{"id":142790,"date":"2025-05-31T19:36:38","date_gmt":"2025-05-31T23:36:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/?p=142790"},"modified":"2025-05-31T19:36:38","modified_gmt":"2025-05-31T23:36:38","slug":"french-sensations-draft-stock-continues-to-rise-despite-absence","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2025\/05\/31\/french-sensations-draft-stock-continues-to-rise-despite-absence\/","title":{"rendered":"French Sensation\u2019s Draft Stock Continues to Rise Despite Absence"},"content":{"rendered":"

Noa Essengue<\/a> continues to make waves in Europe, even though he\u2019s not part of the NCAA spotlight. At just 18, the 6-foot-10 forward is proving he belongs in NBA conversations. His team, Ratiopharm Ulm, recently swept Alba Berlin in the German league playoffs. Essengue has been a defensive force and a highlight in transition. \u201cEssengue\u2019s youth, tools, two-way instincts and rapid rate of improvement suggest a high ceiling,\u201d wrote<\/a> Jonathan Givony of ESPN. Givony also noted that teams might not get to see him in workouts, since his season could run until the day after the 2025 NBA Draft. That hasn\u2019t stopped Noa Essengue’s<\/a> rise in the latest mock drafts.<\/p>\n

Noa Essengue\u2019s Draft Stock Continues to Rise Despite Absence<\/strong><\/h2>\n

The Uncommon Path<\/h3>\n

Most international prospects come from leagues like France, Spain, or Australia. Germany\u2019s Bundesliga doesn\u2019t often produce top NBA talent. But Ratiopharm Ulm is starting to change that. The club has sent three players to the NBA in recent years\u2014Killian Hayes<\/a>, Juan Nunez<\/a>, and Pacome Dadiet<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Now, Essengue looks like the next in line.<\/p>\n

Bleacher Report<\/em> lists him<\/a> as a projected top-10 pick. ESPN places him in the same range<\/a>. With each game, the Noa Essengue rise draft<\/em> conversation becomes more real.<\/p>\n

Numbers Don\u2019t Lie<\/h3>\n
\"Noa
Noa Essengue rises to shoot against a MHP RIESEN Ludwigsburg defender<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Essengue\u2019s stats in the German league are solid for a teenager. Through 52 games, he\u2019s averaging 10.8 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 1.2 assists on 51.6% shooting. He\u2019s scored 20 or more points six times this season, including a standout 21-point performance on May 17.<\/p>\n

He\u2019s not just productive. Noa\u2019s doing it while still learning the game. Despite a slender frame and raw offensive game, he keeps finding ways to win.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m playing tougher every game,\u201d Essengue said<\/a>. \u201cI want to match the intensity and physicality of my opponents.\u201d<\/p>\n

Defensive Mindset, Offensive Growth<\/h3>\n

Essengue describes defense as his biggest strength. \u201cI can guard positions 1 to 5,\u201d he said<\/a>. His footwork and long wingspan help him defend guards, wings, and bigs.<\/p>\n

That versatility is key in today\u2019s NBA. On offense, he\u2019s improving too. He shines in transition, finishing fast breaks with dunks or smooth layups. His face-up game shows promise, especially if he develops a perimeter jumper.<\/p>\n

Kevin O\u2019Connor of Yahoo Sports commented on Essengue\u2019s shooting. \u201cHe\u2019s gone from a hackable nonshooter to making 24.4% of his 3s and 70.1% of his free throws,\u201d O\u2019Connor wrote<\/a>. \u201cHis form looks smooth, and he has good touch.\u201d<\/p>\n

Big Impact, Young Age<\/h3>\n

Born on December 18, 2006, Essengue is the second-youngest player in the draft pool. He made his French senior national team debut at 17 and is already excelling in the EuroCup and Bundesliga playoffs.<\/p>\n

If he\u2019d been born two weeks later, he wouldn\u2019t be draft-eligible until 2026. But now, thanks to his age and performance, Noa Essengue\u2019s rise in the draft puts him firmly in lottery conversations.<\/p>\n

Ulm: A Perfect Fit<\/h3>\n

Essengue credits his growth to the environment in Ulm. \u201cComing to Ulm was the best decision I could have made,\u201d he said<\/a>. \u201cThe coaches and staff push me every day. There\u2019s no pressure\u2014just growth.\u201d<\/p>\n

This structure has helped him improve his game quickly. He\u2019s gone from a developmental project to a real two-way contributor.<\/p>\n

Essengue switches on defense, guards multiple positions, and clogs passing lanes. He rotates with purpose and uses his long arms to disrupt offenses. He\u2019s always moving and making winning plays.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s Next<\/h3>\n

Essengue\u2019s team could be playing into late June. That might keep him from visiting NBA teams before the draft. Still, scouts have taken notice.<\/p>\n

As some NCAA players returned to school, Essengue moved up draft boards. He climbed from 14th to 9th, and that could keep rising depending on how he performs during the rest of the Bundesliga playoffs.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Credit: Adidas NextGen EuroLeague<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Noa Essengue continues to make waves in Europe, even though he\u2019s not part of the NCAA spotlight. At just 18, the 6-foot-10 forward is proving he belongs in NBA conversations. His team, Ratiopharm Ulm, recently swept Alba Berlin in the German league playoffs. Essengue has been a defensive force and a highlight in transition. \u201cEssengue\u2019s […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5018,"featured_media":142796,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[62,1608,556,3],"tags":[49375,50152,50151,1721,49859],"class_list":["post-142790","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nba","category-basketball","category-nba-draft","category-news","tag-2025-nba-draft","tag-bbl","tag-bundesliga-basketball-league","tag-euroleague","tag-noa-essengue"],"modified_by":"Frederick Okocha","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/142790","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5018"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=142790"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/142790\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":142801,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/142790\/revisions\/142801"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/142796"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=142790"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=142790"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=142790"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}