Breaking Down Noa Essengue's 22-Point Outing Against Belgium

The Ratiopharm Ulm forward is a rim-finishing forward with big-time athletic potential.

Apr 5, 2024; Glendale, AZ, USA; General view of a basketball during practice before the 2024 Final Four of the NCAA Tournament at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images / Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

An athletic French forward in the mold of Tidjane Salaun, Ratiopharm Ulm forward Noa Essengue is another European player looking to break into the NBA after playing professionally overseas. Playing alongside Nolan Traore on the FIBA U18 team, Essengue had a 22-point outburst against the Belgian national team on August 3, demonstrating his aptitude as a cutter and rim finisher despite his lacking frame.

Though he stands at 6-foot-9, he weighs just 195 pounds, meaning that his ability to finish through contact is affected. Still, his athleticism – specifically, his fluidity – make him a true threat when attacking the basket both on cuts and off of the bounce.

He loves to score in transition, as his physical build allows for him to run the floor, and his vertical pop allows him to be a lob threat on such possessions. He led the French U18 team in scoring during FIBA play this summer, and shot 40-for-63 from the field on two-point attempts, good for 63.5%.

Against Belgium, he scored in a multitude of ways inside the arc, doing so on the break, on cuts and even an inbounds play where he beat his man to the rim using a screen, giving him a clean look at the rim that he dunked home.

He was great at getting to the free-throw line throughout the tournament, and though he shot just 69.1%, he still managed to get a lot of points for France from the stripe. His ability to draw fouls could come into play once he improves from the line, as it could boost his true shooting percentage, which was 61.0% throughout the FIBA U18s.

Overall, Essengue is a player that has a lot of work to do on his shot, as he connected on just one of 12 attempts in the tournament. But should he become even a decent shooter, he can really raise his ceiling.

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