2025 Draft Watch: Evaluating Omer Mayer, Noa Essengue, and Ben Saraf in a U18 Israel-France Game

September 24th, 2024

I decided to take the time to watch an August 1st U18 game between Israel and France. This featured various top prospects for the 2025 draft such as Noa Essengue, Nolan Traore, and Ben Saraf, and I was able to see this game, with thanks to YouTube via FIBA – The Basketball Channel. Among the top prospects, Nolan Traore is a very athletic playmaker that has put up fairly solid numbers in the French League last year, Noa Essengue is a very athletic, energetic big man with two-way potential, and Ben Saraf is a skilled big point guard, and all three prospects could end up being first round picks in the 2025 draft. France came in as the favored team, but Israel had a strong second half, and they were able to get Nolan Traore to have a bad second half, as Israel had a tremendous game from their sharpshooting guard Omer Mayer to get an upset win over France. Here are my thoughts on how Mayer, Essengue, Saraf, and others fared in this game. For those that are interested in the box score of this game, here is the link.

Omer Mayer scored 31 points on 11-of-18 shooting, as he made 5 threes to help lift U18 Israel to an 85-72 over U18 France in this game that was played on August 1st. (Photo: FIBA, via Big Board Global Scouting)

Omer Mayer had an excellent showing to help Israel get a double-digit win over France in this game. He is a 6-3 sharpshooting guard that did a terrific job of knocking down outside shots to provide floor spacing for his team, and his strong outside shooting skills would enable him to get all the way to the basket later on. Mayer showed a knack for making threes both off the catch and dribble, as he showed a great shooting touch and good footwork, and he is a very skilled shooter from beyond the arc. He also would’ve made a corner three after running off a ball screen, but he was called for stepping out of bounds that time. Also, Mayer excelled at making pull-up, mid-range jumpers, and he also has a crafty pump fake that he can use to get past defenders. He also was able to score on a left-handed drive late in the game, as his shooting prowess forced his defender to have to press up on him, so he was able to get by him that time.

He also showcased adequate playmaking skills in this game. Mayer can make drive and kick passes to find the open man, and his ability to knock down outside shots and create off the dribble would sometimes enable him to draw double teams, which would then allow him to find the open man. However, sometimes he would throw hasty passes that would get intercepted. Another time, he pushed the pace but threw a long, inaccurate pass that ended up sailing out of bounds.

Also, Mayer showed a satisfactory ability to rebound the basketball, and he would chase down balls to help his team get defensive boards. He also played solid defense in this game. Mayer showed a knack for running in to intercept passes to get steals, and he also jumped on a loose ball that a ball handler lost in mid-air to get another. He also would contest shots to force misses, and he also deflected a pass out of bounds another time. On the downside, sometimes he would struggle to defend opponents off the dribble, which led him to commit a foul and allow a score once.

In general, Omer Mayer put forth a terrific performance to help lead Israel to a win over France in this game, and his tremendous shooting and scoring prowess helped his team get the victory. He is an agile, sharpshooting combo guard that can knock down shots from all over the floor. He’ll need to take better care of the basketball, but he is a very skilled offensive player and is an underrated prospect that could project to be a solid role player similar to former Cleveland Cavaliers’ guard, Daniel Gibson in the NBA.

Noa Essengue scored 28 points on 10-of-15 shooting, made 8 of 13 free throws, and he had 7 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals, and 1 block for France in his team’s loss in this game. (Photo: FIBA)

Noa Essengue also turned a strong showing in his team’s loss to Israel in this game. He is a very athletic forward that excelled at making energetic plays on both ends of the floor, and he also was able to show off his passing skills to help his team. Essengue did a great job of scoring on isolation plays in this game. He showed a knack for scoring on strong drop step moves out of the post, and he would often finish plays on dunks and layups. He also would make strong moves to frequently get to the free throw line. Also, Essengue excelled at scoring on strong, speedy drives to the hoop.

Also, he was able to run in to score on a tip-in off of an offensive rebound. Plus, he would’ve made a mid-range jumper after getting the ball on a roll, but he drew a non-shooting foul before taking the shot. On the downside, Essengue would sometimes miss on tough, contested shots on the move in traffic, and he also missed all of his three-point shots, as he will need to improve his outside shot.

He also showcased adequate playmaking skills in this game. Essengue is an unselfish player that would throw accurate crosscourt passes from the high post to find the open man to notch a pair of assists. He also was able to make a quick cut and then throw a wraparound bounce pass to a teammate down low to set up a score for him. Essengue showed that he can aptly pass out of the post. On the downside, sometimes he would rush his moves when driving to the hoop, which would lead him to commit careless ball-handling turnovers. Another time, he threw a hasty crosscourt pass that got intercepted once.

He also did a decent job of rebounding the basketball. Essengue was able to leap up to haul in multiple boards on both ends of the floor, and he was especially active at crashing the offensive glass. He also was able to push the pace off of a defensive board late in this game. Plus, Essengue also defended very well in this game. He is a rangy defender that would use his length, agility, positioning, and instincts to get blocks and steals in this game. He was able to stay in front of a ball handler on a drive and cut off penetration to block the shot. He also showed a knack for poking balls away to get steals, and he would stay in front of his man and apply ball pressure to force ball-handling turnovers. He also excelled at staying in front of his man to contest a variety of shots to force misses.

In summary, Noa Essengue played very well, and he is a very athletic, aggressive combo forward that can score, defend, and draw a ton of free throws in games. He’ll really need to improve his outside shot, as well as refine his handles, but he is a solid prospect that could end up being a lottery pick in the 2025 draft, and he could end up being a solid role player similar to former Los Angeles Clippers’ swingman, Corey Maggette in the NBA.

