2025 NBA Draft International Prospect Rankings

Parts I, II, and III of our 2025 NBA Draft International prospect rankings came out over the last two weeks. They ranked prospects 7-21, and now, we have our final Part IV, which will discuss the top 6 international prospects. This group has made a name for itself as the best international prospects with their level of play this season and while someone has to be number one and someone has to be number six, the gap between all these players is negligible and largely based on personal preference. Check out the top 6 below.

6. Noah Penda, Forward

Team: Le Mans (France - LNB Pro A)

Nationality: France

Draft Age: 20.45

Height: 6-foot-8

Season Stats (All Competitions - per game): 26.6 minutes, 9.8 points, 5.6 rebounds, 2.7 assists, 1.8 turnovers, 43/34/72 shooting splits on 50 three-point attempts and 57 free throws.

Highlights:

Summary:

Plenty are predicting French forward Noah Penda to be the first drafted International Prospect in June potentially. As we said at the top, the gap between 1-6 here is not large, and most of these prospects are on the same tier. At 20 years old, Penda produces quality numbers for Le Mans in France’s top division. That’s impressive but also expected for a player his age.

At 20 years old, a potential NBA player should be capable of producing in a starting role for an LNB Pro A club, especially one that doesn’t feature in continental competitions and thus, has plenty of rest in between games.

We’re not holding this against Penda; we're giving more of what he’s doing proper credit and evaluation. Penda is advanced physically for the division and well-rested. That gives him an edge that he is properly capitalizing on. How well does that translate to the more demanding NBA? He has the talent that an NBA career seems likely, but being excited about his ceiling still feels like a reach as things stand. If your team calls his name in June, you should be happy about it.

5. Joan Beringer, Big

Team: KK Cedevita (Slovenia - EuroCup & Adriatic League)

Nationality: France

Draft Age: 18.6

Height: 6-foot-11

Weight: 200 pounds

Season Stats (All Competitions - per game): 16.2 minutes, 3.7 points, 4.2 rebounds, 1.1 blocks, 57/0/62 shooting splits on 37 free throws.

Highlights:

Summary:

Joan Beringer has comfortably emerged as the best rim protector among the international prospects in his class. His length, leaping ability, position, and anticipation skills are notably ahead of anyone else in this international class. He’s a little frail, but that feels like more of a plus currently as he switches onto the perimeter comfortably and regularly forces opposing creators into contested jump shots. Sure, he might struggle when banging down low with the likes of Nikola Jokic, Joel Embiid, and… Bam Adebayo? Who doesn’t struggle with Jokic and Embiid, and how much does any team want to throw the ball down low to Adebayo or even more inferior post options?

Beringer seems to be on the path of replacing Rudy Gobert, posting the same block percentage (7.6) as Gobert did in his pre-draft season. The France basketball machine continues, as he’s the second prospect to be mentioned in this piece and more of his countrymen are ahead of him.

4. Ben Saraf, Guard

Team: Ratiopharm Ulm (Germany - EuroCup & Basket Bundesliga)

Nationality: Israel

Draft Age: 19.1

Height: 6-foot-6

Weight: 200 pounds

Season Stats (All Competitions - per game): 23.7 minutes, 12.6 points, 3 rebounds, 4.3 assists, 2.7 turnovers, 1.1 steals, 46/27/73 shooting splits on 74 three-point attempts and 89 free throws.

Highlights:

Summary:

Ben Saraf is young, big, and skilled. He’s already shouldering the bulk of playmaking and offensive responsibility for a EuroCup club, and will barely be 19 on draft day. He’s left-handed, great in the pick-and-roll, and has solid touch around the rim and from the perimeter. He’s what you want from a modern point guard, but struggles to create separation from quick defenders and his ball security could still use improvement overall.

Saraf is likely a lock to be good enough to play in the NBA, at the very least as a bench guard. His ability to become a star will truly rest on his development as a scorer. Can he become a step-back three-point specialist, and add a finish to his repertoire — a floater, pull-up, reverse layup, or crafty spin off the glass — that allows him to approach borderline unguardable territory alongside his pick and roll prowess? That would be outlier development, but also make him a star. The possibilities are endless for Saraf.

3. Neoklis Avdalas, Guard/Forward

Team: Peristeri (Greece - FIBA Basketball Champions League & HEBA A1 )

Nationality: Greek

Draft Age: 19.25

Height: 6-foot-8

Weight: 187 pounds

Season Stats (All Competitions - per game): 19 minutes, 8.5 points, 2.6 rebounds, 1.3 assists, 0.8 turnovers, 0.6 steals, 46/40/75 shooting splits on 52 three-point attempts and 28 free throws.

