Rayan Rupert is a 6’7 versatile shooting guard from Strasbourg, France. While he may be one of the youngest players in this year’s draft class (having just turned 19 at the end of May), Rupert already has more professional experience than most young players coming into the NBA. Rupert began playing professionally in 2019 for Centre Fédéral in the French NM1. Rupert played in the French NM1 up until June 2022, when he signed with the New Zealand Breakers for the 2022-2023 NBL season.
While Rayan Rupert is still considered a raw prospect, his elite physical traits and versatility at the shooting guard position make him a tantalizing high-upside player. His family background, coming from a father who played in the Euroleague and a sister in the WNBA, coupled with his professional experience, makes him a solid young project for any team to potentially help develop at the next level.
Rayan Rupert 2023 NBA Draft Profile
Overseas Professional Career
While Rupert has played professionally overseas since 2019, he has had to go through a lot of growing pains to get to where he is today as a young NBA prospect. From 2019 to 2021, Rupert only started in 16 of his 37 games played in the NM1 while averaging just under 19 minutes per game. However, Rupert would go on to have a breakout 2021-2022 season. Starting in 33 of his 34 games played that season, Rupert averaged 14 points, 2.5 assists, and 2.5 steals per game. However, Rupert would go on to have a down year the following 2022-2023 season in the NBL, averaging just 6.8 points in 18 minutes per game. While his performance last season in the NBL may have hindered his draft stock a bit, Rupert still showcased a lot of impressive qualities, especially for a guard his size, during his young professional career overseas.
Strengths
Rupert’s 6’7 frame and long 7’2 wingspan allow him to be a very effective defender in the backcourt. He can switch 1-3 on defense and can serve well as a help defender against certain opponents. His lateral quickness, ability to recover when getting beat off the dribble, and high motor make him one of the better perimeter defenders in this year’s draft class. Overall, Rupert displays some high potential as a defender at the guard position, and will only continue to get better as he continues to develop in the NBA.
Rupert also possesses many skills on the offensive side of the ball that make him a very versatile player at the shooting guard position. While he is not great at a particular offensive skill, his ability to do a lot of things well offensively makes him a jack-of-all-trades as a guard. He has developed a good sense of when to cut toward the rim in the halfcourt, as well as how to move off the ball for open spot-up opportunities on the perimeter. Rupert looks fluid with the ball in his hands and has also displayed some good passing abilities. He can also attack the rim and has a nice soft touch to his shot that makes him very capable of hitting runners and acrobatic layups when driving toward the basket.
Weaknesses
Rupert still has some improvement to do when it comes to his shooting efficiency. While he has shown the ability to knock down spot-up threes, teams still dare him to shoot at times due to his overall inefficiency. During his last season in the NBL, Rupert only averaged shooting 37% from the field and 31% from three. While he still can contribute offensively in other ways and can knock down wide-open threes on occasion, his overall shot efficiency from the perimeter needs to improve for him to maximize his potential as a guard in the NBA.
Rupert also has to be more aggressive around the rim. His relatively thin frame and lack of toughness at times make him susceptible to getting pushed around by bigger bodies near the basket. Rupert only averaged around 2.5 rebounds per game during his career overseas, and he also shied away from contact at times when driving toward the paint. While Rupert still has time to grow more into his frame and build his confidence finishing in traffic, he will have to devote time to get better at this part of his game.
NBA Player Comparison
Rayan Rupert’s game resembles a lot of how fellow French native Nicolas Batum plays. Similar to Rupert, Batum wasn’t the most consistent of shooters coming into the NBA. However, his versatility as a passer, defender, and slasher made him a good young player in the NBA for the Portland Trail Blazers. Batum developed into a good three-point shooter throughout his career and has been a reliable 3-and-D player for the majority of his 15-year career so far. Both Rupert and Batum have similar frames as well as styles of play, and if Rupert works on his efficiency from deep, he could very well become a good rotational piece on an NBA team like Batum.
NBA Draft Projection
Rupert is likely to be a late first-round or early second-round draft selection. While he may need a little bit of time continuing to play overseas or in the G-league to further refine his game, he could be a very high-upside player that can turn out to be a pleasant surprise in this year’s draft.
