Players to Watch at the 2022-23 Spanish Liga ACB

The Spanish Liga ACB has an abundance of young talent, including a number of players who could hear their names called in the 2023 NBA Draft.

Spain justified its place as the European basketball powerhouse this past summer, not only by winning Eurobasket, but also by winning both the U20 and U18 FIBA European Championships as well as reaching the finals of both the U17 World Cup and the U16 European Championships.

Widely regarded as the second best domestic league in the world behind the NBA, the Spanish Liga ACB, is not only a reflection of the success of the Spanish national team with its homegrown players, it’s also a hub of overseas talent, including some of the best players from Latin America, Africa and the rest of Europe.

Here are some names that NBA scouts will be keeping in sight during the Liga ACB 2022-23 season.

Tier 1: Projected Draft Picks

James Nnaji

18.1 years old | 6’11” Big | Barcelona

Nnaji is one of the most day-one ready prospects in the 2023 Draft. From a physical standpoint, the Nigerian Center uses his incredible strength for his age to impose himself over pro-level defenders in the paint. Nnaji combines his size with an impressive vertical pop and really good speed in the open court, which allows him to be a target in transition and a prolific interior finisher and offensive rebounder in the half-court.

His offensive contributions have been mostly limited to the paint, but he has been tremendously efficient within his role, shooting an incredible 76.7% from the field in 157 minutes of play for Barcelona between Liga Endesa and the Euroleague last season. When he gets the ball inside, Nnaji has proved to be more than just a dunker, showing a level of footwork, flexibility and coordination which, combined with his strong frame, allows him to create his own shot in the paint and finish over defenders.

Defensively, his sheer size, ability to elevate and willingness to play though contact have made him a prolific rebounder and shot blocker, but he is also versatile in situations that require him to switch or to stunt in the perimeter, being able to get low in a defensive stance and contain penetration.

Nnaji adds very little offensively beyond the paint besides sporadic drives from mid-to-short distances where he’s able to attack mismatches, but the physical tools, the efficiency as an interior offensive player and the defensive contributions are things that could translate to the NBA immediately and prove to be valuable for pretty much any team.

Roko Prkacin

19.8 years old | 6’9” Forward | Girona

Prkacin is a well-known name among those who have followed the past few NBA draft cycles. One of the most highly touted prospects in the 2002 Generation, Prkacin decided to come back to Europe for the 2021-22 season, despite being projected to be drafted in the 2021 Draft. The bet didn’t exactly pay off last year, as Prkacin chose not to declare for the 2022 draft after missing significant time due to an ankle injury that required surgery.

This season, Prkacin will make the move from Croatian side Cibona to Spain, where he will play for Girona. Standing at 6-foot-9, Prkacin has a really interesting profile as a perimeter forward who shows a baseline level of talent in multiple areas, being able to get to the basket and finish strong at the rim, space the floor and make passes on the move.

Each area also offers a number of limitations, Prkacin is not exactly a self-creator on drives as he lacks a level of counters and short area quickness to navigate traffic with the ball. When it comes to his shooting, despite some isolated moments of versatility, has been inconsistent through the years in terms of percentages.

Prkacin has been an interesting prospect for a number of years due to the combination of his size and perimeter skillset. Possessing a moderate level of talent in multiple offensive areas could turn him into a a medium-floor, connector type of prospect, but with a fairly high ceiling if he develops from “good” to “elite” in any particular area of perimeter offense.

Tier 2: Potential Prospects

Michael Caicedo

19.3 years old | 6’6” Wing | Barcelona

A versatile 6-foot-6 wing, Caicedo stands out due to the multiple number of roles he can fill in on the floor. In different situations, Caicedo has been able to run offense on a primary level, shoot the ball off movement and get to the rim with his combination of size, length, mobility and explosiveness. Caicedo is also an interesting perimeter defender who utilizes his aforementioned physical tools to be an on-ball defender in the perimeter and to create deflections and steals when he's away from the ball.

Coming off an efficient performance for a Spanish team that won the gold medal this summer at the FIBA U20 European Championships, Caicedo will try to carve a role in a stacked Barcelona rotation this season. If he can reprise all that he has been doing for a number of years in junior competitions at the ACB level this season, he will definitely be on a lot of NBA teams radars by June of 2023.

