The “Road to NBA draft” series continues with the profile of Nolan Traoré, the Frenchman who has a great chance to be called early in the evening by Adam Silver.
Who is Nolan Traore?
Born on May 28, 2006 in Créteil in Val-de-Marne, Nolan Traoré followed the classic path of young French talent. Having passed through Charenton at a young age, a relatively well-known club in the Paris region, the leader then went to the hopeful pole before joining the French pole of Insep in 2021. Very quickly, the younger brother of Armel Traoré will try his hand with the Nationale 1 team and climb the ladder until finishing his last season at the French pole with almost 17 points and 5 assists! To recontextualize Nolan is only 17 years old and playing against experienced adults. Achieving those statistics at his age is proof that we are one of the pillars of French basketball in the years to come.
So Nolan Traoré is a talent that observers have known for a long time, but even in 2024 the French nugget will explode in the eyes of the public with an increase of 3 episodes.
The first stage will take place in early April on the other side of the Atlantic for the Nike Hoop Summit, a match between America’s best prospects and the best prospects from around the world. Traoré, member of the “word of the team”, did not come to make the numbers since he finished the game with 18 points and 4 assists on 8/14 shooting! A performance that marked the beginning of the “Nolan Traoré hype”.
The second stage of his rise is his arrival at Saint Quentin as a medical freelancer for the end of the season. Forced to leave the French pole during the season, the young prodigy will therefore discover the elite of French basketball at a level higher than Nationale 1. Spoiler: Acclimatization is very good. 25 points against Cholet, also 25 against Asvel in the playoffs… In short, the native of Créteil reached a milestone at the end of the season.
Finally, the last stage of his crazy rise in recent months happened during the ANGT final at the end of May where Nolan especially registered. 45 points and gave 9 assists to the U18 team from the pole in France. A unique performance that has made the rounds of social networks giving a new dimension to the “Nolan Traoré hype”.
For his last season before the draft Traoré decided to continue with the SQBB where he could continue his development by playing in a European Cup.
𝗜𝗟 𝗥 𝗦𝗧 🫡💙
News that many of you have been impatiently waiting for: Nolan Traoré is staying at SQBB! 👀
The young 18-year-old leader extended a two-year contract. pic.twitter.com/GY7v5jWRiK
— Saint-Quentin Basket Ball (@SQBB_Officiel) June 1, 2024
Which player is Nolan Traoré?
Nolan Traoré is a player who can play for himself but also for others. In the pick-and-roll, his high basketball IQ combined with his shooting and penetration skills make him a permanent danger in this aspect of the game but Traoré’s offensive palette doesn’t stop there… His ability to make his shot , as well as because his explosiveness allows him to finish close to the circle or create a gap in the opposing defense with a pass makes the native of Val-de-Marne a complete offensive!
Traoré’s main areas of improvement today are defense and shot selection, although there is nothing to worry about. At only 18 years old his development remains high, gaining experience and work will allow him to quickly erase the small defects that are present in his game.
Nolan Traore at the Hoop Summit against Team USA:
– 18 PTS
– 2 REB
– 4 AST
– 1 STL
– 8/14 FG (2/4 3PT)Traore showed great strength and maturity on the court today at the age of 17, playing after playing. Easily the best watch on display right now. The future is bright for the French. #NBADraft pic.twitter.com/PXO3Tg9jQg
— mohamed (@mcfxz) April 14, 2024
What career for Nolan Traoré?
Franchise player? 2nd or 3rd option? It’s too early to tell. The potential is there, it remains to be seen which project the Frenchman will fall for and above all who he will partner with. However, if we now think about what Nolan Traoré will be like later in the big league, we can imagine him even as the future starting leader of a competitive team with the potential to become an All-Star.
In terms of comparison, how can we not talk about it Tony Parker… With almost similar playing styles, Traoré has already found his inspiration for years to come!