Tag: Yannick Nzosa

Yannick Nzosa will be draft and stash prospect for Wizards

Nzosa has played the past two seasons in Spain, averaging 3.5 points and 2.4 rebounds with Unicaja Malaga.

Washington Wizards general manager Tommy Sheppard confirmed that draft pick Yannick Nzosa will spend at least the next season in Spain with Unicaja Malaga.

Nzosa, a 6-foot-10 center from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, was the 54th overall pick on Thursday. He has played the past two seasons with Unicaja Malaga, averaging 3.5 points and 2.4 rebounds on 53.4% shooting from the field in 68 total games.

The 18-year-old had an inconsistent showing last season in the Liga ACB and is viewed as a project player. However, Nzosa has the potential to develop into a solid rim protector given his 7-foot-4 wingspan and athleticism.

“He has potential down the road,” Sheppard said. “His age gives us a lot of time. He has got some years and his buyout is manageable. I don’t mind letting him (develop). We’ve had some good experiences in the past letting players (develop) in Spain.”

Nzosa was reportedly set to participate in the draft combine last month but was prevented from doing so by his team. He wanted to leave Spain early to have time to prepare for the event but they denied his request with one game left to play in the season at the time.

He will now have the opportunity to play at least one more season and continue his development in the top league in Spain. He could be a candidate to join the team next year.

This post originally appeared on Rookie Wire! Follow us on Facebook!

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Filipino center Kai Sotto attends draft workout with Kings

The 7-foot-2 center has participated in at least six known workouts ahead of the NBA draft.

Kai Sotto, a 7-foot-2 center from the Adelaide 36ers in the National Basketball League, on Wednesday participated in a pre-draft workout with the Sacramento Kings, the team announced.

Sotto, a former four-star prospect from the Philippines, averaged 7.5 points and 4.5 rebounds on 50% shooting from the field in 23 games with the 36ers. He produced perhaps his best game of the season on April 10, when he recorded a career-high 21 points.

The 20-year-old declared for the NBA draft on April 28 after a strong year in the NBL. The meeting with the Kings is his sixth known workout to this point of the process after also visiting the Chicago Bulls, New York Knicks and Orlando Magic among others.

In addition to Sotto, the Kings also hosted Richmond guard Jacob Gilyard, Maryland guard Fatts Russell, Yoan Makoundou of Cholet Basket (France), Karlo Matkovic of KK Mega Basket (Serbia) and Yannick Nzosa of Unicaja Baloncesto (Spain).

The Kings enter the pre-draft process with picks No. 4, 37 and 49, respectively. They have hosted several workouts throughout the draft process and are said to even be interested in potentially trading down or out of the first round altogether.

The NBA draft will take place on June 23.

This post originally appeared on Rookie Wire! Follow us on Facebook!

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Hornets host Davidson’s Hyunjung Lee, others for pre-draft workout

Hyunjung Lee was among the prospects that worked out for the Hornets on Wednesday.

Davidson junior Hyunjung Lee on Wednesday was among the prospects that participated in a pre-draft workout with the Charlotte Hornets, the team announced.

Lee, who was born in South Korea, was named to the All-Atlantic-10 first team after averaging 15.8 points, six rebounds and 1.9 assists on 38.1% shooting from 3-point range. He finished eighth in the conference in scoring and fourth in 3s (80).

The 6-foot-8 forward is regarded as one of the top shooters in the draft this year. He became just the 11th Division I player last year to shoot 50% from the field, 40% from 3-point range and 90% from the free-throw line.

Lee is looking to become just the second-ever Korean NBA player.

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In addition to Lee, Charlotte also hosted NZ Breakers guard Hugo Besson, Gran Canaria forward Khalifa Diop, Boston University guard Javante McCoy, Gonzaga guard Andrew Nembhard and Yannick Nzosa of Unicaja (Spain) on Wednesday.

The Hornets enter the draft with the 13th, 15th (first round) and 45th pick (second round). Charlotte has previously hosted several prospects of late, including Ochai Agbaji, Tari Eason and Jaden Hardy among others.

