2025 NBA Draft: Nolan Traoré is the Next Great French Guard

The 2025 NBA Draft prospect has impressed in international play, as well as with St. Quentin of LNB Elite. Could he be the next great lead initiator from France?

Nolan Traore /

When speaking of all-time great international guards, plenty of players come to mind. Luka Doncic, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Manu Ginobilí, Tony Parker  – there is no shortage of talented ball handlers to come from outside the United States, and don't expect this upcoming draft class to be any different.

Nolan Traoré is the next great French guard prospect, a 6-foot-3 speed demon that loves to get downhill and use ball screens to his advantage to create scoring opportunities. Playing for Saint Quentin of LNB Élite last season, the 17-year-old averaged 10.3 points and 5.4 dimes per game, playing alongside this past draft's number-one pick, Zaccharie Risacher.

Known primarily for a quick first step, Traoré is an extremely skilled guard prospect that likes to play on the ball, sporting an elite handle that gives him freedom to move throughout opposing defenses while either craftily finding ways to score or setting up teammates with good looks.

A pick-and-roll wizard, Traoré is an excellent passer out of these sets due to the fact he is a true threat to attack the basket, and when in rhythm with the ball, makes scoring in the paint for a guard of his size look so much easier than it really is.

The flaws with Traoré come with shooting inconsistency from beyond the arc – he is simply not an effective shooter off the bounce at this point in time, shooting just 5-for-20 from deep in his seven games with St. Quentin this past season and 48-for-161 (29.8%) with Pôle before being brought up to Pro A.

This isn't helped by his lacking percentage at the line, either – he was just 17/28 on free throws, which is a typical indicator of three-point success at the NBA level. His field-goal percentage overall on the year was around 37%, but again, Traoré is a teenager playing against adults.

Despite efficiency issues, Traoré remains a top player in this class, and with an improved field-goal percentage and three-point shot, he could easily find himself as a top-five player taken in the 2025 NBA Draft.

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