Noam Yaacov’s NBA Draft Stock Rises With Strong U.S. Praise

With the NBA Draft set to begin in a week, the first round scheduled for June 23 and the second round the next day, Israeli guard Noam Yaacov is continuing to improve his outlook. In The Athletic’s latest mock draft, Sam Vecenie placed Yaacov at No. 47, where Phoenix is expected to pick, and praised him heavily.

Vecenie wrote that “few players were more fun to watch this year than Noam Yaacov,” saying it was clear he was “one level above most of his opponents in the Belgian league in terms of athleticism and creativity.” He called Yaacov a “natural and especially exciting” basketball player, but said the key question is how well that will translate to the NBA. Yaacov, Vecenie said, will need to tone down some of his loose ball-handling, find easier ways to create his own shots, and could make his midrange floater a major weapon. Because Yaacov has committed to play at Utah next season, Vecenie said he likes him as a second-round pick who could develop in college while a team signs someone else to a two-way deal.

Vecenie also highlighted Yaacov’s strengths, including exceptional speed, creativity, direction changes, strong dribbling, good footwork, efficient pick-and-roll play, constant rim pressure and an infectious joy on the court. He noted possible drawbacks, especially Yaacov’s size, listed at 1.86 meters, and questioned whether his athleticism will be enough at NBA level. He added that Yaacov sometimes lets the ball drift too far from his body, which could lead to turnovers against NBA defenders, and said it is hard to see him becoming a good NBA defender. “He plays on the edge between genius and chaos,” Vecenie wrote, saying that works in lower-level leagues but will be tested at the highest level.

ESPN’s Jeremy Woo also updated his board, placing Yaacov at No. 59, where Minnesota would be the team selecting. The article also noted that Yaacov remains on an upward trend ahead of the draft. In a separate note, it mentioned Olympiacos beat Panathinaikos 89-85 in Game 5 to win the Greek championship.