Top 10 Players to Watch in the 2025 BAL Playoffs (PART 2)

Shortlisting players who can make a difference in the 2025 Basketball Africa League (BAL) Playoffs is anything but easy, given their potential impact on their teams in Pretoria.

There are so many talented players set to showcase their skills that we had to split this article into two parts.

The BAL Playoffs will take place from Friday, June 6, to Sunday, June 14, at the SunBet Arena in Pretoria, South Africa.

Here’s part 2 of the Top 10 Players to watch in the 2025 BAL Playoffs:

Jean Jacques Boissy (Al Ahli Tripoli)

Born: January 28, 2000
Height: 6-2
Position: Guard
Nationality: Senegalese

Earlier this month, Boissy put on a spectacular display in the Nile Conference.

The Senegalese guard came off the bench for all six of Al Ahli Tripoli’s games, yet he still finished with a regular season high of 23.8 points per game.

In his debut with the Libyan champions, Boissy shot 8-for-13 from deep, finishing just short of the BAL record set by Will Perry, who shot 9-for-14 and led Ferroviario da Beira to a 102-92 win over SLAC on April 30, 2023.

Kyle Vinales (Al Ittihad Alexandria)

Born: June 18, 1992
Height: 6-2
Position: Point Guard
Nationality: American

Vinales is a typical point guard who creates shooting opportunities for his teammates and demonstrates defensive leadership.

The American guard had the second-highest efficiency on Al Ittihad Alexandria, behind only Majok Deng, while averaging 12 points and 5.3 assists per game.

Madut Akec (Rivers Hoopers)

Born: January 1, 1999
Height: 6-8
Position: Shooting Guard
Nationality: South Sudanese

In his second BAL season, after playing for AS Douanes in 2024, Madut played a huge role in helping the Rivers Hoopers finish with the second-best record (4–2) in the 2025 Kalahari Conference in Rabat in April.

Madut excelled on both ends of the floor, averaging 17.8 points and 7.7 rebounds, and registering the third-highest efficiency rating (129) in the regular season. Madut also had the highest three-point shooting percentage (58.6%).

Jo Lual Acuil (Al Ittihad Alexandria)

Born: April 26, 1994
Height: 7-0
Position: Center
Nationality: South Sudanese

Acuil had a nearly perfect BAL debut last season.

He was named the league’s MVP and Defensive Player of the Year and was named to the All-BAL First Team. However, his Al Ahly team lost to Petro de Luanda in the 2025 BAL Final.

Acuil is a member of the South Sudanese national team.

Majok Deng (Al Ittihad Alexandria)

Born: January 3, 1993
Height: 6-9
Position: Power Forward
Nationality: South Sudanese

Deng was a highly productive substitute; that’s the only way to describe his impact on Al Ittihad Alexandria’s rotation.

The 2024 Paris Olympian from South Sudan recorded the highest efficiency (93) for the Egyptian giants, contributing 14.2 points and 5.3 rebounds per game.

Deng was on the Al Ahly Ly team that came in second last year.

Jonathan Jordan (FUS Rabat)

Born: October 7, 1992
Height: 5-10
Position: Point Guard
Nationality: American

Imagine a relatively short player with unparalleled jumping ability. Now, picture a player who can shoot from every corner of the floor. That player is Jonathan Jordan.

A 2017 NBA G-League champion with the Toronto 905, he has been one of FUS Rabat’s most productive players, averaging 13 points and five assists per game.

Ivan Almeida (Kriol Star)

Born: May 10, 1989
Height: 6-6
Position: Guard/Small Forward
Nationality: Cape Verdean

Throughout the Sahara Conference, where the Creoles finished 3-3, Almeida emerged as Kriol Star’s do-it-all and go-to guy.

A regular member of the Cape Verdean national team, Almeida recorded the sixth-highest efficiency rating (116) in the regular season, averaging 17.3 points and 10.8 rebounds per game.

He had four double-doubles in six games.

Aliou Diarra (APR)

Born: December 12, 2001
Height: 6-10
Position: Power Forward/Center
Nationality: Malian

During the Nile Conference, Diarra was APR’s most impactful player, averaging 19.3 points, 12 rebounds, and 5.5 blocks per game.

He had the fifth-highest efficiency rating (118) in the regular season.

He set a BAL record with eight blocks in APR’s 77-74 win over the Nairobi City Thunder, surpassing the previous record of seven set by Anas Mahmoud and Khaman Maluach in the 2022 and 2024 seasons, respectively.

Firas Lahyani (US Monastir)

Born: July 16, 1991
Height: 6-7
Position: Power Forward
Nationality: Tunisian

Lahyani is colloquially known as “Air Tunisia” because of his ability to easily dunk and jump.

He recorded the second-highest efficiency (101) for US Monastir while averaging nine points and nine rebounds at the Sahara Conference in Dakar last month.

A regular member of the Tunisian national team, Lahyani helped his country win the 2017 FIBA AfroBasket tournament.

Patrick Gardner (Petro de Luanda)

Born: June 16, 1999
Height: 6-11
Position: Power Forward/Center
Nationality: Egyptian

Gardner is a big man who can shoot from deep, which is one of the attributes that makes him a menace to opponents.

He had the highest efficiency rating (96) for Petro de Luanda in the Sahara Conference in Dakar, where the reigning BAL champions finished 3–3. He contributed 13.5 points and 5.5 rebounds per game.

Gardner, who is left-handed, is in his second BAL season, having played for Al Ahly SC last season.

He played for Egypt at the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup and played two seasons in the NBA G League, averaging six points per game.