The NBA draft will take place on June 23.

This post originally appeared on Rookie Wire! Follow us on Facebook!

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Yannick Nzosa prevented from competing in draft combine by Spanish team

Nzosa was reportedly prevented from participating in the NBA draft combine by Unicaja Malaga.

Yannick Nzosa, a 6-foot-10 center from Unicaja Malaga in Spain, was reportedly prevented from participating in the NBA draft combine by his team, according to Diario Sur.

Nzosa, who was born in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, was left off the list of prospects set to participate in the combine May 18-20 in Chicago, Illinois. He wanted to leave early to have time to prepare but the team denied his request with their season wrapping up on Saturday.

The 18-year-old then ruled out traveling to Chicago on Sunday after their game because of the short window ahead of the start of the combine. The team also required Nzosa to get insurance to cover potential injuries suffered in the workouts.

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Nzosa is considered to be a potential second-round pick this year. He had a bit of an inconsistent season in the Liga ACB and is viewed as a bit of a project player. However, Nzosa has the potential to develop into a solid rim protector given his 7-foot-6 wingspan and athleticism.

He has until June 13 to withdraw from the draft.

This post originally appeared on Rookie Wire! Follow us on Facebook!

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Aggregate NBA mock draft 4.0: Duke’s AJ Griffin is soaring back into the top tier

The best prospects in the world are all competing for the top spot in the 2022 NBA draft and it is hard to sort how everyone is stacking up.

The best prospects in the world are all competing for the top spot in the 2022 NBA draft and it is hard to sort how everyone is stacking up.

In order to help us get a better sense of where all of the projected top prospects in the class stand as of right now, we compiled mock drafts from Draft Express (ESPN), Aran Smith (NBADraft.net), Sam Vecenie (The Athletic), Jonathan Wasserman (Bleacher Report), Chad Ford (NBA Big Board), Krysten Peek (Yahoo), Matt Babcock (Basketball News) as well as USA TODAY Sports Media Group’s For The Win.

Please note that these rankings reflect the composite score in order to get a feel for consensus, not our own opinion. Predictions for a first overall pick earned a player 58 points while the second overall pick earned 57 points, the third overall earned 56 points, and so on.

AJ Griffin (Duke), Alondes Williams (Wake Forrest), Iverson Molinar (Mississippi State), Orlando Robinson (Fresno State), Walker Kessler (Fresno State), Justin Lewis (Marquette), Christian Braun (Kansas), and Tari Eason (LSU) have improved their draft stock the most since our most recent update last month.\

The most notable prospects who made their debut on our rankings were Shaedon Sharpe (Kentucky), David Roddy (Colorado State), and Jaylin Williams (Arkansas).

Meanwhile, the top prospects who were not included in any of these recent mock drafts are Daimion Collins (Kentucky), Alex Fudge (LSU), Justin Moore (Villanova), Darius Days (LSU), Jared Rhoden (Seton Hall), Tre Mitchell (Texas), Dawson Garcia (North Carolina), and more.

Otherwise, you can learn the latest updates on every single prospect who has been included in recent mock drafts by scrolling below.

HoopsHype’s Alberto de Roa contributed research to this report

Aggregate NBA mock draft 4.0: Duke’s AJ Griffin is soaring back into the top tier

The best prospects in the world are all competing for the top spot in the 2022 NBA draft and it is hard to sort how everyone is stacking up.

In order to help us get a better sense of where all of the projected top prospects in the class stand as of right now, we compiled mock drafts from Draft Express (ESPN), Aran Smith (NBADraft.net), Sam Vecenie (The Athletic), Jonathan Wasserman (Bleacher Report), Chad Ford (NBA Big Board), Krysten Peek (Yahoo), Matt Babcock (Basketball News) as well as USA TODAY Sports Media Group’s For The Win.

Please note that these rankings reflect the composite score in order to get a feel for consensus, not our own opinion. Predictions for a first overall pick earned a player 58 points while the second overall pick earned 57 points, the third overall earned 56 points, and so on.

