While his older brother Victor has been busy with the NBA Finals, Oscar Wembanyama has been making a strong impression at Eurocamp, which was held over the weekend, Johnny Askounis of Eurohoops.net relays.
Currently playing for SIG Strasbourg in France’s Betclic Elite after transitioning from handball in 2021, the 19-year-old forward is looking to improve his prospects for next year’s draft. He displayed impressive perimeter shot-making, transition fluidity, and efficient play, Askounis writes. DraftExpress’ Jonathan Givony tweets that the younger Wemby has made dramatic improvements over the past 12-to-18 months.
Here’s more from around the international basketball world:
- Lithuania’s Zalgiris Kaunas is close to reaching an agreement with former NBA guard Saben Lee on a two-year contract, Kevin Martorano of Sportando relays. Lee began last season with Olympiacos before joining Anadolu Efes, where he appeared in 16 EuroLeague games and averaged 11.2 points, 3.1 assists, and 1.7 rebounds per contest. Lee appeared in 134 NBA games, most recently with Phoenix during the 2023/24 season.
- Mario Hezonja remains firmly committed to Real Madrid and has no plans to play elsewhere unless an NBA opportunity arises, Aris Barkas of Eurohoops.net reports. Hezonja’s current contract runs until 2029 and contains an NBA opt-out clause. Hezonja was named the Most Valuable Player of Spain’s Liga ACB this season. He averaged 17.5 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 1.9 assists per game over 31 contests.
- Zalgiris point guard Sylvain Francisco, who went undrafted in 2019, is hoping to make the jump to the NBA next season, according to Eurohoops. “The main goal is the NBA. Things can change, but that is the place I want to go,” he said. Francisco averaged 16.5 points and 6.5 assists this season, earning a spot on the All-EuroLeague First Team.
- Ryan Richman, the former Wizards assistant, is the new head coach of Alvark Tokyo in the Japanese B.League Premier, Jake Fischer of The Stein Line tweets. After leaving Washington to lead SeaHorses Mikawa to three-straight playoff appearances, Richman was sought after by numerous teams in Japan and also had a few NBA assistant opportunities before agreeing to a deal with Alvark.
