Besson is one of the most unheralded international prospects. He is playing in the NBL and tearing it up on offense. He is creative and shifty on offense which helps him counteract his small size. He attacks the rim with power and works his way through opponents. He is a good finisher and is a super underrated athlete. He’s a great pull-up shooter and has legitimate flash to his game. Besson is a solid playmaker and good pick and roll passer. He needs to work on his shot selection, but that will come with time. In the NBA he won’t be allowed to take as many unruly shots. Hugo is by far my favorite international prospect in the draft. Expect him to keep rising up draft boards.

Comparison: Damian Lillard Lite

Projected Draft Range: 20-45

Best Team Fits: Washington, New York, Miami

Height 6'5 Weight Estimated 6'7 Wingspan Unknown DOB 4/26/01 (Draft Age: 21) Pre-Draft Team New Zealand Breakers

Offense

• A huge volume 3pt shooter.

• Tough shot taker and maker.

• Weapon shooter out of PNR.

• Excellent percentages inside the arc.

• Decent first step.

• Adequate passer.

• Has both hesitation and full speed method of attacking the rim. Uses either hand and a floater.

Defense

• Some upside here and a decent frame to not get bullied.

• Focuses on the ball too much and needs more effort.

Swing Factors

• Secondary Initiator skills are better than advertised or grow greatly

• Shot creation, taking, making translates to NBA level

Role

• A hard nosed guard who gets buckets efficiently and effectively, knocking down tough shots when asked.

• LOW: Besson's athleticism and defense don't translate as well as hoped. He returns overseas to have a stellar career handling a major scoring load for his club.

HIGH: Besson is a major draft gem, coming in dicing up NBA defenses for buckets. He becomes a secondary initiator and grades out as an above average defender becoming a reliable and desired starter for NBA clubs.

Player analysis

Hugo Besson is a really flashy and interesting player. In the NBL he had a rough start with a lot of turnovers because he was trying to show too much when he was on the court, as his season went on it seemed the game slowed down and he got used to playing in a new country. He originally is from France similarly to other NBL prospects like LaMelo Ball and Ousmane Dieng from a different country, I think the experience as a pro in Australia helps him in the future as an NBA player and smoothes the transition to a new country. Hugo is a talented scorer who can shoot pretty well, he has good form and shot pretty well for a kid in a new country. He’s a sneaky athlete that doesn’t use his bounce to score at the rim as much as he should, he likes to rely on speed mre but it seems to be more out of watching faster players rather than necessarily being one himself. Besson is a bit of a showboat who tries to make flashy plays which oftentimes isn’t the right play which hinders the team, he has the tools to be a good playmaker but could use a bit of discipline especially in his distributing game. He is a bad defender but isn’t horrendous, he is tall for a guard but is one of the only players in the draft class with a negative wingspan. Hugo Besson is a talented player but has problems that could limit his ability to fit into a team system, if his shaky scoring game doesn’t translate to the league he just flat out won’t work out.

Projection

Draft range: [ 36 - 51 ]

Comp: [ Tyler Herro lite ]

Strengths: Creation and Playmaking Weaknesses: Athleticism and Defense

High Side Comp: Pablo Prigioni Prime Low Side Comp: Facundo Campazzo

Ideal Fit: Bench Playmaker

Draft Range: 28-58

Result: 58- MIL

Athleticism: 4/10 Size: 3/5 Defense: 3/10 Strength: 2/5 Quickness: 7/10 Creation: 3/5 Jumpshot: 5/10 Finishing: 3/5 NBA Ready: 3/5 Ball Handling: 7/10 Passing: 6/10 Intangibles: 3/5 Potential: 6/10 TOTAL: 55= Early Second

Strengths:

• I have not a doubt in my mind that he is the best shooter in the draft

• Has shown flashes of really good playmaking upside

• Super slippery finisher around the rim

• Pretty quick

• Great rebounder for a guard

• Shot mechanics look perfect

• Handle is super tight and is amazing in the iso

• Can be a great catch and shoot option

• Plays really well off ball to find his shots

• Boxes out well

• I think has some elite upside as a secondary playmaker

• Has a super nice step back

• Super deep bag offensively

• Nearly 6'6

• Has almost too much confidence

Flaws:

• Slow on his feet defensively, gets blown by way too much

• Looses focus as a off ball defender

• Doesn't fight through screens hard enough

• Can be lazy in transition

• Gives away some dumb frustration fouls

• Lacks a lot of length, his wingspan is shorter than his height

• Can try to push passes a bit too much some times

• At times doesn't see how open a lane is in front of him

• Can be quite streaky from game to game

Quick release on catch-and-shoot shots. Doesn't lack off the dribble, will take midrange shots if open. Nice handle. Athletic finisher that gets downhill off screens. Loves the floater.

Not a terrific shot selection. Will take quick shots if momentum on side. Can't finish at a high level. Prone to turnovers and bad shots.