Brooklyn Nets Could Eye Noa Essengue After Impressive Combine Measurements

A timely growth spurt could position one of the more intriguing members of the 2025 NBA Draft class to be selected by the Brooklyn Nets inside the lottery.

Per Jon Chepkevich, the director of scouting for DraftExpress, French prospect Noa Essengue posted elite measurables during his combine makeup activities.

Essengue stood barefoot at 6-foot-10, an inch taller than he was previously locked in at. He also weighed nearly 204 lbs with a 7-foot wingspan, 9-foot-1 standing reach, and 9-inch x 10-inch hands.

With the eight pick in this summer's draft, Essengue is expected to be in play for Brooklyn, a franchise in need of an influx of talent, especially at the four-spot. Outside of Noah Clowney, who will be enterring his third year as a pro next season, the Nets' power forward room is somewhat bare.

Compound this with the fact that neither of Brooklyn's bigs, Nic Claxton and Day'Ron Sharpe, are extremely versatile, and it becomes easy to project the Nets adding to the frontcourt with their lottery pick.

Senior NBA analyst Kevin O'Connor recently described Essengue as "a toolsy forward with a fluid handle, dynamic finishing package, and highly versatile defense," but "his long-term upside hinges on the jumper clicking." O'Connor compared Essengue to Nicolas Batum and Al-Farouq Aminu, but his ceiling is beyond either career role-player.

Essengue's jumpshot development will be crucial to his growth as a player, but luckily for Brooklyn, it employs a mastermind when it comes to nurturing young talent. HC Jordi Fernandez could not only help Essengue's shooting stroke, but also round out the rest of his skillset.

And as O'Connor mentions in his scouting report, there has already been evident improvement to Essengue's shooting ability.

"Over three consecutive years, he’s gone from a hackable nonshooter to a player making 24.4% of his 3s and 70.1% of his free throws," O'Connor wrote.

The Nets have to bank on upside given their current roster, and taking a chance on the now-6-foot-10 Essengue could reap major benefits down the line—even if a more hyped-up prospect is available when Brooklyn goes on the clock at pick eight.