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Hypothetical portal rankings of Dessert, Niang, Santos, others?
Posted on 5/13/26 at 8:48 pm
Posted on 5/13/26 at 8:48 pm
LSU basketball only thread, please.
For those of you in the know, what’s your general impression of where our international targets would land in the portal rankings? Would any of them fall within the top 50, top 100 based on who’s in now? I realize it’s nothing scientific, but I’m curious what you think.
It would be interesting if when an intl player signed with a school that the on3s and 247s of the world would add them to the player portal rankings.
For those of you in the know, what’s your general impression of where our international targets would land in the portal rankings? Would any of them fall within the top 50, top 100 based on who’s in now? I realize it’s nothing scientific, but I’m curious what you think.
It would be interesting if when an intl player signed with a school that the on3s and 247s of the world would add them to the player portal rankings.
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Posted on 5/13/26 at 9:17 pm to LSUChamps03
quote:
Hypothetical portal rankings of Dessert, Niang, Santos, others?
ETA:
I guess I should have clarified. I didn't stay on topic and transitioned to discussing hypothetical ratings for next season. Naing would be a Top 50 portal guy without question. Probably Top 25.
Graves, Mo Dio, Dessert. & Naing would hypothetically give Wade 4 Top 100 portal type guys. Right now, the Achilles of this roster is the guards.
Original response:
Dessert is the most complete player and will be the highest-ranked of the 3 next season across various advanced analytics-based rating systems.
Niang will rate very highly on defense but will struggle offensively. I could see him being a Top 300 player.
Santos won't play a bunch of minutes and will struggle on defense. He is a Top 800 type guy.
Mo Dio and Dessert will both be Top 100, and if Graves comes to LSU, he will be Top 50 or even Top 25.
For reference, past season EM rankings:
Graves - 58
Mo Dio - 106
Bashir - 839
Ugo - 869 (no negative impact to rating for missed games)
This post was edited on 5/14/26 at 2:46 pm
Posted on 5/13/26 at 10:42 pm to rds dc
quote:
Santos won't play a bunch of minutes and will struggle on defense. He is a Top 800 type guy.
Geez is Santos that bad on defense to rate him at the bottom of the barrel in ranking? Because everything I hear is he’s really fricking good offensively.
Posted on 5/13/26 at 10:52 pm to chadr07
quote:
Geez is Santos that bad on defense to rate him at the bottom of the barrel in ranking? Because everything I hear is he’s really fricking good offensively.
Bashir is really good offensively and was ranked 839 on EM. Everyone can't be #1.
Posted on 5/14/26 at 1:06 am to rds dc
I just want to point out that Saliou Niang was drafted 58th overall a year ago in the nba draft….
Say what you want, but there are 60 draft picks in the nba. So for one season, he was worthy of being a top 60 IN THE WORLD, but a year later he wouldn’t be a top 300 transfer and probably barely crack top 500 in college basketball….ok
But to be honest…this kid is Tari Eason 2.0 at LSU. Same size, prior season Tari was a 8ppg, 5rpg guy. Niang mirrors that but better comp and WAY better FT%. Wade dove into tons of analytics and called his shot with Tari, I sure hope this is what Niang becomes
Say what you want, but there are 60 draft picks in the nba. So for one season, he was worthy of being a top 60 IN THE WORLD, but a year later he wouldn’t be a top 300 transfer and probably barely crack top 500 in college basketball….ok
But to be honest…this kid is Tari Eason 2.0 at LSU. Same size, prior season Tari was a 8ppg, 5rpg guy. Niang mirrors that but better comp and WAY better FT%. Wade dove into tons of analytics and called his shot with Tari, I sure hope this is what Niang becomes
Posted on 5/14/26 at 7:28 am to LSUButt
quote:
Say what you want, but there are 60 draft picks in the nba. So for one season, he was worthy of being a top 60 IN THE WORLD, but a year later he wouldn’t be a top 300 transfer and probably barely crack top 500 in college basketball….ok
I guess I should have clarified. I didn't stay on topic and transitioned to discussing hypothetical ratings for next season. Naing would be a Top 50 portal guy without question. Probably Top 25.
