The NBL Next Stars Program has provided a link for former NBL starlets Rayan Rupert and Mojave King, who both worked out with the Indiana Pacers last week.

The pair were a part of the 12th batch of prospect workouts completed by the franchise ahead of the upcoming NBA Draft, while Brisbane centre Josh Bannan also completed a workout for Indiana as part of the seventh prospect group.

Rupert will enter the draft fresh off of a campaign, in which he played an integral part of New Zealand’s unlikely run to the NBL Championship Series, while King most recently played for the NBA G-League Ignite, after two seasons as a Next Star.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">&quot;I&#39;m a versatile player...I have a long wingspan. I just love to be disruptive defensively and bring the most energy I can to my team.&quot;<br><br>Rayan Rupert from <a href="https://twitter.com/NZBreakers?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@NZBreakers</a> on how he can help NBA teams and representing France and his family.<a href="https://twitter.com/NerdWallet?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@NerdWallet</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/GoldOnTheClock?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#GoldOnTheClock</a> <a href="https://t.co/Mso8ruofAT">pic.twitter.com/Mso8ruofAT</a></p>&mdash; Indiana Pacers (@Pacers) <a href="https://twitter.com/Pacers/status/1667633986661752832?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 10, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

ESPN’s most recent mock draft has Rupert being selected 18th by the Miami Heat, while they list King as the 71st best talent in the draft class.

“They would have a young player with a lot of energy,” Rupert told the Pacers’ website of the team that drafts him. “I would just keep working hard every day and I would be one of the best two-way players in the League.

“I’m a versatile player. My first quality is defensively, I have a long wingspan. I just love to be disruptive defensively and bring the most energy I can to my team.”

With both former NBL talents’ major calling cards being their length and defence, King is under no illusions as to what he needs to do to earn a place on an NBA roster.

“I’m definitely going to have to establish myself as a defender,” he said. “I think that’s how I’m going to get on the court initially.

“Ignite was great for me … the coaching staff and the veterans that are here just taught me so many things and helped me learn so much so quickly.”

The NBA Draft is set to take place on Friday, June 23 at 10am AEST.