Just Scratching the Surface: G League Ignite’s Babacar Sane Could Prove to be Breakout Player Ahead of 2024 NBA Draft
While many of the top prospects in the world start their basketball journeys early in life, G League Ignite’s Babacar Sane is just scratching the surface of his potential, considering he’s only played organized ball for a handful of years. Born in Senegal, he is now playing in the G League ahead of a potential jump to the NBA, but has experienced a unique path.
In an interview with Draft Digest, Sane mentioned he grew up primarily playing soccer — as a midfielder and forward — but took on basketball more seriously around 14 or 15 years old. Unlike some of his peers from Senegal who opt to leave the country early in their careers and either sign with European professional teams or enroll at some of the top high schools for basketball in the States, he found an opportunity to stay home. He played local basketball briefly before taking his talents to NBA Academy Africa in his own country, where he really broke out.
“It’s helped me a lot to grow as a man and develop my game,” Sane told Draft Digest when asked about the NBA Academy experience. “They don’t only teach us basketball, they teach us how to be a grown man too. Staying at home and developing my game has helped a lot. Being close to my family was important for me. They’re the ones that pushed me to go hard every day.”
From there, he was one of the 12 prospects from NBA Academy Africa selected to play in the 2022 Basketball Africa League season through the BAL Elevate program, taking the floor for Dakar Université Club.
With long arms and a developed frame, Sane stands at 6-foot-6 and 235 pounds, built like a football player. His combination of quickness and explosiveness along with a versatile skillset allows him to play several positions.
“I consider myself a small forward, but I can also play stretch four,” said Sane. “Coach says I can play anywhere against anybody.”
When watching what he’s done on the court since the offseason, it’s clear that he has the ability to play on the perimeter, but can also operate as an undersized big with the strength he possesses. While he’s proven to be able to put pressure on the rim and bully defenders, the jumper is also starting to come around.
Read Full Babacar Sane Scouting Report
Sane was already one of the strongest players in this class, but has only become more impressive in that respect over the summer.
“I’ve been putting on a lot since the offseason. I’m still working on developing my game and working on my body. I put some muscle on and it helps,” Sane told Draft Digest.
While his years of experience may not match many of the prospects competing for a selection in the 2024 NBA Draft, he has played on some significant stages. Sane played with the Senegalese National Team at the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 African Qualifiers and also represented Senegal at the 2020 FIBA U18 African Championship.
With another year of improvement, there’s no question that Sane could end up being a prospect with first-round upside. He has plenty he can improve upon, but given the number of years he’s been playing organized basketball, there’s reason to believe this is just the beginning for him. When asked what he personally thinks he needs to improve on this season, Sane mentioned shot selection, decision making and defense. If he can develop a more reliable 3-point shot, make plays for himself and others, while also being a standout defender, the ceiling is limitless at his size.
When asked about the type of players he watches and models his game after, Sane indicated that LeBron James was who he watched most growing up, but Paolo Banchero and Anthony Edwards are two players he watches film on these days. The theme here is strong, versatile players that can do a little bit of everything, which is exactly the type of prospect that Sane is.
He’ll still be 20 years old on the night of the 2024 NBA Draft and is firmly on the radar of NBA teams already. Given he’ll be playing alongside roughly half a dozen other prospects that could be entering the NBA in the 2024-25 season, there will be no shortage of a spotlight and eyes on him over the course of the upcoming G League season.
Though the Ignite has as much — if not the most — NBA prospect talent of any individual team in the world, Sane is one of the most underrated players in this class. Keep an eye on him in the 2023-24 campaign as someone who should emerge and become more of a prominent name.
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