Israeli basketball guard Ben Saraf continues to excite American commentators, certainly after his crazy performance at the U18 European Championships, where he won fourth place with the Israeli team and was named MVP of the tournament.
The Bleacher Report website, known for its mock draft analyses, placed Saraf as the 29th pick in the 2025 NBA draft and complimented the player. "At the very least, Ben Saraf turned himself into a high scouting priority after he won MVP at the U18 European Championships by averaging 28.1 points, 5.0 boards and 5.3 assists for Israel," according to the report. "He was a machine initiating offense, getting to spots off quick dribble moves and changing speed. He was relentless attacking defenders and space to get to the rim, even without significant burst."
Saraf will play next season for Germany's Ratiopharm Ulm.
The website notes that his shooting requires improvement, but that "continuing to score at a strong rate and overcome physical limitations will be Saraf's ticket to legitimate NBA interest."
It was "The Athletic" commentator Sam Vecenie who heaped praise on the 18-year-old basketball player on the "Game Theory" podcast. Vecenie called him "very, very interesting talent" and one of the "most impressive" players he saw all summer in tournament play.
Saraf finished the last U18 European Championships with an average of 28.1 points per game and thus, in addition to being crowned the king of baskets, posted the second best average in the history of the tournament.
He also made Israeli history and joined Miki Berkovich and Shachar Doron as the national team player who scored the most baskets in the youth tournament .