Dream Fit: Raptors, Pistons, Lakers

Overall Grade: 61.34

Projected Position: PF/SF

Strengths:

• Good mobility & shuffling on closeouts cutting off driving lanes

• Not afraid to be physical & play with back to basket (utilizes spin)

• Soft touch

• Draws contact well using arms and swinging body

• Collapses boards

• Great recovery speed defensively & hip fluidity

• Moves into open space on perimeter

• Does a good job mirroring driving defenders & being slightly physical

• Long strides, does a good job splitting defenders while being controlled

• Good feel for when to slip after screen & finds open space

• Comfortable playing the 5 in a zone

• Good court vision directing players on & off ball offensivly

• Springy

• Moves well to find soft spots in a defense

• Good putback timing

Weaknesses:

• Overagressive defensivly often adjusting too much to a crossover or jab loosing positioning

• Doesn’t recognize backside screens

• At times overly reliant on length to contest shots

• Can get into bad positioning due to long strides on drives

• Sloppy hands losing ball in transition & in back to basker scenarios

• Can overcommit when going for steal & in press allowing player to blow by him

• Sags defensively allowing open shooting opprotunites after screens

• Poor base

• Unable to self create with handle

• Not a consistent 3pt shooter

Scouting Report: Noa Essengue

Position: Power Forward
Height/Weight: 6'10", 194 lbs (88 kg)
Team: Ratiopharm Ulm (Basketball Bundesliga, Germany)
Draft Projection: mid firts round ( lat lottery ?)

Overview:
Noa Essengue is a promising young talent from France, known for his versatility and high basketball IQ. Having developed his skills at the Centre Fédéral de Basket-ball (INSEP) and now playing professionally in Germany, Essengue has gained valuable experience at a young age. His combination of size, athleticism, and skill makes him an intriguing prospect for the future.

Strengths:

• Defensive Versatility: Essengue is an excellent defender, capable of guarding multiple positions due to his length and mobility.

• Rebounding: He is an active rebounder on both ends of the floor, using his size and positioning effectively.

• Athleticism: Essengue moves well for his size, making him a threat in transition and on defense.

• International Experience: Competing in the Basketball Bundesliga and with the French national team has prepared him for high-level competition.

• Upside: At just 18 years old, Essengue has significant room for growth, particularly on the offensive end.

Areas for Improvement:

• Offensive Consistency: While he has shown flashes of scoring ability, developing a reliable mid-range jumper and post moves will elevate his game.

• Strength: Adding muscle to his frame will help him handle physicality at the next level.

• Three-Point Shooting: Improving his range and consistency from beyond the arc will make him a more versatile offensive player.

Player Comparisons:

• Nicolas Batum (for his versatility and defensive impact)

• Jonathan Isaac (for his length and potential as a two-way player)

Summary:
Noa Essengue is a raw but highly promising prospect with the tools to become a valuable contributor at the professional level. His defensive versatility, rebounding, and international experience make him a player to watch in the coming years. With continued development, he could carve out a significant role in the NBA.

NOA ESSENGUE

Position/Archetype: Long Aggressive Forward

College: (Pro) Ratiopharm Ulm - Germany (French Prospect)

Pros:

• Age: 18 year old professional playing meaningful minutes in competitive basketball always sounds great, is the league the best? no but it isn't bad either I mean he's playing adults in professional systems and has handled it really well and has made huge impacts on the playoff run and his most recent game he hit some clutch shots

• Length: Super long, 6'9-6'10 with a big wingspan and the standing reach you can see of a center, none of thats confirmed but he looks pretty good for it. Now the measurements I've been given don't really add up but I do think he's gonna measure really well.

• Defensive Instincts: there's some stuff you just can't teach and Essengue has the off ball and help defensive tools and awareness which has made him a very effective defender with a DRTG of 107. Is he perfect on all? No a lot to work on that I will touch on but he has great defensive tools and a great mindset.

• Ability and Efficiency at the Basket: Although not the efficient shooter you'd hope he is an extremely efficient player in general and a lot of that has got to do with his driving and ability at the basket. Simply a force at the basket he may not be strong but he uses his body and isn't scared, he is a 62.3%TS and shoots 66% at the rim on a lot of attempts. I would say this is the primarily reason for a very high 125 ORTG. 85th percentile at the rim and I can only seeing that getting better with NBA Weight training.

• Transition force: 93rd percentile in transition, very athletic and long to finish over people and get it out quick while also being able to use his hands to disrupt defences turning it into turnovers and transition offence. this is how we've seen his effectiveness on defence and his length and then his finishing ability all blend in and I really love to see this. Seemless and I think it will translate.

• Upside and Two Way ability: Simply the type of player he is makes him an intriguing prospect per young guys with the length, has real two way abilities he can use day 1 and has pathways to develop as well as a base IQ and Feel for the game a lot of players with similar abilities just don't have. I think he's not perfect there's a lot to work on but he doesn't have a very low floor in my opinion, he doesn't feel like a swing and there's a very high ceiling. He isn't a guarantee at all but he is a lot more ready than many think

Cons:

• Coordination: One thing that will wipe out a lot of his flaws is simply being more coordinated, having better hands, a neater handle, better passing form, a more controlled mover will improve him so much and make him way more impactful day 1, what it will improve is pretty much two things I will bring up, how to improve it feels quite obvious.