Zsombor Maronka

20.0 years old | 6’10” Wing | Joventut

Hungarian wing Zsombor Maronka might have one of the highest ceilings among international prospects. At 6-foot-10, Maronka is a fluid ball-handler who is able to put the ball on the floor with fluidity in order to create his own drives and get to the rim. Maronka does a good job of moving the ball and finding teammates while also offering a level of versatility in his 3-point attempts, shooting off movement and showing moments of ISO scoring in the perimeter.

Maronka still needs to develop in terms of strength, which limits his defensive impact beyond off-ball situations, however, the strength might help him even more as a finisher, as he relies on tough shots that require a level of deceleration and hangtime to go in, since he can't really move defenders with his current frame. If he can find a way to become an efficient scorer (as he shot just 28.5% from the field across 41 games in different competitions last year), he could be interesting for NBA teams as a low-floor/high-ceiling long-term bet.

Eli John Ndiaye

18.2 years old | 6’8” Forward | Real Madrid

With Ndiaye, it all starts with his physical tools, a strong 6-foot-8 forward with impressive vertical pop which allows him to elevate quickly for blocks and dunks at the rim. While he has played well in a rim-running Center role, his most interesting moments come when he uses his impressive coordination, ability to put the ball on the floor and touch to convert tough shots, being comfortable creating his own offense a few feet away from the rim, shooting over defenders and making tough turnaround and fadeaway jumpers.

Defensively, Ndiaye has been more of a big perimeter defender than a rim protector, showing the ability to switch onto smaller players, contain penetration and cover drivers, having really good footwork, fluidity and ability to turn his hips. However, despite his ability to convert tough shots, handle the ball and play within the flow of the offense, it could be hard for him to contribute offensively at the NBA level if the shot doesn’t materialize, an area where despite showing some signs of development, he shot just 27.2% from beyond the arc in over 100 attempts last season.

Despite his young age, Ndiaye is an experienced prospect, having been one of the stand out prospects for Real Madrid junior teams for the past three years in junior competitions all across Europe. The combination of tools, shotmaking ability, shooting potential and perimeter defense are there for him, but lacking the size to be a full-time Center at the NBA level, the shooting will need to come around in order for him to be a positive contributor to an NBA offense.

Pavel Savkov

20.4 years old | 6’7” Guard | Fuenlabrada

Savkov has spent the past two seasons as one of the most promising players in Spain's lower basketball divisions. Standing at 6-foot-7, Savkov adds value with his versatile shooting ability; he's able to convert jumpers off the dribble with tremendous efficiency as he shot 39.9% from three on nearly 300 attempts during the past four seasons. He also shows a fluid handling ability which allows him to create drives, get to the rim and utilize the gravity he generates as a handler to find open teammates.

Savkov has a thin frame which has kept him from finding a defensive role in which he can contribute, as he lacks the strength to cover opposing wings he tends to get lost as a team defender. Savkov’s offensive potential as a dribble/pass/shoot 6-foot-7 wing is impressive and if he can improve defensively, it can be enough for an NBA team to look his way in the 2023 Draft.

Agustin Ubal

19.2 years old | 6’6” Guard | Bilbao

Ubal was the focus of one of our previous International Spotlights on this site. A 6-foot-6 wing who stood out playing for Uruguay at the FIBA Americup this past summer, Ubal shows potential as a slasher, passer and shooter for his size, being able to initiate an offense, find teammates with advanced passes, getting to the rim and making shots off the catch.

The lack of strength limits him in certain areas such as finishing at the rim and finding an optimal defensive fit, but he has a baseline level of skill in three important areas. If he can show that he can be versatile in these areas and sustain his level of play for an entire ACB season, then it’s easy to envision NBA teams being interested in his game.

Tier 3: More Names to Follow

Marek Blazevic

21.1 years old | 6’10” Big | Obradoiro

Blazevic has multiple seasons of high-level professional experience, having seen important minutes for Zalgiris both in the Lithuanian LKL and the Euroleague, where he has shown an incredible ability to score efficiently in the paint with his combination of strength, footwork and touch at the basket. Not offering much in terms of defense or floor-spacing, it’s hard to see Blazevic being an attractive prospect for many NBA teams who value rim protection the most at the five position, but it’s clear that Blazevic is on his way to become one of the best offensive bigs in Europe.

Juan Francisco Fernandez

19.8 years old | 6’11” Big | Fuenlabrada

Fernandez is a high-energy big with excellent movement skills for his size, as he's able to run the floor with good speed, react to plays with quickness on both defense and offense and move fluidly both in space and traffic. Despite not being extremely polished offensively, he plays well within his role as a screen-and-roll big. The combination of size and mobility could turn him into a long-term bet for NBA teams if he's able to show he can be efficient in this role at the ACB level.

