5 stand-out prospects from summer FIBA play

With FIBA basketball action wrapped up, which prospects from the 2025 class made big impressions?

Quick announcement, starting with the 2025 draft cycle, I’ll be moving my scouting content over to SubTsakalidis. I’ve always had some sort of opinions on the draft since I’ve started this writing journey. My prospect profiles have become more in-depth each season. In 2020, I launched my first top-60 big board.

This past year, I’ve taken my biggest step in expanding my scouting skillset. Filling the time gap from podcasting, I watched more film than ever before, and wrote game recaps throughout the collegiate season. It cultivated into creating a NBA draft guide with 60 single-page scouting reports on my top-60 prospects and my scouting philosophy. It was the most rewarding project I’ve ever done in this space, and I want to keep the momentum going. Last draft cycle, I housed my single game scouting reports on my personal blog. It only makes sense to merge my draft content with my Grizzlies work on SubTsakalidis.

So yes, a 2025 draft guide is underway, and I’ll progress towards it over the course of the year with different write-up’s I’ll have on here — earlier big boards, risers and fallers, favorite returners, among other things.

Let’s start this with FIBA play from this summer.

As the 2025 NBA Draft cycle kicks off, I gather some first impressions from several potential 2025 prospects through FIBA play — ranging from FIBA qualifiers, FIBA U20, and FIBA U18 competition.

VJ Edgecombe, Bahamas, Guard

6’5”, 180 pounds. 2024-25 team: Baylor University

Even on a team loaded with NBA veteran talent — Buddy Hield, Eric Gordon, and Deandre Ayton — VJ Edgecombe was one of Bahamas’ best players, emphatically signaling the arrival of the loaded 2025 class. His superb athleticism bleeds into multiple aspects of game. Though he has to sharpen up defensively — mainly with ball-watching and misjudging first steps — his flashes are bright. He covers so much space on his rotations, and when he’s locked in on a matchup, he hounds opponents and shuts down possessions. Offensively, his intrigue lies within how he explodes to the basket — would’ve liked him getting all the way to the rim rather than pulling his dribble near the free throw line. As a creator, he’s a solid ball-handler that can make simple reads, but he holds the ball a bit too long at times. Edgecombe looks the part of a two-way star at the two-guard spot, and he should have the opportunity to showcase his potential even more as the engine of the Baylor Bears.

Hugo Gonzalez, Spain, Wing

6’6”, 205 pounds. 2024-25 team: Real Madrid

Hugo Gonzalez showcased why he’s a potential lottery pick in this draft as two-way prospect. His defensive motor was most impressive. He’s applies pressure with his event creation (averaged 4.6 stocks in FIBA play this summer) — his rearview contests off drives or fast-break layups lead to sick blocks. While he’s not totally consistent staying in front of his man, he’s steady and physical at the point of attack when he holds an advantage. He crashes the glass on both sides of the ball. Spain loves deploying him in the post — where he throws incredible skip passes to the weak-side — and in Zoom actions. He lacks consistent balance in the base of his jump-shot, evident when he’s coming off movement. His shooting is what I’m watching for when he plays with Real Madrid, as an improved jump-shot could launch him towards the top of the board next year.

Ben Saraf, Israel, Guard

6’6”, 200 pounds, 2024-25 team: Ratiopharm Ulm

From a draft stock standpoint, Ben Saraf was the biggest winner of FIBA play this summer, serving as a catalyst for Israel on both sides of the floor. Offensively, he popped as a scorer and playmaker — showcasing a herky jerky style of play that led to paint touches, tough baskets, and trips to the free throw line. He possess real passing versatility to hit shooters off skips, or finishers off rolls and dunker spot finds. I’m intrigued to see how he adapts without his high usage, as the ball stuck with him quite a bit and he forced suboptimal 2’s. His defensive event creation was the most impressive skill of any prospect in this study. His defensive processing in help and passing lane defense is impeccable. Once he causes turnovers, he flies up the floor for transition offense. If he can improve as a shooter in a complementary role, while still wreaking havoc as a driver and as a defender, he can soar up the boards this cycle.

Nolan Traore, France, Guard

6’5”, 184 pounds, 2024-25 team: Saint-Quentin

Traore is in contention for the best point guard in the class. He’s an explosive ball-handler that touches the paint at will with his lightning first step. He’s even more deft as a playmaker than a scorer — drawing the defense with his downhill attack, and locating either bigs in the dunker’s spot or shooters around the perimeter. At times, he could overanalyze his options downhill, as he turned the ball over quite a bit — usually from driving into traffic, leaving his feet on passes, and misjudging the roll. His size from the guard spot makes him a solid defender that can stifle ball-handlers and jump passing lanes, but he could turn the intensity up a little bit, as he didn’t try much to return to the fray if the offense gained a step on him. His efficiency as a shooter and ball-handler could determine how high Traore goes in the draft, as he has the makings of a franchise point guard.

Kasparas Jakucionis, Lithuania, Guard

6’6”, 200 pounds, 2024-25 team: University of Illinois

Jakucionis is a jumbo ball-handler for Lithuania that possesses an intriguing skillset. When it comes to creating advantages, he relies more on exploiting open driving lanes rather than generating separation from his defender. Whether it’s in the mid-range or from downtown, his balance on his jump-shot is quite good for a player his age — giving him a baseline skill for either complementary scoring as a movement shooter, or for creating as a lead guard. He throws nifty passes. Particularly, his ball placement for rollers is impressive off blitzes, as the trajectory and speed of the ball merge just right to avoid interceptions — though his insistence on these passes leads to turnovers. Even though he provides defensive value when creating steals, he doesn’t provide a ton of resistance at the point-of-attack or in screen defense — which could limit his malleability.

Quick honorable mentions: Izan Almansa, Spain U20 (merely solid player but needs to develop a bankable skill); Noa Essengue, France U18 (mystery box player as a bigger forward with real mobility on both sides of the floor); Noah Penda, France U20 (big forward with defensive versatility and quick two-way processing).

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