• Weight: if he wants to improve this he has to simply get stronger, he needs to have stronger legs for his shooting form he has to be stronger to handle the larger forwards and center, Eludes to the rest of this profile, and then to improve his strengths he will have to be more forceful in general to make him a real weapon

• 3PT Shooting: simply the rawest part of the game, has been improving recently and as we go further into these playoffs, but he is still only taking a couple a game in general and all of them being open, he has started hitting them though which is all we can ask. The form is off and seems unbalanced but this is pretty workable and I can see him being around 33% in the league at some point in his future with the right development.

• On Ball play: I brought it up earlier but he has a lot to work on to be a more effective on ball defender, his length can disrupt pretty well and that cause him to get transition plays but he can't do that every play and he will need to have more controlled movement and size to handle quicker more agile players and stronger guys. And then offensively we don't see a whole lot with his handle or creating plays which doesn't surprise me and I don't think we are gonna see a tonne of that especially early in his career but something to definitely work on and will be a project.

NBA Pro Comp: Al Farouq Aminu, Mix of Pascal Siakam and Aaron Gordon

Projection: Probably bench to start but he has qualities to impact day 1 but a lot holding him back too, but he has a lot of potential to be a star that I can see. High ceiling guy.

CHEESE FINAL BOARD RANKING: (coming soon)

https://youtu.be/7UR5h-KODjQ?si=j-Wf3nl8wnZJ4KIR

Last Ranking: 20

Trend: UP

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Noa Essengue, a promising young French forward from Ratiopharm Ulm in Germany, is emerging as an intriguing prospect for the upcoming NBA Draft. Born in 2006, he is the second-youngest prospect in the draft, showcasing a tantalizing blend of physical tools, defensive versatility, and offensive skills. He projects as a multi-positional defender capable of switching across positions 1-4. He shows quick feet, anticipation in help coverage, and active hands that lead to steals and deflections. He rotates well, stays engaged off-ball, and has the instincts and effort to be a impactful defender. He still needs to bulk up, but his defense is his best skill. Essengue is a great finisher, especially in transition, where he elevates for dunks and layups. He runs the floor with purpose and can finish in space with spin moves, euro-steps, and off-hand layups. He's an intelligent cutter as well and has a knack for getting open. Essengue plays with a relentless motor and competes on the boards at both ends of the court. He has a good feel for the game, moving the ball quickly and making decisive passes within the flow of the offense. He can find cutters and occasionally thread interior passes out of the post. His tremendous upside is the biggest reason why many teams could take a flyer on him. His shooting form is clean, but although he shows flashes as a mid-range and three-point shooter, his jumper is inefficient overall. His handle is a work in progress, which leads to limited shot creating, especially off the dribble. He needs to add a lot of muscle as well. At times, he can play out of control when pushing the pace or attacking off the bounce, which can lead to turnovers or forced drives. Overall, Essengue will be looked at by many teams as a high-upside prospect near the lottery.

NBA Comps: Darius Bazley, Nicolas Batum, Obi Toppin Lite

Comp: Nicolas Batum/Scottie Barnes

• slim/long frame with good defensive upside; lacks elite coordination

• switchable and versatile wing defender, (1-4) but wouldn’t trust him guarding the post at high volume yet

• very solid midrange shooter and has pretty solid shot IQ

• decent playmaker, can control the pace and likes to work inside; great at spotting cutters but is prone to some tunnel vision in terms of kick-outs on the drive. will probably be a good connector at the next level

• great running the fast break as both a scoring threat and playmaker

• likes to cut often; doesn’t mind working from the post either, but doesn’t move well off the ball on the perimeter

• probably won’t be much of a capable shot creator at the next level

• lacks coordination and fundamental basketball skills—probably the most raw prospect in the class

• doesn’t offer much 3pt spacing but shot form looks good

• floor is quite low

(21/02) TBC

Well-rounded 4 with a true competitors heart.

2nd youngest player in the class, will be 18 still at the draft. Basically equal first though, only a few days between him and Flagg.

Every second of play I watched Essengue was locked in and hustling. That was my favourite aspect of his game.

Essengue is a play finisher and transition monster, but everything outside of that is iffy.

Good mobility on defense, doesn't let the offensive player breathe and is physical when needed. Recovers well and keeps his head up for screens/cuts.

Gambles for steals and gets caught out sometimes. His defensive aggression will put him out of place, especially with shifty players.

Understands spacing on offense and is aware of where he needs to be. This could translate well to passing if given the opportunity to develop it.

High IQ.

Can protect the rim as help with his length.

Good timing as a rebounder/put-back-er

Driving is clumsy and (whatever the opposite of shifty is). Would like to see more handling ability.

Inconsistent shooting with inconsistent form.

Essengue is SO lengthy. He might have the best physical tools of anyone in the class. He's not a monster athlete, and not super bouncy, but he can almost reach the rim from the ground.

Essengue has the chance to be that guy that a really bad team swings on and looks for him to explode into something amazing. He is this year's "Giannis Project" guy.

Comp: Jaden McDaniels/Aaron Gordon