Graves, Mo Dio, Dessert. & Naing would hypothetically give Wade 4 Top 100 portal type guys. Right now, the Achilles of this roster is the guards.
This post was edited on 5/14/26 at 7:33 am
Posted on 5/14/26 at 8:32 am to LSUChamps03
Just my opinion but if they were ranked with the other college transfers...
Dessert - Top 50
Niang - Top 100
Santos - Top 300
It's a bit more difficult as they havent played in college at all, and just directly comparing euro league stats is kind of misnomer as well with how they approach players over there.
Some would have Niang above Dessert because he already got drafted late on a flier last year, but I think Dessert seems to be a much more well rounded player than he is at the moment.
Santos is a bit lower than the other 2 because he's slightly older (turning 24 later this year) and seems to not be much of an NBA prospect with major deficiencies defensively/rebounding for a true big like he is but offensively he is very good.
We will see if we can pull off Graves or not but if we do I only see Santos playing 10-15 minutes a game on average or so.
Dessert - Top 50
Niang - Top 100
Santos - Top 300
It's a bit more difficult as they havent played in college at all, and just directly comparing euro league stats is kind of misnomer as well with how they approach players over there.
Some would have Niang above Dessert because he already got drafted late on a flier last year, but I think Dessert seems to be a much more well rounded player than he is at the moment.
Santos is a bit lower than the other 2 because he's slightly older (turning 24 later this year) and seems to not be much of an NBA prospect with major deficiencies defensively/rebounding for a true big like he is but offensively he is very good.
We will see if we can pull off Graves or not but if we do I only see Santos playing 10-15 minutes a game on average or so.
This post was edited on 5/14/26 at 8:34 am
Posted on 5/14/26 at 8:45 pm to LSUChamps03
None of those guys would be portal guys though right? They would be recruits.
Posted on 5/15/26 at 10:11 am to Mats86
quote:
None of those guys would be portal guys though right? They would be recruits.
I guess you could look at it that way. I view them more equivalent to portal guys based on age and experience above high school. Also, in anticipation of the expected adoption of the 5-in-5 age rule I see them as incoming seniors with one season left.
I imagine final overall recruiting score rankings (portal+HS) won’t include international players. because I don’t see anywhere that sites like on3 or 247 assign a star or other ranking value to internationals. So LSU has an overall ranking of 72 currently based on Oguchukwo(SP), Dioubate and Bashir. But where would it be if you add a value to Dessert, Niang, Santos and Madar, hypothetically?
Posted on 5/15/26 at 11:23 am to LSUChamps03
These international players are damn near 30 who cares about their ranking. Only fans concern themselves with ranking,
Posted on 5/15/26 at 11:44 am to thunderbird1100
Niang
I think people need to take a realistic look at his output on offense next season. We are rating him a little highly imo.. I am not saying he isnt a take or a good player. I know yall will twist that. Think offensive output of someone like Marlon Taylor.
I think people need to take a realistic look at his output on offense next season. We are rating him a little highly imo.. I am not saying he isnt a take or a good player. I know yall will twist that. Think offensive output of someone like Marlon Taylor.
This post was edited on 5/15/26 at 11:51 am
Posted on 5/15/26 at 12:19 pm to LSU1SLU
quote:
I think people need to take a realistic look at his output on offense next season. We are rating him a little highly imo.. I am not saying he isnt a take or a good player. I know yall will twist that. Think offensive output of someone like Marlon Taylor.
I don't get this reasoning. Across 38 Euroleague games this season Niang averaged 7.1 pts and 5 rebounds per game.
Do you expect his production to drop with a move to SEC basketball and increased minutes? (Taylor averaged 6.4 ppg and 3.8 rpg).
Posted on 5/15/26 at 12:35 pm to Kool Kaliper
KK, I couldn’t care less either where we rank, brother. That doesn’t mean crap on the court. It’s just an exercise in getting opinions/information on the comparative talent levels to gauge against teams going strictly portal. It gives an idea of what to expect on the court. That’s all. Hope you have a good day.
