Nets NBA Draft Notebook: Brooklyn-Linked Prospect Drops Double-Double

Essengue is the second-youngest prospect in the 2025 class behind only Cooper Flagg, the favorite to go No. 1 come June 25. The Ulm forward was recently mocked to the Nets by Bleacher Report. Essengue was also mocked to Brooklyn in Yahoo Sports' May 19 post-lottery exercise.

The 18-year-old is a fluid two-way piece who is currently a 4, but might be able to play the 3 and the 5 in the future. On top of Essengue’s reliable play finishing, his dribble/pass/shoot abilities have really developed this season. Looking towards his NBA future, Essengue needs to keep refining his three-point shot (26.1 3P% for the season on 115 total attempts) and overall half-court scoring. Plus, strength should be gradually added to his narrow-shouldered frame.

In the same game against Würzburg, Essengue’s teammate Ben Saraf finished with 16 points, three rebounds, six assists and four turnovers in 30 minutes. The Israeli combo guard has been linked to the Nets, as well. He could be a target at Nos. 26 or 27.

The NCAA college basketball season is over, but there are still draft-relevant games happening in Europe. Ulm’s next playoff game is on June 4.

In a relatively important non-competition setting, the Adidas Eurocamp is ongoing in Treviso, Italy. That features some 2025 draft names like Malique Lewis or Bassala Bagayoko, but also prospects for 2026 and beyond such as Karim López, Ivan Kharchenkov, Abdou Toure, Adam Atamna and Deron Rippey Jr.

Then, there are some playoffs to monitor in addition to the German league’s. Spanish wing Hugo González, another option for the Nets, has been seeing an uptick in minutes and production lately — but right before the Spanish playoffs (starting June 3). It remains to be seen whether Real Madrid will keep trusting him on the court during their most important and demanding stretch of the season.

French big Joan Beringer is in the finals of the Slovenian league’s playoffs. His Cedevita Olimpija squad will face Krka. Beringer has one of the most intriguing stories in the draft, as he only started playing basketball in 2021 after outgrowing soccer and his draft stock has jetted up over the last 12-18 months.

The 2025 draft is June 25 and 26 at Barclays Center. The Nets are currently slated to pick at Nos. 8, 19, 26, 27 and 36.