ISRAELI shooting guard Ben Saraf offers plenty as a prospect ahead of the 2025 NBA Draft, and could develop into one of the best players in the class if all goes to plan when he hits the top level.

At six-foot-six, he immediately catches the eye for the size he brings to his position, which will prove a big positive at the top level. A talented lefty playmaker, Saraf is excellent in pick and roll scenarios, making elite passes to his teammates or showing an ability to get to his own spots in a crafty manner.

Although his shooting needs some work and he is far from the most athletic player in the draft, Saraf uses impressive footwork and solid touch around the rim to find the bottom of the net consistently, and it should prove a good foundation when he reaches the NBA.

Playing for Ratiopharm Ulm, Saraf posted averages of 12.3 points, 2.6 rebounds, 4.3 assists and 1.1 steals on 45 per cent shooting from the field in an impressive campaign in Europe that helped put him on the map.

With that in mind, Rookie Me Central will run through some of the clearest comparisons to already established NBA talents, with Saraf drawing the most similarities to one of the greatest European players of all time.

Manu Ginobili – San Antonio Spurs

When you think of sixth men in the NBA, Ginobili’s name certainly comes to mind, having made his mark as an integral piece to one of the most successful teams of the modern era. He joined the league in 1999, selected with the 57th overall pick by the Spurs and joined the team in 2002. During his 16 years in the NBA, the shooting guard won four NBA Championships, was an All-Star twice, was named to the All-NBA Third team twice, and won the NBA Sixth Man of the Year in 2008. When his career was finished, the Spurs retired his jersey after the shooting guard had an immense impact on the success of the team in the 2000s and 2010s. A fellow lefty, Ginobili was able to create with ball in hand, just as Saraf does, and the two play awfully similar with excellent footwork and a great floater game. If the Israeli draft prospect can have a similar level of success to Ginobili, he appears destined for stardom.

D’Angelo Russell – Brooklyn Nets

Although Russell is smaller and plays the point guard, he plays similar to Saraf in his creativity with ball in hand and ability to get to the rim despite not having the most athletic profile. The second overall pick in the 2015 NBA Draft, he was one of the brightest prospects of the 2010s, and was progressing nicely before being traded to the Nets. His first stint in Brooklyn was when he truly found his feet in the NBA, being named an All-Star and thriving as a number-one option on a young Brooklyn team. Stints in Minnesota, Golden State, Los Angeles and Brooklyn again has seen him become well-traveled, but regardless, Russell has been extremely productive offensively. He looks awfully similar to Saraf, which is largely due to both players being left-handed, but the impact around the rim and ability to pass out of pick and rolls catch the eye too.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander – Oklahoma City Thunder

Now this comparison is a best-case scenario for Saraf, who would be thrilled to end up a player of Gilgeous-Alexander’s calibre. After the Los Angeles Clippers selected him in 2018, he was traded to the Thunder, and has become one of the best players in the NBA. He appears destined for his first MVP award thanks to a magnificent campaign where he has led Oklahoma Thunder to the first seed in the west, and is one of the faces of the league. A masterful player in terms of scoring ability, he plays above his position and uses footwork to create scoring opportunities, much like Saraf. Gilgeous-Alexander is also not the most athletic player, but is extremely dangerous around the rim, making the comparison to the impressive draft prospect not that unreasonable.