Noa Essengue

13.8 points, 22/37 – 1/11 3FG – 8/18 FT – 8.5 rebounds,  2.3 assists, 2 steals

Noa Essengue was one of the top performers of the ANGT Belgrade and was named in the All-Tournament Team. Essengue’s frame and athleticism makes him one of the hardest players to defend as a slasher. He runs well in transition, can initiate fast breaks and is a solid finisher around the rim. Essengue dominated the games on both ends of the floor, pressuring guards in the full court defense, defending 1 to 5 in half court and also with steals and deflections thanks to his long arms and quick hands. He can finish through contact and make a lot of and 1 opportunities. Essengue showed that he has upside as a passer especially when he gets the ball around the paint, he can find the open man and feed his teammates. His anticipation on rebounds has potential to be elite, positions himself well and grabs a lot of offensive boards and create second chance point opportunities as well. 

Essengue’s biggest issue was shooting in the tournament. He only made 1 of his 11 3-point attempts and was not successful from midrange tries. The positive approach about this might be: it can only get better. He had a lot of trouble from the free throw line too, needs to improve his shooting in general. Essengue is almost a 2007-born (18 DEC 2006) and might have the best chance for an NBA career amongst all the prospects who participated at the event in Belgrade. If he grows to 6’11 and adds a little bit shooting to his bag, he can be a first round draft pick in the future.

Noa Essengue (PF/C | 203 cm | ‘06) ~ France

13.0 pts, 5.7 reb, 1.3 ast, 2.1 stl, 0.6 blck, 1.9 to, FG 46.5%, 3P 18.2%, FT 54.8%

The tournament was dominated by guards or wings and Essengue was one of the few bigs that somehow stood out.  A bouncy and agile power forward/big with a thin frame and long limbs that uses his body tools well. Runs the floor like a gazelle and easily outruns other bigs plus has the ball handling skills to push forward after steal/rebound.  Was solid as a finisher at the rim and made some tough shots under contact but also missed some shots that should be made. Attempted a few shots from distance too but shooting is an area that he still needs to work on because the release is very inconsistent. Noa has very good spatial awareness and a good feel for how to move without the ball to get open or how to roll in pick&roll settings. With his length and athleticism he was making an impact as a defender that could switch or cover ground as a helpside defender. 

(Written by Marko Turk)