We already did a breakdown of Alexandre Sarr, who is playing in Australia and could be selected first overall in the 2024 NBA Draft. However, before we start hitting on some of the prospects that are playing their basketball in the United States, there are some other international players that you’ll want to know. Here are six prospects that are part of a loaded group overseas:

Nikola Topic – 6’6’’ Guard (Mega Basket)

I have Topic as a top-three prospect in this class. For now, I just want him on the radar of the casual basketball fan. This season, Topic is averaging 18.9 points, 6.2 assists, 3.6 rebounds and 1.1 steals per game for Mega, the club Nikola Jokic played for before being drafted by the Denver Nuggets. The Serbian club has turned into a talent factory over the years, and Topic looks like he’ll be the team’s next NBA star — unless Nikola Jovic somehow beats him to the punch. The big guard has proven to be a pick-and-roll maestro already, and he should immediately dazzle in the NBA as a high usage player.

Topic is one of the best passing guards to enter the draft in some time. He seems to always make the right reads, and he can make some absurd passes off a live dribble — like one-handed darts over to corner shooters. His size also makes him even more dangerous as a playmaker. On top of that, Topic is something of a walking paint touch, capable of utilizing hesitation dribbles and clever footwork to get himself to the rim. Topic is a great finisher at the basket, and he likes to get to his mid-range jumper. So, he’s capable of beating defenses in a variety of different ways. Topic also happens to be an 86.2% free throw shooter, which leads me to believe that he’ll significantly improve upon his 31.7% from three. I actually really like the way his jumper looks, and I love how confident he is in pulling up off the dribble.

Topic has already drawn some comparisons to Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, which is obviously some high praise. I wouldn’t want to put that type of pressure on the 18-year-old, but I think he is the second-best upside bet in this draft. And if he continues to put impressive stuff on film, he might end up being the first player on my board. I just love what he brings as an on-ball creator, and I think he has an extremely high floor.

Zaccharie Risacher – 6’9’’ Forward (JL Bourg-en-Bresse)

Like Sarr, Risacher is another Frenchman that looks like a lock to be a lottery pick. However, while Sarr is a player that will be drafted high because of his tantalizing tools and overwhelming upside, teams will know exactly what they’re getting from Risacher. The lanky wing has everything teams are looking for on the perimeter. Risacher is shooting 46.7% from three across all competition this year, which is probably a little high considering his shooting numbers in recent seasons. But Risacher has a smooth-looking release and good instincts as a shooter. The 18-year-old is constantly sliding around to open spaces on the court, making himself a steady target for his team’s ball handlers. Risacher also knows how to use his jumper to set up better looks for himself, whether that’s side stepping for a cleaner look or attacking the rim.

Risacher is also a guy that should be a very valuable defender at the next level. He has flashed some impressive abilities as a help defender, often finding ways to get in passing lanes or disrupt shots at the basket. I have also enjoyed watching Risacher defend the perimeter, where he uses his length well to stay in front of his man. Risacher does need to avoid being a little too stiff and upright when he’s defending out there, but that’s an extremely fixable problem. He’s a good enough athlete and the instincts are there, making it likely he’ll be a plus-level defender — and that will be the case across several different positions.

Risacher simply feels like a player that will be starting and finishing games immediately, as he looks like he’ll be a good three-and-D prospect at the very least. However, there’s a little more potential to be untapped here, as Risacher has improved his handle and looks somewhat comfortable bringing the ball up the floor. If he ends up being a grab-and-go guy that can run the offense in a pinch, there just might be a path towards him being an All-Star one day.

Bobi Klintman – 6’10’’ Forward (Cairns)

Klintman really doesn’t feel like an international prospect, as he played for Wake Forest in 2022-23. Klintman averaged 5.3 points and 4.5 rebounds per game for the Demon Deacons, and he then made the decision to turn pro. Klintman probably would have been a late first-round pick if he entered the draft directly after that season, but he clearly thought it was in his best interest to go a different direction. Well, Klintman’s journey ended up taking him to Australia, and the 20-year-old is averaging 11.5 points, 5.0 rebounds and 1.2 steals per game for Cairns this season.

Klintman has a lot of the tools that NBA front offices covet on the perimeter, as he’s a lengthy wing with athleticism and the ability to space the floor. The only issue with Klintman is that he feels extremely green, even though he has been playing high-level basketball for quite some time. Klintman has everything a wing player needs to go out and impact games, but his production seems to come and go — on both ends of the floor. At 6-foot-10, with the ability to really move, he should be a menace defensively. But he can occasionally fall asleep off the ball, and he doesn’t exactly lock people up on an island. He should be a lot better on that end of the floor, which will be one of the next steps in his development.

