Nike Hoop Summit 2024: Notes On African Prospects
One third of the 24 players who took part in the event come from African backgrounds, with six players representing African nations officially, one representing France and another representing the US.
Team World could have been renamed Team Africa and it would not have been too far off base — seven of the team’s twelve players have known African backgrounds. For better or worse, the Nike Hoop Summit is a singular event that can determine the basketball futures of many young men. While NBA team scouts were present the entire week leading up to the game for practices to get a fuller picture of these elite players, the main event revealed information on a bigger stage with brighter lights. Our team analyzed the play of these prospects and weighed them against expectations coming into the game.
EXCEEDED EXPECTATIONS ⬆️
Nolan Traoré — France/Mali
Traoré was easily the most complete guard on the floor. He used his burst of a first step to get by his defender whenever he wanted and never made the wrong read. Despite the speed, he changed pace beautifully to keep the defense on their toes. Traoré’s decision-making stood out as he balanced running the offense with knowing when to get creative and attack or make plays for himself and others. He finished in a variety of ways and dished connecting passes as well as a flurry of potential assists, throwing his teammates open and seeing gaps in the defense early. He made two contested three pointers — a step back and a catch-and-shoot three on the move — which has been a knock on his game as well.
AJ Dybantsa — Jamaica/Congo
AJ Dybantsa has continued to confirm what many project as the number one pick in the 2026 NBA Draft. A 6’9” do-it-all wing who can score at an NBA level, he got to the free throw line consistently, was effective shooting the ball from distance and displayed crisp passing ability. He used his smooth driving and length to get defenses in a position to foul him and to stride directly to the basket. His distributing was interesting as he kept his teammates actively involved throughout. Defensively, Dybtantsa can be extremely overwhelming with his speed and length.
MET EXPECTATIONS ↔️
Annor Boateng — Ghana
Boateng showed some intriguing flashes in limited minutes, penetrating the defense to attack the rim and getting to his spots in the midrange. His athleticism helps a lot but he showed a lot of poise in taking what the defense gave him. He was also sturdy on defense, holding his own on that side of the ball. With more touches, Boateng could have been even more impactful but that would’ve been hard to justify with Traoré and Dybantsa ahead of him on the depth chart.
Flory Bidunga — Democratic Republic of Congo
Bidunga was never billed as an overly complex prospect skill wise, and he did his job in its limited role. He only played 14 minutes attempting two shots, but he did a good job as the last line of defense contesting shots and protecting the paint.
UNDERPERFORMED EXPECTATIONS ⬇️
Khaman Maluach — South Sudan
Maluach was able to use his athleticism to authoritatively reject his future teammate Cooper Flagg and emphatically slam a dunk off a nice pass. Aside from those bright moments, it seemed like he was a step slow in Portland and unable to finish simple plays we are accustomed to seeing him finish. He didn’t seem as sure of himself as he usually is, as he had fewer opportunities to show off his perimeter skills that have been so enticing to this point. Maluach will have a few chances to show which version of himself is the real him ahead of his freshman season at Duke with the Olympics in August and the Basketball Africa League in April.
Ulrich Chomche — Cameroon
Chomche shot 2/2 from the floor, blocked a few shots and dished a highlight of an assist, showing what he needed to before declaring for the draft the following week. Despite all this, as the only 2024 draft-eligible player in the Nike Hoop Summit, Chomche did not necessarily look like the most draftable player present. He also looked unsure at times, fumbling passes and getting rebounds ripped from his hands. He didn’t play poorly, just not to the expectations of onlookers. As Chomche prepares for the NBA Draft, he’ll have one more opportunity to show his skills in a game setting during the Basketball Africa League in May.
Zoom Diallo — Côte d’Ivoire
Diallo seemed to play a little too fast for himself, which led to little statistical impact in very limited minutes.
DNP
Patrick Ngongba II — Central African Republic
Ngongba is recovering from a broken foot sustained in the pre-season and was held out due to injury management. He played sparing minutes for his Paul VI squad at Chipotle Nationals last week and though it was in flashes, Ngongba showed his finesse in the high post and passing ability out of the post.
While this game is an indicator, it’s important to remember that it is one of many and not to overreact in either direction even if the masses do. With players so young in their development, it becomes crucial for evaluators to take at least an entire season’s body of work into account.
Enjoyed writing this piece with my good friend Ngij!