International NBA Prospects Part 2/Other: Hugo Gonzalez/Ben Saraf
Brian and Zach break down the top prospects in internationally: This includes Hugo Gonzalez, Ben Saraf, Dink Pate, Hansen Yang, Bogoljub Markovic and more!
Outside of the French prospects, there are quite a few players with a lot of intrigue. Hugo Gonzalez was a projected top-10 pick at the start of the season. Ben Saraf has been really good. Hansen Yang, Bogoljub Markovic, and Dink Pate all have real fans. So, let’s break these last few guys down!
Hugo Gonzalez/Real Madrid
My Opinion:
I wouldn’t take too much from this season. A lot of the evaluation with him comes from his international competition tape against his peers. When Egor Demin was at Real Madrid, Hugo often looked like the better player on the floor. I still like him, and I think he should go in the first round. He just needs to hit threes if he’s going to make it in the NBA.
Ben Saraf/Ratiopharm Ulm
My Opinion:
I like the idea of Saraf more than the reality. He has to be able to shoot if he’s going to make it in the NBA. If he develops a reliable shot and defends, there’s a real chance he could evolve into a fringe star-level player. I’m not convinced he’s a shooter. He’s decent in the midrange, but that’s not something NBA teams prioritize anymore. He’s either going to be a solid NBA player or one of the best players in Europe. We’ll find out which over the next five years or so.
Bogolijub Markovic/KK Mega
My Opinion:
I’m very intrigued by Markovic, but he needs to get stronger if this is going to work at all. He has to handle physicality better. However, the fact that he can shoot at his size is extremely intriguing. I expect him to be a high-priority second-round pick on draft night and an interesting fantasy prospect.
Hansen Yang/Quingdao
My Opinion:
I think the public sphere is much higher on Hansen than it should be. I see him as a perfectly fine second-round flyer, but I don’t view him as a high-level prospect. I don’t think he’s going to become a star. Maybe he turns into a Mo Wagner–type big, and while that has value, I’m not going head over heels for him.
Dink Pate/Mexico City Capitanes
(Note: 26.9 minutes instead of 23.5. Forgot to change it and I realized it too late.)
Hey! Zach here, sneaking this one in before I join up on the Quick Hits. Thankfully, Brian let me work on the Dink Pate section so I can be nicer and more optimistic than he might be. Last season, Pate became the youngest professional athlete in American sports history, joining the G League Ignite at age 17. Unfortunately, due to his professional status that meant foregoing any college eligibility, his only option was staying in the G League or going pro internationally for a year. Pate went with the former and joined the Mexico City Capitanes. His draft stock took a plummet this year despite initial hype, and a large part of that is both failing to shoot the ball well, and ultimately failing to make an impact with Mexico City. The stats were not good in his 34 GS/GP with 10.1 points, 5.2 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 0.6 blocks, and 1.7 turnovers in 26.9 minutes. Pate also shot 40.8% from the field, 26.1% from 3, and 58.1% on free throws.
There’s no other way to say it: he was not good this year. Still, anyone looking at him is not drafting for the stats and how he looks on spreadsheets. He’s drafted because he’s an extremely young 6’8” big guard/wing with a ton of athleticism and above-the-rim pop. Pate has a lot of tools to like, and even though the numbers are bad, he has shown some quality flashes with the Ignite and Capitanes to warrant some clear interest. Pate sits at 43 on my final big board and I expect him to be a top 45 pick in a few days. The hope is that he goes somewhere that can teach him how to shoot.
Quick Hits
This week, I have my co-writer, Zach Reifschneider, helping me out with these Quick hits covering some of the remaining players. Take it away, Zach!
Neoklis Avdalas
Neoklis Avdalas started to heat up in draft circles before he ultimately chose to come stateside for college basketball. Avdalas opted to attend Virginia Tech for the 2025-2026 season in the hopes of solidifying his draft position for next year. The 19 year old wing had some impressive play at Peristeri in Greece and is sure to garner some NBA interest for his size at 6’8”, his athletic tools, his BBIQ, handle and passing outside of his position, and shooting at over 35% from 3. He’s got a lot of tools in his bag and with a year playing a bigger role in college, there’s no telling how far he could go.
Michael Ruzic
For a work in progress, Michael Ruzic is definitely a fun one to watch. At 6’9” - 6’10” with a 6’11” wingspan, he’s long and lanky in the same way Aleksej Pokusevski was. He’s got some intriguing elements to his game as a strong shooter and good passing feel, and with this kind of size, he’s got the juice to be a fun stretch 4. Still, he’s incredibly raw on both ends of the floor and lacking in experience, and until he puts more weight and muscle on, he’s going to get bullied at the next level. Ultimately, Michael Ruzic the idea is much more interesting than Michael Ruzic the player. We will be monitoring him in 2025-2026 to see if he can expand on a role and warrant some more interest for next year’s draft.
