Risacher-Sarr, premier duel
Chosen in the first two places of a historic draft for France, Zaccharie Risacher (Atlanta) and Alexandre Sarr (Washington) will make their first steps next week at the Summer League in Las Vegas (July 12-22), where the NBA has brought together all of its teams since 2018 in a tournament in the form of a benchmarking exercise for rookies drafted in the first round.
Assured of signing a guaranteed two-year contract, like Tidjane Salaün (chosen by Charlotte in 6th position) and Pacôme Dadiet (called up in 25th by the Knicks), Risacher and Sarr will cross paths there on the night of the 12th to the 13th (3:30 a.m., French time) in a mouth-watering Wizards-Hawks duel. Before that, we will follow this weekend the first steps of Salaün in the more intimate setting of the California Classic Summer League in Sacramento (7 teams, July 6-9).
Ajinça, a dotted future
The fifth and final Frenchman drafted this year, Melvin Ajinça will also have the opportunity to prove himself during the Las Vegas Summer League. But the 20-year-old winger will play a bigger role than Risacher, Sarr, Salaün and Dadiet: chosen in the second round (51st), he has no assurance that Dallas will offer him a contract, and the statements of Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison suggest that his near future should rather be written in Europe.
Unless Ajinca breaks out in Nevada and lands a “two-way” contract that would allow him to bounce back and forth between the NBA and its antechamber, the G-League. “We have a lot of options and they’re all on the table,” Harrison said, also noting that the Mavs’ roster is already well-stocked.
A chance for Traoré, Diarra and Dufeal
Of the eight French candidates for the draft this year, three remained on the sidelines on June 27. But all is not lost for them. After a successful season in Blois, Armel Traoré (21 years old) signed a “two-way” contract with the Lakers and should logically play in the Summer League. He will team up with Mohamed Diarra (23 years old), the very athletic Parisian center from NC State University that these same Purple and Gold decided to test out during the summer games.
As for power forward Lucas Dufeal (21 years old), loaned by Cholet to Vichy (Pro B) last season, it is Sacramento that he will try to convince that he deserves his chance in the big League. Without guarantee either, therefore, but with a reference point: Strasbourg assistant coach Julien Zoa (ex-Cholet), integrated into the Kings staff for the Summer League.
2024-07-04 15:31:56
#Risacher #Sarr #Salaün #Dadiet #Ajinça #attack #Summer #League #NBA
