Why On3 is higher than the industry with 4-star SF Tounde Yessoufou

Tounde Yessoufou is an interesting prospect. One who has made sure his production has never been able to be ignored, but also one whose game continues to progress. And in looking at the construct of NBA teams, he is a player whose potential archetype outcome is looking more and more intriguing. With that, here at On3, we are higher than the industry with the 6-foot-5 wing from Santa Maria (CA) St. Joseph ranking him the No. 14 overall player in the recently updated 2025 On3 150.

On3 leaves nothing to question when we talk about the objective of our rankings. The goal of our rankings is to assess a prospect’s long-term potential, ultimately manifested by the NBA Draft. Our ranking does not assess who had the best high school career or who will be the best college player. This is why we will shoot to end each cycle with 14 five-star prospects following the lead of the NBA Draft Lottery. This can be different from others, but our vision with ratings is draft night.

On3 has Yessoufou ranked No. 14 in the most recent 2025 On3 150 update. He is ranked currently No. 38 by 247 Sports, No. 18 by Rivals, and No. 25 by ESPN. Criteria can be different across the industry when it comes to players and the order in which they are ranked. So let’s break down why On3 is higher on Tounde Yessoufou than the industry.

Yessoufou Produces

Tounde Yessoufou’s production is a main reason why he debuted inside the top 20 for On3 in September of 2022. That was the initial top 50 ranking for the class, and the 6-foot-5 wing has remained in the top 20 for all six of the class updates we have had.

This high school season, Yessoufou finished top ten in the state of California in scoring per MaxPreps. The 6-foot-5 wing put up 32.3 points per game, scoring 1,132 total points while shooting 52.3 percent from the field. In his 35-game season, Yessoufou’s Santa Maria (CA) St. Joseph team finished 31-4 overall and made a run to the CIF State Open Division Regional Semifinals.

Along with Yessoufou’s 32.3 points, he also averaged 10.2 rebounds, 2.1 assists, 2.6 steals, and 1.3 blocks per game. Yessoufou has continued his productive ways playing with the Team WhyNot program on Nike’s EYBL Circuit averaging 21.8 points per game per Synergy, which is third overall in the 17u division. His WhyNot team has qualified for Peach Jam after finishing the regular season with a 10-5 overall record and tied for fourth place in the Merritt Conference.

Yessoufou is shooting 53 percent from the field and 85.1 percent from the free-throw line during EYBL play. He is also adding 4.6 rebounds. During this week’s 30th annual NBPA Top 100 Camp, Yessoufou finished second in scoring at 23.1 points while finishing tenth in rebounding at 8.1 and fifth in steals at 1.6. Over the past two weeks, Yessoufou has been a standout performer at both the NBPA Top 100 Camp and the Pangos All-American Camp.

While numbers are not everything, the fact that Tounde Yessoufou consistently puts up big numbers across all settings is hard to ignore.

Tounde Yessoufou’s physicality and defensive presence

Typically this would be two different sections, but with Tounde Yessoufou, his physicality plays such a big role in what he is able to do on the defensive end. Yessoufou is listed at 6-foot-5, he has a well-built frame, tipping the scales at a listed 215 pounds. He also carries a plus wingspan.

Yessoufou plays with a hot motor. The competitive fire runs from start to finish with him. Defensively, he is able to slide his feet guarding the ball. He has good anticipation and plays aggressively and physically at the point of attack. He is also aggressive in the passing lanes, showing good anticipation and capable to quickly turn defense into offense.

Physically, with his length, strength, and size Yessoufou carries a college-ready frame. Athletically, he is quick-twitch and explosive. Add in the defensive instincts and the will to win, and you have a player that is already making plays, and carrying the long-term upside to be a defensive stopper.

The offensive game

We already spoke above about Tounde Yessoufou’s production. And a lot of the numbers cited had to do with his offensive game. With that said, let’s look a little deeper into how he gets his numbers and how that continues to grow.

When we first started ranking the 2025 class, in September of 2022, Yessoufou was bigger, stronger, and more athletic than his peers. He was decisive in getting downhill and had the strength to initiate and finish through contact. His aggressive nature on the defensive end was able to net him quick offense, and the same with his prowess on the boards, as he would grab and start the break.

As he has continued to get older, his game has also evolved. He has added pace to his handle which has helped him to get to his spots in half-court. He is still decisive in getting downhill and still able to finish at the rim, and draw fouls. Yessoufou is averaging 5.7 free throws per game on Nike’s EYBL Circuit where he is shooting 85.1 percent, and this high school season, he took 6.3 attempts per game.

This leads us to the most interesting piece of his game, the shooting. This has consistently been a question mark. He shot 31.5 percent from three during the high school season. While this is not an awful number, it certainly needs work. However, what makes this intriguing is the shooting he has done over the last couple of weeks. Through seven games at the NBPA Top 100 Camp and four at the Pangos All-American Camp, Yessoufou is 22 of 61 from three, shooting 36.1 percent.

While he is continuing to work on the three-point consistency, another aspect of Yessoufou’s offensive game that is so intriguing is that he makes high-percentage plays. In high school, he shot 62.4 percent from two and on the EYBL Circuit, he is shooting 61.9 percent from two. He attacks the basket and finishes high-percentage shots, or gets to the free-throw line. Even while having an aggressive and powerful game, he stays away from relying on playing bully-ball in the half-court. He certainly can explode through a defender, but he has good balance and footwork which also gets him high-percentage looks.

Continuing with his production, in the NBPA Top 100 Camp, Yessoufou shot 53.6 percent from the field and 88.2 percent from the line. While the shooting is coming around, his shot form shows promise. The release is consistent and his balance is good. He stepped into shots and was able to create space to get a clean look with footwork and a tight shot box. He will need to continue working here, but 36 percent is a respectable number, trending in a positive direction.

Projecting Yessoufou looking ahead

Tounde Yessoufou checks a lot of boxes when it comes to the physicality, aggression, and athleticism looked for at the highest levels. In each setting he plays, no matter the talent level with and around him, among his peers, Yessoufou is always one of the most productive players. His stats are wide-ranging and the eye test shows that his aggressive nature and non-stop motor have impacts across the board.

Now, how does that play at the highest levels? In looking across the league, players in the 6-foot-3 to 6-foot-5 range who have a strong frame, long arms, explosive pop, and are not afraid to play physically bring value.

A name that has been brought up in comparison with Yessoufou is that he has shades of Lu Dort. In looking at the path that Dort took, he shot 30.7 percent from three in college and is a career 34.7 percent shooter from three over 283 NBA starts. Dort was also Pac-12 All-Defense as a freshman as well as the conference Rookie of the Year.

Certainly, Dort is unique with his skill set, and this is not a one-to-one comparison, but it does provide a potential archetype pathway for a player like Tounde Yessoufou to grow into. The ability to be a true defensive stopper, able to guard the point-of-attack, and provide the versatility to switch down a lineup is valuable in the NBA. But with that skill set, you cannot be a zero on offense. Yessoufou’s production and the continued growth in his game are intriguing.

Three schools that remain consistent with Yessoufou at this point are Kentucky, Arizona, and USC. The four-star has set his first official visit, to Arizona, for June 16. He also talks about schools like Kansas, Tennessee, and Stanford in conversation. Oregon is Yessoufou’s most recently claimed offer.

With this production and potential career archetype paths, Yessoufou continues to be a top 15-type prospect in On3’s 2025 class.