Isaac Nogues
There’s a handful of players we identify as defensive specialists who are a non-factor on offense that still manage to contribute some scoring. Isaac Nogues is perhaps the most close to a zero as a scorer we may ever see in the modern NBA. This year for the Rip City Remix, Nogues averaged 23.8 minutes a game and scored only 2.7 POINTS PER GAME. He shot 44.2% on 2.9 attempts from the field and only averaged 27.4% from 3 on 0.4 attempts per game. However, he did put up 5.9 rebounds (2 offensive rebounds), 4.6 assists, and 2 steals per game. He’s a very good passer with good vision. He’s an excellent defender on and off the ball, he moves well, and knows exactly where he needs to be. Considering his combination of size, athleticism, and defensive versatility to guard 1-4, he could be an interesting defensive switchblade not so dissimilar to a Kris Dunn or Gary Payton II. The issue is, at least those guys can score a little and move off the ball offensively. I have zero clue what the heck Nogues can do off the ball at the next level and will never be respectable enough to play on it. I think Nogues should be able to earn an Exhibit-10 contract and get a cup of coffee with a team for Summer League, but it would take quite an unexpected jump to find something more.
Sergio De Larrea
For stretches this season, it felt like Valencia Basket guard Sergio De Larrea could be in sleeper conversations for the 2025 NBA Draft. He ultimately opted to stay put with Valencia and signed a contract that would keep him on the team until 2027-2028. De Larrea should warrant some more interest next season if he can expand his role from last season’s small sample sizes and in more than 12.5 minutes a game. As a 6’6” guard, he’s shown some good playmaking chops and has a good feel for offensive tempo, and despite the small sample sizes, he did shoot over 40% from 3 in both ACB and Eurocup play (1.8 and 1.3 attempts, respectively). He’ll need to show more and how he overcomes a lack of athleticism and burst.
Johann Grunloh
Johann Grunloh is an intriguing stretch 5 from Germany. He played for SC RASTA Vechta, averaging 7.9 points, 5.5 rebounds and 1.6 blocks in 37 games while shooting 46.1% from the field and 33.7% from 3 (2.3 attempts per game). Grunloh will suit up for the University of Virginia this fall and aim to push for a starting role. He’s a very talented shot blocker and his ability to shoot from range is going to be a very coveted skill if he can continue to add strength and overall skill as a defender outside of protecting the rim. We expect to see him later on draft radars to open the season.
Paul Mbiya
Paul Mbiya is a 6’11” center from the Democratic Republic of the Congo. A former NBA Academy Africa player, Mbiya has some very coveted physical tools as a big, burly center with a reported 7’7” wingspan. With ASVEL this season, Mbiya had a big role where he turned in 15.3 points, 11.7 rebounds, 1 steal and 3 blocks per game on 32.7 minutes per game in 23 games. With his massive size, wingspan and offensive game as a lob threat and post player, Mbiya would’ve come in as a high-end rim protector for NC State. However, just after committing to NC State last month, Mbiya decommitted and is now available again. Word on the street is Oregon is looking at him, and I wouldn’t rule out international leagues checking up on him. Regardless of where Mbiya lands, watch him closely this offseason. He should receive NBA interest by default for his age and how big he is.
Saliou Niang
Senegalese-Italian wing Saliou Niang might be the most underdiscussed international player in the 2025 NBA Draft pool right now. With Dolomiti Energia Trento this season, Niang averaged 7.9 points, 5.2 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 0.7 steals while shooting 51.3% from the field. When you look from an overview, there’s some stuff to like: he’s got good size for a wing, he’s a very good defender with a high motor, he seems to play well in a low usage role, is a good cutter and can play above the rim, and he’s got a lot of experience with over 1,000 minutes logged this season in 54 games. However, when you peel it back and see he lacks much ability to shoot from 3 and isn’t likely able to contribute much on the offensive end, you see why he isn’t discussed. Simply put, most NBA teams are not going to be interested in a defensive specialist that’s still raw on offense at age 21. Niang will likely return to international ball, but there is a real possibility he could be stashed.
Closing Thoughts
Thank you to everyone who gave these scouting reports a read this year! I had a lot of fun putting these together, and I hope you enjoy and get as much out of them as I did creating them. Expect many more to come for the 2026 NBA Draft and beyond.