Klintman also needs to continue to fire away as a shooter. He is shooting 35.2% from three and he’s doing it on 4.5 attempts per game, which is a big development for him. Klintman’s jumper was one of the things people were hoping to see him improve, and it certainly seems like he is doing just that. But it’s still a relatively small sample size, and the jumper will be a swing skill for him. It’d also be nice if Klintman was a little more aggressive as an offensive player, in general. Overall, he kind of feels like a guy that lacks purpose right now. But he’s still something of a ball of clay that NBA teams will be eager to try and mold.

Tidjane Salaun – 6’10’’ Forward (Cholet Basket)

Salaun is averaging 8.4 points, 2.9 rebounds and 1.3 steals per game this season, and he’s shooting 34.2% from three. None of those numbers pop off the page, and Salaun has disappointed some people with his performance in the Jeep Elite league this season. However, the 18-year-old should be a borderline first-round pick whenever he comes out, and that’s because of his ability to shoot the ball and move around at his size.

Salaun’s shooting hasn’t been particularly impressive this season, but he shot 36.3% from deep last year and 35.1% the year before. His mechanics are actually quite clean, and he shoots a gorgeous moonball, much like Dirk Nowitzki did. I’d be very surprised if Salaun doesn’t end up being a good stretch four, at the very least. But Salaun also has some pop as an athlete, and I like the way he gets to the baseline and reads the game from the dunker spot. That at least gives him the potential to impact things as a play finisher.

It would be nice if Salaun’s production started to match his physical tools and improving skill set, but that might not even be necessary for NBA front offices. I think he’ll ultimately get lottery looks because of his upside, and I find it hard to imagine he’ll slip out of the first round.

Melvin Ajinca – 6’8’’ Forward (Saint-Quentin)

Ajinca is an interesting prospect as a very good three-point shooter who doesn't possess much upside. Considering his size and plus-level athleticism, that’s going to make him a highly coveted prospect. Ajinca is only shooting 32.9% from deep this season, but he shot 38.8% from three last year. And I just have a hard time getting concerned about his shooting numbers as I think he has as good of mechanics as anyone in this draft. Ajinca has a beautiful lefty stroke that he gets off in a hurry, and he’s also good at resetting his feet after moves and getting himself ready to fire. In today’s NBA, it’s just very easy to envision how he can help a team. When I watched some of his tape, I was immediately reminded of Reggie Bullock. But Ajinca has way better tools than Bullock did.

There are some people that are a little higher on Ajinca’s creation abilities than I am but getting a little better as a driver and off-the-dribble scorer would do wonders for him. The Frenchman could potentially be a guy that really feels it up in the league, if he does makes some of those improvements. But as of right now, I see him as a fifth starter, or a spark plug off the bench. He has the firepower to swing games, which isn’t a common ability.

Ajinca is also a sturdy rebounder and has the frame and athleticism to impact games defensively. That’s actually an area in which he has a lot of room to improve but becoming a more reliable player in those aspects of the game would make him a lot of money at the next level. 

Juan Nunez – 6’4’’ Guard (Ratiopharm Ulm)

Nunez is going to be a difficult player for NBA front offices to evaluate. The 19-year-old has an incredibly high basketball IQ, and he should immediately be one of the better pick-and-roll decision makers in the league. Nunez is a flat-out special passer, and he is capable of manipulating defenses to set up better looks for his teammates. But Nunez is also a below-average athlete, and he has a lot of work to do as a shooter.

Nunez is a smart team defender and generally gets himself to the right spots and plays the angles on that end of the floor. But more explosive NBA guards could give him a ton of trouble. So, he projects as a player that will need to be hidden at the next level, which isn’t something that is going to be easy.

The jumper is also a big problem right now. I don’t think anything is mechanically off with the guard, but he is only a 64.8% free throw shooter. And that’s not a fluky number either. He shot 60.7% from the line last year and under 60.0% in each of the previous two seasons. So, at some point you must believe that there’s work that needs to be done there, even if he is shooting 37.2% from deep this season. The reality is that Nunez needs to work himself into a guy that can be trusted to hit big shots. If he’s not consistently hitting triples, it’ll be hard for him to get by NBA defenders.

I ultimately do think Nunez will figure things out with the jumper, and I have been impressed with the way he has performed this season. He’s averaging career highs in points, rebounds, assists and steals per game this season, and he is really developing at a rapid rate. That said, I like his chances of working on his flaws and becoming a productive NBA player. As of right now, the Spaniard is viewed as a second-round pick, if anything. But given what I saw from him in the FIBA World Cup, plus the minutes I’ve seen him play for Ratiopharm Ulm, I think he can significantly outperform his draft slot. But I have a soft spot for guys that see the floor like he does, and I fully understand why people are a bit skeptical with him.