Justus Hollatz

21.4 years old | 6’3” Guard | Breogan

Hollatz is a solid Point Guard who has vast experience at the pro level, having played the previous three seasons for the Hamburg Towers in the German BBL. Hollatz is a creative passer who uses screens to find teammates or to clear space and attack the rim as a driver. Lacking an elite level of movement shooting, it's hard to see Hollatz making an impact offensively at the NBA level, but some teams could value his playmaking ability.

Urban Klavzar

18.3 years old | 6’1” Guard | UCAM Murcia

Klavzar spent a number of his formative years as part of an incredible Real Madrid 2004 Generation which included 2023 draft prospects Eli John N'Diaye, Juan Nuñez (now playing for Ratiopharm Ulm in Germany), Henri Veesar (Arizona) and Baba Miller (Florida State). Klavzar is an aggressive scoring guard who shows excellent touch in tough shots from all levels of the floor. His lack of size for his archetype, which is closer to a scoring combo guard than to a lead initiator role, will likely have a negative effect on his perceived value at the NBA level, but the ability to score both via movement jumpers and his slashing ability could be enticing for NBA teams.

Yannick Kraag

19.9 years old | 6’8” Forward | Joventut

Kraag has impressive flashes of perimeter offense for his size and role. Standing at 6-foot-8 with impressive length, Kraag is a difficult cover for opposing Wings and Forwards not just due to his measurements, but also due to his movement skills, as he's able to run the floor with excellent speed and elevate with quickness and power. Offensively he's still putting it all together, but has shown a good level of shooting off the catch and ability to attack closeouts. If he can be consistent in both of those areas, I can see Kraag being interesting from an NBA standpoint as an athletic off-ball floor-spacer.

Millan Jimenez

20.0 years old | 6’6” Wing | Valencia

Jimenez will enter the 2022-23 season firing on all cylinders. After finishing top three in points per game in the 2021-22 season of the Spanish third division, Jimenez was an integral part of the Spanish national team that won the FIBA U20 European Championships this summer. Jimenez can act as a secondary initiator, showing a solid ability to handle the ball for his 6-foot-6 size. His calling card however is as a shooter, an area in which he has been prolific, versatile and efficient in his career so far, including his mark of 51.6% from 3 point range at the U20s this summer.

Jovan Kljajic

21.0 years old | 6’5” Guard | Gran Canaria

Kljajic is a strong 6-foot-5 secondary initiator who has shown the ability to create plays for teammates and for himself as a pick-and-roll handler, while also being able to get to the rim with his solid handling ability and make passes on the move. Lacking an elite level of length and explosiveness has made it hard for him to be efficient as a drive finisher, but the combination of size, passing and shooting potential certainly make him a player worth tracking during the season.

Jaime Pradilla

21.7 years old | 6’8” Center | Valencia

Pradilla could be considered a bit of a veteran at this point, with two full seasons of ACB and European competition already under his belt. Pradilla is a strong 6-foot-8 Center who scores at the rim with efficiency, sets hard screens and moves the ball well. Not having the size of an NBA Center nor enough volume to consider him a potential 3-point threat at the NBA level, Pradilla is a bit of a tough archetype for the NBA as a non-shooting undersized Center, but he should become one of the top bigs in Europe in time.

Extra tier: Future names

Liga ACB has an abundance of talent and some of the players who are signed to teams in the league and saw minutes in the preseason have been loaned out to lower division teams. Some of them like Ousmane N’Diaye, Miguel Malik Allen, Mark Filip Ivankovic, Konstantin Kostadinov, Leonardo Okeke and Musa Sagnia could be interesting in the long term for NBA teams.

There's also the players who are not yet eligible.

Bassala Bagayoko (2025-eligible from Fuenlabrada), Aday Mara (2024, Zaragoza) and Mario Saint-Supery (2025, Unicaja) are all listed on their respective senior teams rosters, but there's also Mitar Bosnjakovic, Ladji Coulibaly, Ismaila Diagne, Declan Duru, Hugo Gonzalez, Lucas Mari, Szymon Nowicki, Ruben Vicente and Jan Vide; all talented young players who saw minutes in preseason games and could be called up by ACB teams at any point during the season.

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