NBL Prospect Update: Standouts and Star Power

How have the top preseason National Basketball League prospects fared as of late?

The National Basketball League, or NBL for short, has become a power player in international basketball circles, as they convince bigger and better prospects to come overseas in lieu of playing at the collegiate level, for the G League, or other options.

Their “Rising Stars” program pays these players anywhere from $500,000 to $1M to compete in professional basketball in Australia and New Zealand, playing a season (or potentially longer) to develop their games and improve their NBA Draft stock.

The NBL has risen immensely in popularity as of late, as more and more American- and European-born athletes flock to the League to partake in a really important international development in hoops, as the worldwide branding of basketball continues to expand.

Interestingly enough, the projected No. 1 pick in the 2024 NBA Draft, French big Alexandre Sarr, plays for the Perth Wildcats. Having players this high-profile obviously elevates the league overall, and helps drive scouts to watch NBL games in order to catch not just Sarr, but a host of other talented prospects.

Let's take a look at some of those prospects, and how they’ve played thus far in the 2023-24 season.

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Alex Sarr, Center, Perth Wildcats (2024 Draft Day Age: 18.7 Years)

18 GP, 17.8 MPG, 9.5 PPG, 4.4 RPG, 0.8 APG, 0.5 SPG, 1.1 BPG, 1.1 TO, 50.7 FG%

Graham Denholm/Getty Images

Alex Sarr is considered the top overall player in the class of 2024, as a rim-running seven-footer with athleticism and a burgeoning touch from deep.

Though not consistent enough yet to be labeled a “stretch” big, Sarr is developing an outside shot that will, should he get it to even 34-35%, be an incredibly helpful weapon in spreading out the opposing defense and helping space the floor.

Unfortunately, Sarr landed awkwardly in an NBL game against Adelaide, resulting in a hip injury that has kept him out since December 28. While he’s likely to be back sooner rather than later, it was just announced that he’ll be out of this week’s games as well.

As Draft Digest analyst Isaac Condra pointed out recently, a hip injury can be extremely limiting for a player like Sarr that ideally needs to have full hip mobility to effectively protect the rim.

As the season progresses, Sarr becomes more and more solidified as the top prospect in this cycle. As his play continues to develop, his likelihood of being selection number one in 2024 increases. 

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Bobi Klintman, Forward, Cairns Taipans (2024 Draft Day Age: 20.9 Years)

20 GP, 21.7 MPG, 10.4 PPG, 4.8 RPG, 0.8 APG, 0.9 SPG, 0.8 BPG, 45.3% FG, 36.5% 3P

Bobi Klintman, featured here as a player at Wake Forest of the Atlantic Coast Conference.  / Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports

6-foot-10 forward prospect Bobi Klintman is an interesting player whose skillset is developing quickly as he plays more and more impactful minutes for the Cairns Taipans.

Playing for Wake Forest last year in the NCAA’s Atlantic Coast Conference, Klintman was an extremely raw player that couldn’t manage to consistently create offense. 

While this flaw hasn't been fully remedied during his time in the NBL, he's still made some progress towards being a more impactful offensive player overall. 

The first thing that sticks out is obviously his size, which is beyond excellent for a forward prospect that has some abilities of a smaller, more mobile wing. He cuts to the basket with a lot of dexterity, finding himself in good positions to score near the rim. 

He's also improved his efficiency on open threes, which works to his advantage considering his role as an off-ball player that moves best without the ball. His 36.5% on 3.7 attempts per game is an improvement over his shooting splits from Wake Forest. 

Klintman is considered by many an early second-round talent at this point, projected based off of the attributes listed above as well as other experts' projections. 

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Trentyn Flowers, Wing, Adelaide 76ers (Draft Day Age: 18.9 Years)

17 GP, 13.4 MPG, 5.3 PPG, 2.9 RPG, 0.8 APG, 0.1 BPG, 0.3 SPG, 45.1% FG, 42.1% 3P

Trentyn Flowers.  / Jim Dedmon-USA TODAY Sports

Initially committed to Kenny Payne's Louisville Cardinals, Flowers made the safer career decision to become a member of the Rising Stars program and go overseas to play in the NBL instead of risking developmental stagnancy at a struggling program in Louisville.

Not only that, but playing for Kenny Payne and trying to operate within the framework of his offense, which has struggled to create space over the last couple of years, may not have been good for his development.

His athleticism is still his biggest upside, as he's a bit of a project overall. His turnover numbers aren't terrible by any stretch on paper, but at the NBA level, a lot of his issues of control on the offensive end will come into question.

Can he improve his functional handle and access passes he may not have been able to before? These are the kinds of developments in his game that will raise his ceiling and create upside where it may not have been obvious before. 

Flowers seems like a bit of a longer-term project, as do the next couple of players. 

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Alex Toohey, Wing, Sydney Kings (Draft Day Age: 20.1 years)

22 GP, 22.6 MP, 8.7 PPG, 4.3 RPG, 0.7 APG, 0.6 SPG, 0.5 BPG, 43.3% FG, 27.8% 3P

Alex Toohey / FIBA.com

Outside of his 3-point shooting, Alex Toohey has been providing legitimate value for the Sydney Kings. 

Like Klintman, Toohey is a great off-ball offensive player that finds himself in positions to score, typically through cutting to the basket. Unlike Klintman, however, Toohey has a much better handle. He can more easily attack the basket and attack closeouts from the perimeter. 

His offensive game has quite a bit of upside, expect for one problem: his struggles from beyond the arc can't be overlooked. 

As it should be a big part of any scoring wing's skillset, shooting the ball has been a problem from Toohey this year, who is hitting just shy of 28% on 3-point shots this season for the Kings. 

For a guy whose entire game is essentially focused on the offensive side, not being able to consistently hit from deep is a problem. It's going to be the single most important flaw of his unless he begins to improve. 

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Quick Hit: A.J. Johnson, Guard, Illawarra Hawks (2024 Draft Day Age: 18.4)

Johnson, a Texas Longhorns commit that then flipped to play for the Illawarra Hawks of the NBL in the "Rising Stars" program, has struggled this year. There is no other way around it. 

He's averaging just 2.7 points per game, and many of the issues he had at the back end of his high school career have come to fruition here. He plays out of control sometimes, and doesn't have a consistent shot off the jumper yet, either. 

The good thing about Johnson is his age – he's so young that playing another year in the NBL wouldn't make him "undraftable" because of his age. Should he continue to improve his stock, he could end up being taken in the 2025 NBA Draft more likely than the 2024 Draft. 

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