Highlights:

Summary:

The biggest question about Neoklis Avdalas is whether or not he’ll enter the 2025 NBA Draft. He moved onto boards after his first handful of games this season with Peristeri, and as a 6-foot-8 point forward with two-way skills his name should be generating far more buzz than it currently is. Avdalas has been arguably the best under-20 player in European basketball this season. Peristeri plays him on and off-ball. He’s just as comfortable running pick-and-roll as he is spacing the floor and cutting.

On defense, his size lets him guard multiple positions with ease, and he already nails help rotations and provides weakside rim protection help. Lastly, he’s a major threat in transition. He’s got great touch, can finish with authority, and changes speed like a pro. Avdalas currently checks all the boxes of a future star and will have just turned 19 on draft day in June. Maybe his name will rise up mocks and draft boards in the months to come. But if it doesn’t and I was a late-lottery team, I would consider promising his agent that we’ll draft him if he enters and is available when we’re on the clock.

2. Nolan Traore, Guard

Team: Saint-Quentin (France - FIBA Basketball Champions League & LNB Pro A)

Nationality: France

Draft Age: 19.1

Height: 6-foot-5

Weight: 174 pounds

Season Stats (All Competitions - per game): 22.5 minutes, 11.8 points, 2.1 rebounds, 4.8 assists, 2.3 turnovers, 38/29/72 shooting splits on 112 three-point attempts and 86 free throws.

Highlights:

Summary:

Of all the point guard prospects in this international class, Nolan Traore remains the Crème de la crème, but only by a hair. Traore is more explosive and has a surplus more quick-twitch athleticism than both Ben Saraf and Neoklis Avdalas. He regularly leaves defenders in the dust, which gives confidence in his self-creation game being able to explode at the next level. Like Saraf and Avdalas, he’s got good size and is elite in the pick-and-roll as well.

He has struggled with efficiency ,though, which his shooting percentages show and his true shooting percentage of 48 is notably worse than Avdalas’ 56 percent and Saraf’s 53 percent. His usage rate of 30.9 clears both relatively easily though, and is in line with the likes of Tyrese Maxey’s and De’Aaron Fox’s, and even ahead of AS Monaco’s Mike James. Traore is the offensive engine of his team, and he’s seen his efficiency struggle with that amount of responsibility. That’s expected in a currently 18-year-old prospect.

Again, to be clear, there isn’t anything that absolutely separates Traore, Saraf, and Avdalas at the moment. This is about personal preference and gut feeling. If your team is in a position in June about having to pick from these three, that is — to quote The Wire’s Marlo Stanfield — one of them good problems.

1. Noa Essengue, Wing

Team: Ratiopharm Ulm (Germany - EuroCup & Basket Bundesliga)

Nationality: France

Draft Age: 18.5

Height: 6-foot-8

Weight: 194 pounds

Season Stats (All Competitions - per game): 23.2 minutes, 10.4 points, 4.8 rebounds, 1.2 assists, 0.6 turnovers, 50/23/69 shooting splits on 60 three-point attempts and 155 free throws.

Highlights:

Summary:

The blend of raw talent, basketball IQ, athleticism, and on-court production Noa Essengue has at still only 17 years old is absurd. The 155 free throw attempts are not a typo. He is borderline doubling the free throws taken by Traore and Saraf, with a usage rate of only 18.7. He gets fouled because practically no one he’s facing at the moment can stay in front of him, content with his extension on drives, and barely comprehend his takeoff points. On defense, he covers ground like a gazelle with near the size of a giraffe. He’s got court vision, on-ball chops, low-post chops, moves off the ball, and has simply flashed the ability to do damn near anything and everything on the basketball court at a high level.

The shooting is a concern; 23 percent from deep and 69 percent from the line are numbers you get slightly concerned about. But the form looks good, and you consider his age, physical growth, and all the other skills and talent he has, and it’s hard — at least for the person writing this — not to believe that he is due for positive regression and at least being a competent perimeter threat at the next level.

In conclusion, Essengue is the youngest player on this list and has clearly flashed the most upside. The blend of age and talent makes him confidently our number-one international prospect for the 2025 NBA Draft. He is everything the biggest believers in Alex Sarr hyped him up to be, and then some. If Essengue falls out of the top 5 in June, he will likely go down as a steal when all is said and done.

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