AJ Griffin (Duke), Alondes Williams (Wake Forrest), Iverson Molinar (Mississippi State), Orlando Robinson (Fresno State), Walker Kessler (Fresno State), Justin Lewis (Marquette), Christian Braun (Kansas), and Tari Eason (LSU) have improved their draft stock the most since our most recent update last month.\

The most notable prospects who made their debut on our rankings were Shaedon Sharpe (Kentucky), David Roddy (Colorado State), and Jaylin Williams (Arkansas).

Meanwhile, the top prospects who were not included in any of these recent mock drafts are Daimion Collins (Kentucky), Alex Fudge (LSU), Justin Moore (Villanova), Darius Days (LSU), Jared Rhoden (Seton Hall), Tre Mitchell (Texas), Dawson Garcia (North Carolina), and more.

Otherwise, you can learn the latest updates on every single prospect who has been included in recent mock drafts by scrolling below.

HoopsHype’s Alberto de Roa contributed research to this report

New 2022 mock NBA draft has Boston Celtics taking defensive-minded wing, big man

The folks at Tankathon are projecting that Boston leans into their defensive identity at the 2022 NBA draft with this pair of projected picks.

As the 2022 NBA trade deadline draws closer, so too does the 2022 NBA draft. And while, for now, attention is squarely trained on the league exchanging players while it still can ahead of the 2022 NBA Playoffs, it will soon shift to covering the main event of the other way the league’s 30 teams improve their rosters every season.

It’s hard to get a read on whether the Boston Celtics will invest in the roster via the trade market, but if one thing has been consistent this season, it has been the consistency of hovering around a .500 record. So, it’s not unreasonable to assume the Celtics will be drafting on the margins of or just outside of the lottery.

Which is where a recent mock draft by the folks at Tankathon have projected Boston to be selecting this summer.

Aggregate NBA mock draft 3.0: Jabari Smith leaps ahead of Paolo Banchero, Chet Holmgren for No. 1

The best prospects in the world are all competing for the top spot in the 2022 NBA draft and it is hard to sort how everyone is stacking up.

The best prospects in the world are all competing for the top spot in the 2022 NBA draft and it is hard to sort how everyone is stacking up.

In order to help us get a better sense of where all of the projected top prospects in the class stand as of right now, we compiled mock drafts from Draft Express (ESPN), Aran Smith (NBADraft.net), Sam Vecenie (The Athletic), Jonathan Wasserman (Bleacher Report), Jeremy Woo (Sports Illustrated), Krysten Peek (Yahoo), Matt Babcock (Basketball News) as well as USA TODAY Sports Media Group’s For The Win.

Please note that these rankings reflect the composite score in order to get a feel for consensus, not our own opinion. Predictions for a first overall pick earned a player 58 points while the second overall pick earned 57 points, the third overall earned 56 points, and so on.

Johnny Davis (Wisconsin), Jeremy Sochan (Baylor), Harrison Ingram (Stanford), EJ Liddell (Ohio State), Wendell Moore (Duke), Blake Wesley (Notre Dame), and Walker Kessler (Auburn) have improved their draft stock the most since our most recent update last month.

The most notable prospects making their debut on our rankings are Tari Eason (LSU), Aminu Mohammed (Georgetown), Dereon Seabron (NC State), Christian Braun (Kansas), Trevion Williams (Purdue) and Orlando Robinson (Fresno State).

Some of the top prospects who were not included in any of these most recent mock drafts include Matthew Cleveland (Florida State), Azuolas Tubelis (Arizona), Max Abmas (Oral Roberts), Kofi Cockburn (Illinois), Alex Fudge (LSU), Buddy Boeheim (Syracuse), Josh Minott (Memphis) and Kadary Richmond (Seton Hall).

Otherwise, you can learn the latest updates on every single prospect who has been included in recent mock drafts by scrolling below.

HoopsHype’s Alberto de Roa contributed research to this report