Overseas Round-Up: March Madness Edition
As the eyes of the basketball world have been set mostly on March Madness, a number of draft prospects playing overseas are entering the final leg of their 2022-23 seasons. In this edition of Overseas Round-Up, we look at the most recent updates on five international players who are currently projected to be selected in the 2023 NBA Draft.
Victor Wembanyama
The best prospect in the world has continued his dominant campaign in the French LNB, averaging 20.6 points, 9.4 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 3.3 blocks per game, while shooting 31.8% from 3 point range since February 1st. Currently leading the league in points, rebounds and blocks, Wembanyama is not only the runaway favorite to win the French League MVP award, he’s also the leader of one of the best teams in the league, as Metropolitans is currently sitting at second place with an 18-8 record.
Wembanyama has not only led the league in production, but he’s also leading the league in minutes per game, playing close to 32 minutes per contest; definitely an encouraging sign for a prospect who, coming into the season, many saw as injury prone due to his size and body type.
Rayan Rupert
The Australian NBL season has come to a close with Rupert’s New Zealand Breakers falling short of the title, losing to the Sydney Kings in the finals. Rupert saw a reduction in his playing time and his role during the NBL playoffs, as the Breakers prioritized giving minutes to veterans in the definitive stages of the season.
Overall, Rupert’s season had its ups and downs, he made an impact on both ends of the floor with his quickness, length and athleticism, showing potential as a perimeter defender, driver and playmaker for others, but the scoring efficiency evaded him, as he shot just 35% from the floor and 23.4% from 3 point range. The shot, while not broken, definitely still needs work and the fact that Rupert is not likely to contribute as a floor spacer from day one is something that NBA teams will have to keep in mind by the time the 2023 NBA Draft rolls around.
Bilal Coulibaly
Coulibaly's rise has been one of the most interesting stories to follow in this draft cycle. After dominating the French U21 League during the first three months of the season, he got a chance to see minutes for Metropolitan's senior squad and he has looked as good as advertised, albeit in a much smaller role. Since February 1st, Coulibaly is playing 23 minutes per game, averaging 6.9 points, 2.6 rebounds, 1.6 steals and 0.6 blocks on tremendous scoring efficiency: 73.5% True Shooting and 70% from beyond the arc.
Coulibaly's lack of experience as a self-creator at a high level of competition could make some teams weary of drafting him, but his profile as an efficient two-way wing who can contribute on offense with cuts, offensive rebounds and catch-and-shoot jumpers can be enticing for teams looking for toolsy wings who don’t need the ball in their hands to make an impact on offense.
James Nnaji
Nnaji has not found much playing time for Barcelona, averaging only seven minutes per game since February 1st. The Nigerian center is averaging 3.5 points and 1.5 rebounds while shooting 68.8% from the field and even if his offensive efficiency has been impressive, his defensive presence has taken a slight dip averaging just 0.3 blocks per game during the same period.
Despite his lack of minutes and some limitations he has shown on tape recently when it comes to defensive switchability and ability to anticipate plays as a rim protector, Nnaji’s size, length, NBA-ready frame and offensive efficiency could certainly entice any NBA team who is looking to add a potential back-up center on a rookie contract.
Nikola Djurisic
The efficiency as a jumpshooter continues to evade Djurisic, who has converted just 20.7% of his 3 point attempts since February 1st. However, his combination of size, passing ability and flashes of perimeter self-creation make him one of the most interesting bets in the draft. At 6-foot-8, the Serbian wing is able to run the offense both in transition and in the half-court, where he is able to find open teammates with creative and accurate deliveries. His vision and decision-making as a pick-and-roll ball-handler is impressive for his age and size.
It’s hard to envision Djurisic becoming a day-one primary initiator for an NBA team considering his lack of scoring gravity, but players who can potentially dribble, pass and shoot and have enough size to play at the wing are always enticing bets for NBA teams; especially late in the second round.
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