Posted on 5/15/26 at 12:49 pm to LSUChamps03
Been going down rabbit holes online learning about Euro basketball. Iinteresting bits explaining why a good Euro player may not have what we consider impressive offensive stats.
quote:
Euroleague players average fewer points than NBA players primarily because games are 40 minutes long instead of 48, and FIBA rules permit zone defenses and allow centers to camp in the paint without a three-second violation. Together, these factors significantly reduce floor spacing and make scoring inside much harder.
The main reasons for lower scoring averages in Europe include:
Shorter Game Time: Euroleague games are divided into 10-minute quarters (40 minutes total), whereas the NBA plays 12-minute quarters (48 minutes total). This gives players eight fewer minutes of court time per game to accumulate statistics.
No Defensive Three-Second Rule: Unlike the NBA, there is no defensive three-second rule in FIBA. This means big men can stand directly under the rim the entire time to protect the paint, which clogs the lane and makes driving extremely difficult.
Team-Oriented Playstyles: European basketball places a heavy emphasis on tactics, fundamentals, and collective ball movement rather than isolation (ISO) plays. Offenses generally run deeper into the shot clock to create perfect team shots, slowing down the overall pace of the game.
Legal Zone Defenses: Teams are allowed to play complex zone defenses and pack the paint, whereas the NBA enforces defensive rules that limit zones and isolate individual talent on the perimeter.
Tighter Officiating on Travels/Carries: Euroleague officials are generally stricter about traveling and carrying violations, which limits a player's ability to create instant separation and manipulate the defense the way they can in the NBA.Because of these differences, even NBA superstars have openly noted that dropping 30 points in the Euroleague is often much more difficult than in the NBA.
quote:
Tactical Team Defense: Euroleague teams often rely on collective help-defense, aggressive hedging on ball screens, and strategic rotating rather than letting elite scorers isolate one-on-one. This reliance on team schemes neutralizes individual mismatches.
Higher Stakes and Importance: With a shorter season where every game heavily dictates playoff seeding, Euroleague teams play with consistently higher defensive intensity compared to the longer, 82-game NBA regular season.
Posted on 5/15/26 at 2:44 pm to KamaCausey_LSU
quote:
I don't get this reasoning. Across 38 Euroleague games this season Niang averaged 7.1 pts and 5 rebounds per game.
I expect that not to change much. The game is so different. College games are more defense oriented due to rules.
quote:
Do you expect his production to drop with a move to SEC basketball and increased minutes? (Taylor averaged 6.4 ppg and 3.8 rpg).
NVM you just wanna get mad about shite and not read.
This post was edited on 5/15/26 at 2:46 pm
Posted on 5/15/26 at 2:47 pm to LSUChamps03
quote:
Been going down rabbit holes online learning about Euro basketball. Iinteresting bits explaining why a good Euro player may not have what we consider impressive offensive stats.
this is helpful when explaining statistical differences and gameplay between Euro and NBA. This does not reflect as much nearly Euro to college.
Posted on 5/15/26 at 3:30 pm to LSU1SLU
quote:
this is helpful when explaining statistical differences and gameplay between Euro and NBA. This does not reflect as much nearly Euro to college.
It explains Euro basketball more than anything. I’m nearly void of knowledge of the Euro game, and this provides an answer to my curiosity why Euro stats are what they are.
Posted on 5/15/26 at 3:34 pm to LSUChamps03
quote:
I guess you could look at it that way. I view them more equivalent to portal guys based on age and experience above high school.
I thing your logic is sound in terms of how you view them. But if you are talking a portal class ranking, usually they don’t include players who have not played college basketball. Perhaps in a composite ranking. But generally they are included as recruits.
Posted on 5/15/26 at 4:23 pm to Mats86
Yep, your thoughts are probably more correct in terms of how a Euro would be listed. Ultimately the incoming players (portal+HS) as a whole is most important. There is no scoring of the Euros, so it becomes hard to rank classes like LSU’s. As long as they win…
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