17-Year-Old Danish Breakout, Noah Nørgaard, Could Eye 2026 NBA Draft

Forbes

7 hours ago

On Sunday night, the U18 Danish national team won EuroBasket Division B, with 17-year-old Noah Nørgaard making yet another strong statement about his future.
Right on the heels of having participated - and flourishing - at this year's NBA Academy Games, the youngster cemented himself as one to watch.
Explosive scoring touch
Nørgaard, who scored 30 points in the final against Estonia, averaged 18.3 points in the tournament, in just 25.1 minutes per game. As a result of the gold medal, and his efforts, he was named MVP of Division B.
The 6'2 guard is a high-volume three-point shooter, who took 6.6 attempts per game, making 37.7% of them, but he's not limited to the outside, as he forced himself to the line five times per game, in aforementioned limited minutes.
The long-range shooting tracks with his performance at the NBA Academy Games, where he drained 13 three-pointers in 155 minutes, and had back-to-back performances where he scored 20 and 22 points respectively.
(Last year, the NBA Academy Games had two Danes, and the invitation of Nørgaard this year only will likely bring even more attention to the Northen European country.)
Nørgaard, who received his basketball education in Spain, across both academy and club, has big ambitions and is making no secret that he aspires to making the NBA, which only one Danish player before him - Iffe Lundberg - has achieved.
The next steps
For Nørgaard, it's all about continued development. At 6'2, he's keenly aware that he has to be multifaceted to make it to the league, especially given the NBA's recent trend of prioritizing positional size.
Yet, he leans into his scoring as his primary element, and it's probably the right decision. The mechanics on his jumper are clean, and his broad shoulders and physical frame allows him to absorb contact, even from bigger defenders.
At 17, he's not a finished product by any stretch of the imagination, but his successes this summer represented a real moment of leveling up, to the point where a strong 2025-2026 season could offer him a look at the 2026 NBA Draft, in which he'll be eligible.
For Nørgaard, there are still steps he needs to take to be fully ready. While his scoring is well-established, there is a need for him to cut down on his turnovers (3.1 at EuroBasket, and three 3+ turnover games at the NBA Academy Games), and lean into his playmaking more.
This is often the path forward for young players who are gifted scorers. As they learn to use the threat of their own offense to create leverage, they in turn get a chance to make plays out of those situations. Nørgaard is no exception, and that has to be a real addition to his game for next season if he hopes to make NBA teams interested in about 10 months.
Unless noted otherwise, all stats via NBA.com, PBPStats, Cleaning the Glass or Basketball-Reference. All salary information via Spotrac. All odds courtesy of FanDuel Sportsbook.