Team: NZ Breakers, Australia

Height: 201 cm / 6’7″

Weight: 88 kg / 193lbs

Wingspan: 218 cm / 7’2”

Born: March 31, 2004

Rayan Rupert is another “alumni” of the Australian NBL Next Stars program. LaMelo Ball and Josh Giddey (amongst others) made a great advertisment for the program with their high draft pick and good games in the NBA so more and more prospects are interested in going that route. Rayan Rupert came to Australia from France where he played for Pole France in the French 3rd league. He adopted quickly to the new environment and had great games in the preparations and in the beginning of the season but then a wrist injury sidelined him for two months. He returned to the floor in January and had some good games after that but he lacked the consistency in offense through the season. Overall a solid season for Rayan in one of the best leagues and he has shown some of the stuff that makes him so intriguing for the NBA draft and a potential first round pick. 

STATS

• Averages:

28 games, 17:18 min, 5.9 pts, 2.1 reb (0.5 off reb), 0.9 ast, 0.7 stl, 0.2 blk (42.7 % 2P%, 23.4 % 3P%, 70.9 % FT%)

• Per40:

13.7 pts, 5.1 reb (1.2 off reb), 2.1 ast, 1.7 stl, 0.4 blk

• Advanced Stats:

91.8 ORTG, 106.0 DRTG, 45.1 % TS%, 3.0 OREB%, 9.8 DREB%, 6.4 REB%, 8.1 AST%, 2.2 STL%, 1.0 BLK%

STRENGTHS

• Neverending length – has a 7’2″ wingspan and his hands are quick and active in defense
• Great defender, can defend multiple positions and play aggressive on-ball defense on perimeter – often played aggressive full court press defense
• Athletic, moves smoothly and can make impact on open court in a fast paced game
• Good slasher – knows how to get to the rim, uses long strides and has soft finishing touch; ambidextrous finisher too
• Playmaking upside – played in the playmaker role in INSEP and he can be used as a playmaking wing in future

IMPROVEMENT AREAS

• Offensive game – showing shades what he can do in offense but needs to bring everything to a higher level
• Shooting consistency – shooting motion in spot up shots is not bad and I believe he can become a decent shooter in future. Much worse shooter when taking shots off the dribble
• Not reliable ball handler under pressure; his dribbles are high and he should protect the ball better
• Rebounding – I believe he should help the team more often in rebounding from the wing with his athleticism and length

OUTLOOK

Rayan Rupert is a very intriguing player for the NBA teams if we just look at his measurements and what he can offer on the defensive end. He is capable of defending extremely well on perimeter and cover basically all positions and probably when he adds more muscle mass, he will be able to defend forwards as well. Rayan is not scared of the defensive tasks and he is competitive enough to go against anyone. His offensive game is still a work in progress and he has room to improve in all offensive aspects. I would say that a lot in his career will depend how good he will be able to shoot the ball and convert the open looks. Offers enough playmaking to act as a secondary or tertiary creator from time to time and give the team some offensive value that way. He is also one of the youngest players in the draft class and time is on his side. He will need a few years to reach the physical demands of the NBA and bring his offense to a higher level but when he achieves that, I believe that he can become a great role player in most NBA teams. In my opinion, he should get the looks in the early 20s of the draft because the upside here is just too intriguing. 

Rayan Rupert (G | 199 cm | ‘04) ~ France

8.0 pts, FG2-53.7%, FG3-15.0%, FT-42.9%, 3.7 reb, 2.0 ast, 2.4 st, 1.6 to, 0.4 blck

French prospects mostly underperformed here and most of them needed to be played in a role that they are not used to so tough to make any better evaluations just based on this tournament. Rupert struggled with his offensive performances. The reason for that could be that he played mostly off-ball while in INSEP he had a more ball dominant role. The shots weren’t falling in at this tournament and he had bad shooting percentages and this definitely is something he will need to work on in next season in Australia. But Rupert showed amazing performances on the defensive end. There were countless possessions when he terrorized the ball handlers and stole the ball away of them. His eye-hand coordination is great, his reflexes also really quick and he made a big impact on the defensive end. The offensive game will determine his ceiling but it is still tough to say what would be the best role for him on that side of the floor but one thing is clear – as a guard he will need to start making his three point shots more consistently.

Rayan Rupert (G | 198 cm | ‘04) ~ INSEP Paris

19.6 pts, FG2-42.1%, FG3-31.8%, FT-66.7%, 4 reb, 2.3 ast, 4 st, 2.6 to, 0.3 blck

Rayan was one of the prospects that stood out in the Varese qualifier, but his game suffered from poor decision making. On this occasion though, he adjusted and, despite a few questionable pull up jumpers here and there. Change was easily noticeable. With better-placed shots, came better percentages both from inside while slipping through the lane and outside the arc when coming off screens or from the spot. He was one of the most disruptive players in this entire competition and as he fills out, he should become even more versatile. When it comes to his potential, I think it will be determined by how organized offensively he will be, and I think this performance gave a lot of food for thought to all scouts and executives. If he continues on this arc, I can see him being projected for the NBA Draft.

(Written by Igor Chytrzynski)

12.5 pts, FG2-45%, FG3-21.1%, FT-54.5%, 2.8 reb, 3.5 ast, 4 st, 1 to, 0.8 blck

It came as a shock to many that Rayan wasn’t selected to the All-Star Five when he led his team in points, assists and steals. Despite, it was a good showing for him and for sure he left lengthy paragraphs in many scouting notebooks. The first thing that stands out about Rayan is his impressive physical profile. Nice shoulders, arms that seemingly never end, bit lanky at moment but with a lot of room to add extra muscle. Due to a lack of a better playmaker on the team, he was the main instigator and had to take over the reins. Had some good moments and he is able to distribute the ball fairly well, but he wasn’t able to exploit all the options and wasn’t making the best decisions. Not his role going forward. He is more of a secondary playmaker/support guard in my eyes. He can spot some and take advantage of defensive mistakes, but his offensive game needs to be refined. Hands where shaking under pressure and in the fast pace. Really struggled from behind the arc. Defensively he could be sliding a bit more rather than hopping, but he stays active, is able to get stops regularly and makes very good use of those arms, causing a lot of damage in the passing lanes and picking pockets.

(Written by Igor Chytrzynski)