 2 rebounds per game, 1.16 assists per game. 52/43/82 shooting splits
Other Mock NBA Draft Rankings: None
Ceiling: EuroLeague starter
Floor: Reliable overseas rotation player
Rubstavicius can shoot, that’s pretty much it. Maybe he can become good enough to sign with one of Lithuania’s top teams and establish himself overseas. That’s probably his best bet.