Players to Watch at the 2022-23 French LNB Pro A
The offseason is coming to an end around the world and one of the first major leagues to start the season will be the French LNB Pro A, whose opening night will take place in a week from today. Considering that France has seen eight different players being drafted in the last four years, four of them in the 2022 NBA draft alone, it’s important to keep an eye on the talent of the French league.
Here are some names that NBA scouts will be keeping in sight during the LNB Pro A 2022-23 season.
Tier 1: NBA Locks
Victor Wembanyama
18.7 years old | 7’4” Big | Boulogne-Levallois Metropolitans 92
There’s very little that hasn’t already been written about Wembanyama, who has been regarded by scouts as the best prospect in the world for a good part of the last two years. After leaving the French basketball powerhouse ASVEL in the offseason, Wembanyama signed with Boulogne-Levallois, a team in which he should be expected to see a good number of minutes and an increased role in the offense.
The NBA world will be keeping a close eye on Wembanyama all through the season, for the moment, given his combination of perimeter skillset, defensive impact and incredible size and length, he owns the pole position in the race for being the number one pick in the 2023 draft.
Tier 2: Potential Prospects
Matthew Strazel
20.1 years old | 6’0” Guard | AS Monaco
Strazel stands out immediately on the court due to his aggressive mentality and shotmaking ability. He beats defenders in the perimeter with his quickness and his ability to change speeds, while also being able to shoot off the dribble at a solid clip. Strazel is more of a passer on the move than a traditional Point Guard, but he does a solid job of taking advantage of the gravity he generates as a scorer to find open teammates.
An experienced player at his young age, with over 150 games played between Pro A and Euroleague, Strazel has been one of the top professional prospects in France for the last couple of years. His lack of size might keep him from reaching the NBA, but he projects as a future elite pro in European basketball who could make his way to the league as he gets older, a path to the NBA that other small guards from overseas have taken in recent years.
Kenny Kasiama
19.5 years old | 6’9” Forward | Le Portel
A versatile 6-foot-9 forward, Kasiama has the requisite size and length to create events on defense, both in the perimeter and as a help side rim protector. Offensively, he becomes a mismatch when he puts the ball on the floor, as he’s too fluid for opposing bigs but too strong and powerful for guards and wings. The shooting, while limited to catch-and-shoot attempts, is there in terms of efficiency, as he shot 34% from three-point range last season on 100 attempts.
Before signing with Le Portel this offseason, Kasiama had spent the past two seasons as one of the most interesting prospects for ASVEL in junior events across Europe. If he can maintain his efficiency in what will be his rookie season of Pro A basketball, NBA teams could start looking his way.
Matthieu Gauzin
21.5 years old | 6’3” Guard | BCM Gravelines-Dunkerque
Gauzin is a two-guard with great size, length and vertical explosiveness for his position, all tools that he uses to make plays on both ends of the floor. His combination of quickness, size and length make him an effective drive initiator and finisher on offense and allows him to contain smaller ball-handlers and force opponents into turnovers on defense.
Lacking an elite level of self-creation as a shooter and being mostly a passer on the move than someone who actually creates shots for others, Gauzin’s archetype might not be enticing to all NBA teams, but he could develop into a solid 3&D guard in the future considering his tools and his ability to shoot the ball off-the-catch.
Tier 3: More Names to Follow
Jared Ambrose
20.6 years old | 6’7” Big | BCM Gravelines-Dunkerque
Ambrose makes up for his lack of elite size for the Center position with his strong frame, his tremendously long arms and the level of energy that he brings to the game, being able to dominate the boards, finish with power at the rim and generate defensive events near the basket.
Naoll Balfourier
19.1 years old | 7’1” Big | Cholet
A massive Center who scores efficiently near the basket with his combination of touch and sheer size and has also shown the potential to hit catch-and-shoot jumpers from the midrange. Despite his size he has never made the defensive impact expected at his size besides rebounding, which might limit his value as an NBA prospect.