Ben Saraf scored 23 points on 7 of 19 shooting, made 4 of 8 threes, and he had 5 assists, 5 rebounds, 2 steals, and 1 block to lead U18 Israel to a double-digit win over U18 France in this game. (Photo: FIBA)

Ben Saraf also had a solid showing to help Israel get a double-digit win over France in this game. He is an athletic, 6-5 big point guard that excelled at making plays on both ends of the floor. While his shot selection was suspect, especially in the first half, Saraf was able to make some sterling defensive plays, and he also did a good job of knocking down threes in the second half to help secure the victory for his team.

Saraf did a very good job of knocking down threes, and this could be a whole new dimension to his game. He showed a knack for making open threes, and he also used a jab step to make a corner three once. Plus, he also used a quick ball fake to make a subtle, step-back, three-pointer another time. He also excelled at scoring on strong drives in transition, and he also managed to score on a quick cut to the hoop. However, he tended to miss on a lot of quick, contested mid-range jumpers off the dribble, and he threw up some wild, off-balanced shots that resulted in bad misses. He also would sometimes get his shots blocked when driving to the hoop, as he would sometimes be too predictable in wanting to go left towards the basket.

Also, Saraf showcased good playmaking skills in this game. He is an unselfish player that can make long, accurate passes to get the ball to his teammates, and he also excelled at throwing interior passes to find teammates on the move. He also took very good care of the basketball, as he did not commit a single turnover on offense.

He also showed a satisfactory ability to rebound the basketball. Saraf would chase down balls to get his team defensive boards, and he would either tend to bring the ball up or push the pace afterwards. He also played fairly solid defense in this game. Saraf was able to intercept a pass quickly to get a steal. He also recovered on a drive to block a shot off of an opponent out of bounds. He also would consistently close out on three-point shooters to force misses, and he was active in contesting shots to get stops for his team. On the downside, sometimes he would be out of position, as he would sometimes be in a weird zone, which would allow opponents to score on open shots early on. Other times, he would play too aggressively, which would lead him to be out of position and cause him to commit fouls and allow scores.

Overall, Saraf is a skilled combo guard that can make crafty plays on both ends of the floor, and he shot the ball very well in the second half and made strong defensive plays down the stretch to help Israel get the victory. He will need to work on his shot selection, but his ability to make plays on both sides of the ball could enable him to be a first round pick in the 2025 draft, and he could end up being a solid role player similar to former Detroit Pistons’ guard, Rodney Stuckey in the NBA.

France’s 6-3 point guard, Nolan Traore had his ups and downs in his team’s loss to Israel in this game. He quietly had a solid first half, as he looked to pass more, and he played more under control. He quickly had a bad second half though, as he tended to over-dribble and try to force the action too much, which led to a lot of missed shots and turnovers for him. He also will need to continue to work on his left hand, as pointed out by Ahmed Jama via @slipthescreen on Twitter/“X”, Traore struggled against Monaco in Saint-Quentin’s season opener in the French League for the 2024-25 season recently.

Traore shot the ball fairly well from the outside. He was able to make a pair of threes off the catch, and he showed that he can knock down shots when he has the time and space to get his shot off. He also showed a fairly solid ability to score off the dribble. He can score and draw free throws on straight-line drives. His most impressive score was when he quickly split a double team to score on a high-flying, two-handed dunk. On the downside, he didn’t always show much change of direction skills, and he had a couple of shots blocked at the rim. In addition, he also missed on a contested pull-up, mid-range jumper, and he also missed too many free throws in this game.

He also showcased adequate playmaking skills. Traore is a fleet-footed guard that can make quick passes off the dribble, he’ll consistently get the ball to shooters to find the open man to set up scores for his teammates. He also threw an impressive no-look pass ahead to a teammate on the break to notch an assist once. He also can aptly find teammates on the move to get the ball to them. However, he tended to over-dribble and either get balls poked away from him or lose the ball, leading to a series of ball-handling turnovers. Another time, he picked up his dribble when trapped and threw a weak pass that got intercepted. He also would sometimes throw careless passes that would get intercepted. Traore tended to not make good decisions under duress, as his tendency to force the issue too much would lead him to be very turnover prone in this game.

Also, Traore showed a solid ability to rebound the basketball. He was able to get boards on both ends of the floor, and he also would sometimes push the pace after getting defensive boards. He also defended very well. Traore was able to jump on a poked ball to help his team get a steal, and he also deflected a pass to almost get another. He would hustle and rotate to contest shots off the dribble to force misses, and he would stay in front of his man and actively contest threes to force misses. He also was able to apply significant ball pressure and speed up an opposing ball handler into throwing a passing turnover when defending him up the court another time. On the downside, he can sometimes play too aggressively at times. He fouled an opponent when defending in the post once, despite holding his ground. He also bit on a pump fake to allow an opponent to score on a mid-range jumper another time.

Overall, Nolan Traore had a much worse game than anticipated, and there are concerns about his jump shot, inability to take care of the basketball when facing significant ball pressure, and his seeming inability to go to his left. Still, he is a very athletic point guard that seems to have a great amount of upside as a prospect for the NBA. If he doesn’t improve as an overall player, he could end up having a shorter NBA career than expected, and his current lofty draft status could set him up to fail as a future draft bust in the league. Right now, he probably may be better suited to go in the mid to late first round rather than in the lottery, but if he makes significant strides to improve and hone his game, in a favorable scenario, he could end up being a solid player similar to Eric Bledsoe in the association.

All in all, those are my thoughts on these prospects fared in this game. Thanks for reading.