Bleacher Report’s most recent 2025 NBA Draft mock features the Brooklyn Nets selecting Noa Essengue with the No. 8 pick.
Essengue is the second-youngest prospect in the draft behind Cooper Flagg, the near-lock to be the first name called on draft night. He currently plays for Ratiopharm Ulm in Germany, the same club that produced Juan Núñez or Killian Hayes in recent drafts.
Essengue is a fluid, lanky and athletic forward who finishes plays, remains active off the ball, creates two-way events and has really fleshed out his dribble/pass/shoot skill-set this season. In a best case scenario, he will play the 3, the 4 and the small-ball 5. However, the 18-year-old Frenchman is an inconsistent three-point shooter who needs to keep developing his half-court offense and filling out his wiry frame.
The Nets also selected Essengue with the No. 8 pick in Yahoo Sports’ May 19 post-lottery mock draft. The Frenchman, whose German league campaign is ongoing, is averaging 10.8 points, 4.8 rebounds, 1.2 assists and 1.6 ‘stocks’ across 52 games in all competitions this season. He is on the same Ulm team as Ben Saraf, another draft prospect intermittently placed in a black-and-white Nets’ uniform.
B/R’s Jonathan Wasserman describes the pitch on Essengue: “The Nets have no high-upside prospects on the roster and could be enticed by the draft’s second-youngest prospects [sic] who can make threes, attack, finish and defend all over.”
The Nets also have the Nos. 19, 26, 27 and 36 picks. The B/R ‘Nets’ drafted Michigan State freshman Jase Richardson, Saint-Quentin and France point guard Nolan Traoré, North Carolina swingman Drake Powell and Florida State wing Jamir Watkins with those selections. Brooklyn could opt to consolidate some of its trade assets, rather than selecting five rookies.
The 2025 draft is set for June 25 and 26 at Barclays Center, the Nets’ home arena. It marks general manager Sean Marks’ highest pick as the organization’s lead decision-maker. Assistant general manager B.J. Johnson is equally instrumental in Brooklyn’s pre-draft process.
Oklahoma Sooners point guard Jeremiah Fears, who has been training in New York City ahead of the draft and has already undergone a workout with the Nets, looks like a top contender for Brooklyn’s top pick. Duke freshman Kon Knueppel is scheduled for a workout and has been repeatedly connected to the franchise. BYU playmaker Egor Demin and Duke center Khaman Maluach are options, as well.
Brooklyn hosted Colorado State’s Nique Clifford and Tennessee’s Chaz Lanier and Jahmai Mashack, among others, on Thursday, per The New York Post’s Brian Lewis. Other reported workouts include Kentucky’s Otega Oweh, who returned to college over staying in the draft, Houston forward J’Wan Roberts and Temple’s Steve Settle III.
