Underrated International Prospects in the 2022 NBA Draft
Six overseas players worth watching before draft night
Thursday’s 2022 NBA Draft features a remarkable amount of international prospects hoping to hear their names called on one of the biggest nights of their lives.
I already evaluated two overseas players, Nikola Jovic and Kai Sotto, as part of this article.
I also looked at Jean Montero, a French point guard currently playing in the Overtime Elite League.
Now, I’ll be looking at a few more international players who have the potential to succeed in the NBA.
Yannick Nzosa
The six-foot-10 big man from Spain is currently projected to be a lottery pick, despite only averaging 2.2 points per game in the Liga ACB this season. He possesses excellent skills as a roller, rim runner, and lob threat, as well as great paint defense.
However, as great of an offensive player he is, scouting reports say Nzosa will still need to work on finishing in and passing out of the paint, as NBA defenses will be able to guard pick-and-rolls effectively, particularly with a rookie big man whose primary skill is finishing. With the right development, he could become a solid rotational center in the NBA.
Ousmane Dieng
Dieng is a six-foot-10 forward who, like LaMelo Ball and RJ Hampton, elected to play in Australia’s NBL as part of his pre-draft journey. In 23 games for the New Zealand Breakers, Dieng averaged a modest 8.9 points, 3.2 rebounds, 1.1 assists, and 0.6 steals per game on poor shooting splits (39–27–66). Denver Stiffs’ evaluation of Dieng highlighted his midseason turnaround:
“In his first 11 games with the Breakers, he only put up 4 points per game, 2.1 rebounds per game, 0.9 assists per game, and 0.3 steals and blocks per game. He did this on just 24.6% from the field and 15.4% from 3…In the last 11 games of his season, he increased his averages to 14.2 points per game, 4.4 rebounds per game, 1.4 assists per game, and 1.6 steals and blocks per game. All while shooting 48.4% from the field and 35.7% from 3.”
Dieng’s confidence in the second half of the season is a welcome sight and has given him all the momentum he needs to boost his stock in the 2022 Draft and prove he’s worthy of a first-round selection.
Hugo Besson
Besson, a six-foot-four French point guard playing in the NBL, averaged 13.9 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 2.5 assists per game for the New Zealand Breakers. He is two seasons removed from boasting 24.6 PPG, 4.6 RPG, and 4.8 APG for Espoirs Chalon-Saone in France’s LNB Espoirs league while shooting an incredible 54% from three (3.4 makes/6.2 attempts).
The 21-year-old is a proven scorer who can light it up from three and is an overall confident shooter. Besson’s NBA Draft Profile notes that he can shoot off the dribble, screens, and step-backs. He also has great playmaking potential, making reads off of ball screens and “finding shooters off the move.”
Besson has also been known to be more consistent on defense than on offense, averaging 0.6 steals per game for the Breakers this season. Though he will need to get stronger to handle the league’s physicality, there is no doubt that Besson will become a solid guard in the NBA.
Khalifa Diop
The 20-year-old Senegalese center averaged 6.5 points, four rebounds, and 0.7 blocks per game with Spain’s Gran Canaria while shooting 62% from the field and 56% from the free-throw line. In the 2021 FIBA U19 Basketball World Cup, he put up 14.7 PPG, 9.4 RPG, and 1.7 BPG.
As seen in videos from Peachtree Hoops, he is a strong, speedy, and athletic big man who excels in the pick-and-roll and cutting to the rim in general. He also showed flashes of playmaking potential, averaging 0.6 assists per game and being able to pass out of the post and find teammates cutting to the rim.
Defensively, Diop is solid with his ability to cover a lot of ground and contest well at the rim, but there are still concerns about his consistency. That, along with his poor free-throw shooting, will be areas of improvement. However, Diop, a projected second-round pick, is solid enough for a team to take a chance on him.
Ibou Dianko Badji
Badji has been described as a seven-foot-one freak of nature, and he has drawn many comparisons to Dikembe Mutombo.
Spending most of this season with Forca Leida CE of the LEB Gold league, Badji averaged 8.5 PPG, 4.1 RPG, and 1.2 BPG while shooting 57% from the field and 72% from the line. He was teammates with the aforementioned Diop on Senegal’s FIBA U19 World Cup team, and averaged 6.9 PPG, 5.1 RPG, and 3.1 BPG.
Various scouting reports have highlighted Badji’s incredible athleticism and threats as a lob finisher and rim protector; NBA Draft Junkies also mentioned his 7'8" wingspan and 9'10" standing reach. At the same time, they all note that he is very raw and uncontrolled on offense, and will need to improve that part of his game to become an effective big in the league. Still, Badji is definitely a name to watch in the future, as his defensive tenacity and growing offensive potential will garner plenty of attention in the months to come.
Gabriele Procida
Finally, Italian guard/wing Gabriele Procida has solidified himself as a second-round prospect through his three-point sharpshooting and overall two-way play. He averaged seven points and three rebounds per game for Bologna while shooting 52% from the field, a blistering 38% from deep, and 78% from the line. At the Draft Combine, he registered a 6'8" wingspan and tied for the fastest three-quarter sprint time, 3.02 seconds.
Aside from being an athletic perimeter scorer, Procida is a respectable defender, averaging 0.8 steals per game. He does a great job contesting shots and jumping the passing lane, which leads to his high-flying highlights in transition.
ESPN’s Mike Schmitz watched Procida play in Italy last April. Here is an excerpt from his evaluation:
“The game can move a bit fast for [Procida] on both ends of the floor right now. and he is certainly not ready to play in an NBA playoff game tomorrow. He is still a bit slight in stature and far from a finished product physically. But from studying his film extensively, it became clear that he fits an NBA prototype and has the energy and baseline physical ability needed to hold his own defensively as his body matures.
“Procida also does a lot of the little things you need from role players — regularly crashing the offensive glass for tip dunks, jumping the passing lanes for a steal or scampering back door for an easy finish. Whether it’s Kevin Huerter or Furkan Korkmaz, size and shooting is king on the wing in today’s NBA, and Procida can offer both to an organization willing to invest in him long term as a draft-and-stash prospect.”
Procida still offers a lot as a 3&D wing, and since shooting comes at a premium in the NBA, a team will surely draft him to add depth to their roster and develop him into a great player as time goes on.
These six overseas prospects are worth keeping tabs on, as they all have the potential to impact their future teams either now or in a few years. They, along with the rest of this international class of prospects, will continue to grow the NBA into a truly global game.
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