Alexandre Bouzidi
18.6 years old | 6’4” Wing | Chorale Roanne
Considering that he only played eight minutes per game during the preseason, it seems unlikely that Bouzidi will start the season seeing major playing time, but considering his young age and the improvements as a shooter and as a passer that he showed this summer at the FIBA U18 European Championships, Bouzidi could be a name to keep track in the future.
Bilal Coulibaly
18.1 years old | 6’6” Wing | Boulogne-Levallois Metropolitans 92
A recent standout after consecutive strong performances at the most recent French U21 League season and the FIBA U18 European Championships, Coulibaly is a smooth wing who is able to get to the rim and finish through contact at a good rate. It’s still early in his development and Coulibaly has very little high-level experience, but the flashes certainly make him a player worth tracking down for future drafts.
Brice Dessert
19.4 years old | 6’9” Big | ADA Blois
An impressive athlete with his combination of size, tremendous length, mobility and vertical explosiveness, Dessert thrived in a reduced role as a play finisher at the rim both in the Pro B season and the FIBA U20 European Championships, shooting over 70% from the field in both competitions. It will be interesting to see if he can expand on that role and maintain his efficiency against an improved level of competition this year.
Robin Ducote
21.6 years old | 6’4” Guard | JDA Dijon
One of the oldest players who are still draft-eligible in Pro A, Ducote will be going into his third consecutive season for Dijon where he has found a role as a glue guy, contributing with his versatile shooting, opportunistic driving and solid perimeter defense. High-floor, low-ceiling type of prospect who is well on his way to becoming a solid pro in Europe down the line.
Clement Frisch
20.7 years old | 6’7” Forward | SLUC Nancy
At first sight, Frisch plays like a slightly undersized throwback four, being a strong finisher and rebounder on the interior, while mixing in some perimeter abilities like shooting off the catch and offering some switchability on defense. His archetype might not be tremendously enticing from an NBA standpoint, but I expect him to have a solid career in Europe.
Lucas Ugolin
20.4 years old | 6’5” Guard | CSP Limoges
Ugolin is headed for his rookie season at the Pro A level, after being one of the best shooters in Pro B for the past two years, where he made 43% of his three-pointers on over 200 attempts. Ugolin complements his knock-down shooting ability with his fluid handle, some flashes of passing and his tenacity on defense.
Extra Tier: 2024-Eligible Players
Zaccharie Risacher
17.4 years old | 6’8” Wing | ASVEL
Considering his age, Risacher is one of the most complete players in Europe in terms of skill set and one of the candidates to be the first international player to get his name called in the 2024 NBA draft. Versatile 6-foot-8 wing who adds value on the defensive end of the floor by containing opponents in the perimeter and protecting the rim as a help defender. Offensively he shows the ability to put the ball on the floor, finish at the rim and even moments of creating his own jumpshot, an area in which he has improved year by year.
Mohamed Diawara
17.4 years old | 6’9” Big | Paris Basketball
While Diawara is yet to master a number of skills, his physical profile is excellent, showing a great level of speed, coordination and mobility at 6-foot-8. Combined with the flashes of handling, shooting and versatile defense he has shown so far, Diawara could develop in a different number of directions in the future, which makes him one of the most intriguing long-term prospects in France.
Illan Pietrus
17.2 years old | 6’2” Guard | Strasbourg IG
Pietrus' dynamic scoring ability is excellent considering his age, as he's able to create space for drives and jumpers with his creative handling ability. The next steps for him will be to continue to make strides as a playmaker for others and improve on his efficiency as a shooter, but given his ability to score on multiple levels of the floor, the ceiling is definitely high for him.
Killian Malwaya
17.4 years old | 6’6” Wing | Paris Basketball
Despite not having the best showing in terms of efficiency at the U17 World Cup, Malwaya is an interesting wing prospect with his combination of athleticism, driving ability and defensive potential. He’s able to create his own drives with his combination of size and quickness, and his size and mobility allow him to defend multiple positions both in the perimeter and in the paint. The shooting has come in flashes, if he continues to improve as a shooter he could be an interesting athletic two-way wing prospect.
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