They continue to “vote” Europe in the NBA, with them Alexander Sarr, Nikola Topic and Zachary Risasse to be in the top five picks in most experts’ projections ahead of him NBA Draft the summer.
France seems to be the next big basketball player after Canada. The selection of Victor Webanyama in the first place of the draft in 2023 has a continuation and its name, Alexander Sar. There is no clear favorite, but his brother Olivier of the Oklahoma City Thunder has the most interesting and evolving package. The 18-year-old center is 2.16, can look to the basket and moves more like a perimeter. He is a versatile defender and can defend at the three-point line as well but needs to add strength to his game. The Frenchman already has two medals with his country’s national team, a bronze with the U17s in Spain in 2022 and a silver with the U19s in Hungary in 2023. Sarr competes in Perth Wildcats as part of the Australian league’s Next Stars program averaging 9.6 points, 4.4 rebounds and 1 block in 18 games.
Best known to the European public is Nikola Topic (18 years 1.98), who is the next talent of Serbian basketball. The young man returned to Red Star, after his brief loan spell at Mega, and made his Euroleague debut with 4 points, 4 assists and 1 rebound in 19 minutes in a win against Fenerbahce. He ranks first on the American list among all available point guards and resides third in mock drafts behind Sarr and Ron Holland. He is the son of Milenko Topic, who had come for a month (2007/08) from Rethymnon.
THE Zachary Rissase completes the trio of Europeans and is placed in the fourth or fifth pick. The French small forward is having a very good season with the Burg on loan from Villerban. In 17 games in the French league he has 10.7 points with 3.6 rebounds, while in 12 appearances in the Eurocup he has 12.3 points, 3.8 rebounds, 1 assist and 1 steal. Teammate in the French national team with Char, he also has the same medals and is the son of Stéphane Risasse, a veteran basketball player with a silver medal in the Olympics in 2000 and a former Olympiacos player. He has offensive flair with a nice shot, advanced ball handling for a player of his age with a good feel for the game. Not the most explosive, but has good penetrations with solid finishes.
Editor: Makis Theotokatos
Source: Sport Fm
I am currently a news writer for News Bulletin247 where I mostly cover sports news. I have always been interested in writing and it is something I am very passionate about. In my spare time, I enjoy reading and spending time with my family and friends.
