International Winners From the 2025 NBA Draft

Due to the surge of NIL money luring the majority of overseas talents to the United States for college basketball opportunities, it's unlikely we hear 13 overseas prospects' names called in the 2026 NBA Draft like we did in 2025. But among these 13, some ended up in favorable environments for their development. Here's who we feel good about heading into their rookie season.

Noa Essengue - Chicago Bulls

Rumors were abounding as we approached draft day that Essengue was rising up boards everywhere, and we supported that rise here at Draft Digest. Essengue improved with each month of his pre-draft season, and was the second youngest player in the draft after Flagg. If he went as high as six, it wouldn't have been crazy.

But Essengue ended up being a late-lottery selection, going 12th overall to the Chicago Bulls, which will ease any sort of spotlight on him. Chicago itself is a bit of a mess, but Essengue will get to play with two decent playmakers potentially in Coby White and Josh Giddey, he'll have a very good head coach in Billy Donovan, and largely coming up in the same environment that allowed Matas Buzelis to grow and show what he's capable of over the course of last season. Maybe he becomes the starting forward they always wanted Patrick Williams to be.

Joan Beringer and Rocco Zikarsky - Minnesota Timberwolves

Joan Beringer will receive the tutelage of veteran fellow countryman Rudy Gobert. Besides being French, the two had strikingly similar prospect profiles: Skinny, long, elite rim protection, and raw in a lot of other areas, with flashes of talent. Beringer will get plenty of time to keep growing - he's only been playing basketball for four years - and have a trusted mentor to hold his hand in the early days.

Rocco Zikarsky is still only 18 years old, and coming off a season where he watched his draft stock plummet from the lottery to late second round. But he's also still 7-foot-3, and has shown flashes of what he could be capable of: knocking down threes, attacking off the catch, and being an impactful rim deterrent. He needs time to fill out his frame, improve his coordination and agility, and understand that he has to play more like the tallest player on the floor. As a late second-round pick, on a two-way contract, with Gobert, Naz Reid, and even Beringer in front of him, time is on his side.

Hugo Gonzalez - Boston Celtics

We've had our doubts about Hugo Gonzalez pretty much all season here at Draft Digest, but with the Boston Celtics due for a gap-season caused by Jayson Tatum's torn achilles and new ownership wanting to lower costs (see: Jrue Holiday and Kristaps Porzingis trades) it looks like Gonzalez will get a chance to play with and learn from high-level NBA professionals without being under great pressure to have an impact on day one.

The Celtics have been one of the best organizations in the league at developing wings in recent times, and by playing under head coach Joe Mazzulla, Gonzalez will get a crash course on the modern NBA: pace, three-point shooting, and lightning-quick decision making.

Alex Toohey - Golden State Warriors

This is almost a perfect landing spot for Alex Toohey. The Australian forward is competitive, versatile, and has high basketball IQ. He's used to playing off skilled bigs like Xavier Cooks and working around impactful on-ball guards like Jaylen Adams. It's hard to expect any rookie, let alone a second-round pick, to fit in with the likes of Steph Curry, Jimmy Butler, and Draymond Green, but Toohey certainly has a chance.

Noah Penda - Orlando Magic

Truthfully, Noah Penda would've ended up in a good environment no matter who drafted him. That's the type of player he is: versatile and malleable. He can defend multiple positions, is a decent rebounder, a connective passer, and has upside as a shooter and off-the-catch player. It was somewhat surprising he fell out of the first round, making this a big win for the Magic as well.