2025 NBA Draft: Ratiopharm Ulm To Face Portland Trail Blazers In Preseason Game

Ratiopharm Ulm will play against the Portland Trail Blazers tonight. How will Ulm’s prospects look tonight?

Steven Bisig-Imagn Images

With preseason in the NBA getting close to being over, we still have some games to be played. One of those games that will be exciting to watch from a scouting perspective is Ratiopharm Ulm, traveling from Germany out of the Basketball Bundesliga League to play against the Portland Trail Blazers.

Ulm has two projected first-round picks on their roster in Noa Essengue out of France and Ben Saraf out of Israel.

Essengue is the second youngest prospect eligible for the 2025 NBA Draft as he’s still 17 years old and doesn’t turn 18 for another two months. He’s a 6-foot-10 forward who has great physical and athletic tools. He’s also quite mobile and fluid for his size. What really pops when watching the toolsy forward is that he’s a very exciting finisher around the rim. He has the ability to serve as a high-level lob threat that can convert above-the-rim finishes. 

Outside of his impressive finishing ability, he also shows some upside as an occasional ball-handler which could unlock a lot of stuff for him on the offensive end. Defensively he has great tools and is a pretty sound defender. Essengue has the potential to be a versatile defender who can really change the course of a game on that end of the floor. The 6-foot-10 forward has so much potential, but is still raw at this stage.

Saraf is another talented prospect who has been gaining a ton of draft traction ever since his FIBA U18 showing. Saraf is a 6-foot-5 guard who is very creative and crafty with the ball in his hands. He’s a smooth lefty who can initiate an offense with his great feel for the game and high basketball IQ. 

Saraf can consistently create space and get to the rim off the dribble due to his deceptive handle, ability to change speeds and good burst. He’s a very good scorer, but he also is a great playmaker. Saraf has advanced vision and can make any pass in the book. All of his value comes on the offensive end as he has already put up a double-double in points and assists for Ratiopharm Ulm a couple of games ago.

Tonight will be exciting to see how Essengue and Saraf play against NBA talent. We should expect to see some very good flashes from both players but also some mistakes that young players often make. This will be a great opportunity for both of these prospects to really make their name known.

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