AFP and Getty photos / Editing by HuffPost
Zaccharie Risacher, Tidjane Salaün, Bilal Coulibaly, Victor Wembanyama and Guerschon Yabusele (from left to right) embody the new generation of French people in the NBA, whose season begins this Tuesday, October 22.
BASKETBALL – Tony Parker has been retired for five years, Evan Fournier back in Europe, Nicolas Batum in the twilight of his NBA career, like Nando De Colo on the Old Continent. And yet, French basketball probably makes the NBA salivate like never before. And the 2024-25 season of the North American championship considered the toughest on the planet which begins this Tuesday, October 22.
This observation is obviously linked to the presence of the four-time best defender Rudy Gobert and especially Victor Wembanyama at the head of the French contingent. During its first season, “ the alien » Wemby was crowned best beginner and established himself among the essential faces of this league which is as publicized as it is competitive. And yet, the giant of Chesnay, Olympic silver medalist this summer, is far from being the only explanation for the American craze for the tricolors. The proof by five (major).
Guerschon Yabusele, the dancing bear
As part of the silver-winning French team at the Paris Olympics, he is one of those who benefited the most from this great summer. Drafted in 2017, but never really launched in the NBA, it was especially in Europe, with Real Madrid, and in the Blues jersey, that he made a reputation as a very powerful, mobile winger and good shooter. . Qualities widely demonstrated on the Olympic stage that the “ dancing bear » intends to display in the jersey of the Philadelphia Sixers, with whom he could play for the title in the first season of this return across the Atlantic.
Zacharie Risacher, Mr. Clean
A year after Wemby, France scored a double thanks to Zaccharie Risacher. And if American TV commentators are still incapable of pronouncing the name of the second number 1 in the French Draft, his first preparation matches provided a striking demonstration of what the young man will offer in the NBA: an efficient shot, an energetic defense and unfailing sobriety. A shadow game full of qualities.
Tidjane Salaün, the prototype
He is tall, knows how to shoot, fight for rebounds and joins a young team accustomed to the depths of the ranking which will give him long minutes to express himself. Chosen in sixth position in the Draft by the Charlotte Hornets, Tidjane Salaün may be one of the youngest players in the NBA, but he is a dream for observers. Because if he obviously has to work to realize his potential, he has all the assets sought in modern basketball. Starting with his defensive qualities, which his new club sorely lacks.
Bilal Coulibaly, the essential
For him, everything happened very quickly. In six months, at the start of 2023, he went from the Boulogne-Levallois youth teams to the NBA draft. And six months later, he was listed as non-transferable by the Washington Wizards, convinced of having a nugget with immense potential. Then this summer, he was a silver medalist at the Olympics. Enough to launch his second season in the NBA perfectly. With his phenomenal volume of play and growing confidence, the one who has fun teaching French to his teammates is just waiting to explode in the eyes of the general public.
Alexandre Sarr, the bet
We can see you in ten years. At 2.13 m tall and with a season of exile in Australia, the former Real Madrid training center is perhaps the Frenchy the most intriguing on the list. Because if he showed, in fleeting sequences, what he could become (reason why he is number 2 in the Draft), Bilal Coulibaly’s teammate in Washington still has everything to learn. He must stabilize his shot, understand the NBA game to become the defensive anchor his leaders dream of, and gain muscle. Result: the work has only just begun for him, and we will surely have to wait a few seasons to get a more precise idea of what he can be at the highest level.
And all this is without even mentioning the other young French people who will try to find a place in the NBA this season, such as New York winger Pacôme Dadiet, used to the youth selections with the Blues, the powerful Sidy Cissoko who will try to grab a few precious minutes in San Antonio alongside Victor Wembanyama, or the strong Moussa Diabaté in Charlotte for example.
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