DRAFT WATCH #1 - Sean Marks reportedly headed to Australia on scouting trip
With as many as six picks in the top 40 of the 2025 NBA Draft, we’re starting our Draft Watch series early. ESPN Australia reports Wednesday that Sean Marks is headed to Brisbane Australia this weekend on a scouting trip to check out the top young prospects in the NBL, increasingly a fertile ground in international scouting.
Olgun Uluc, ESPN’s Australia/New Zealand insider, reports that Marks will be among a large number of NBA executives on hand for the league’s annual preseason NBL Blitz which runs for a week starting Saturday.
The NBL is preparing for 25 scouts and executives — representing 22 NBA teams — to attend the league’s annual preseason tournament in order to get eyes on the talent in Australia and New Zealand, with Brooklyn Nets general manager Sean Marks among those slated to attend.
Marks, of course, is a native of Auckland, N.Z. He has attended NBL games in the past with B.J. Johnson, the Nets director of player evaluation. With four likely first round picks — their own, the New York Knicks, Milwaukee Bucks and Oklahoma City Thunder — and two likely seconds — their own and the Miami Heat’s, the Nets have the most picks in the 2025 NBA Draft at this point. Australia’s NBL, per Uluc, could have multiple picks.
ESPN’s most recent 2025 NBA mock draft featured three NBL players — all of whom are Next Stars — and the trio will be suiting up for their respective teams at the Blitz: the Brisbane Bullets’ Rocco Zikarsky (#20), Perth Wildcats’ Izan Almansa (#40), and Sydney Kings’ Alex Toohey (#57).
The South East Melbourne Phoenix’s Malique Lewis is also considered a potential 2025 draftee, while the New Zealand Breakers’ Karim Lopez is draft eligible in 2026 and regarded as among the most talented players in that class.
The Nets have one of the league’s largest scouting staffs including an international contingent. Marks has a history of traveling to both Europe and Australia in the past to get first hand looks at prospects. Johnson has run the Nets draft the past four years and is credited in particular with pushing Brooklyn to select both Nic Claxton and Jalen Wilson in the second round.
This year, as Uluc notes, Marks will not be alone with 21 other NBA clubs in attendance this weekend and another group expected at a second NBL event in Perth, Western Australia, later in the season. The NBL has been aggressive in recruiting young players from around the world for its “Next Stars” program.
“It’s exciting to welcome another large contingent of NBA scouts to the Blitz,” the NBL’s General Manager of Next Stars recruitment, Liam Santamaria, said in a statement to ESPN.
Last year, four players with NBL experience were taken in the NBA draft, including No. 2 overall pick, seven-footer Alex Sarr, a Frenchman who was part of the “Next Stars” program.
Flocking to Australia: NBA eyes to scout rising NBL talent - Olgun Uluc - ESPN Australia
Welcome to Billionaire Club Co LLC, your gateway to a brand-new social media experience! Sign up today and dive into over 10,000 fresh daily articles and videos curated just for your enjoyment. Enjoy the ad free experience, unlimited content interactions, and get that coveted blue check verification—all for just $1 a month!
Account Frozen
Your account is frozen. You can still view content but cannot interact with it.
Please go to your settings to update your account status.
Open Profile Settings