Evaluating Nolan Traore's Unique Ability

Nolan Traore's ability to attack gaps showcases a lot of the intrigue around him.

Nolan Traore /

With 2024 Summer League all wrapped up, we're now headed straight for the 2025 NBA draft. While Duke's Cooper Flagg has all but penciled his name in for the No. 1 overall pick, there's no consensus No. 2 overall pick as of right now. That spot is vacant for a number of players to take, including Rutgers' Ace Bailey and Dylan Harper, Baylor's V.J. Edgecombe, or even Saint-Quentin's Nolan Traore in the LNB Elite league.

Traore is under-discussed as the potential No. 2 overall pick of the 2025 draft. He's a 6-foot-4 guard with blazing speed and smooth changes of pace that allow him to get paint touches at will and has both the feathery touch to finish at the rim and the passing ability to make dump-off and kickout passes with ease on drives. This combination of driving, finishing, and passing makes Traore a premier advantage-creation prospect.

A skill of his that's especially stood out when watching film is his ability to kill gaps.

Catching up on ‘25 prospects film and Nolan Traore’s gap killing ability has stood out to me.

He consistently displays high feel when perceiving gaps and has an intersection of handle and speed that allows him to attack and kill those gaps. Key skill for advantage creators. pic.twitter.com/U9Ih1uHwaE

— Maurya K. (KR) (@TheFlarescreen) July 25, 2024

Traore's gap-killing ability puts a number of his skills on display. For one, it shows his proprioception, which is the understanding of the positioning/movement of the body and of space, and how you can move through that space. Or, more simply put, it’s understanding where the gaps are in the defense and when/how to attack those gaps. This can often act as a proxy of a player's feel for the game, as perceiving tiny gaps and lapses in the defense that can be attacked is not something everyone can naturally do at a high level.

He then utilizes his speed and advanced handle in unison to quickly attack these gaps and break down the defense. This leads to high-value looks going downhill for his team. He can finish at the rim, dump it off to a big around the dunker's spot, or throw a kick-out pass to the perimeter if the defense collapses on his drive.

This single ability to perceive and attack gaps in the defense thus showcases Traore's feel, speed, and handling ability that bloom into finishing or passing options. This downhill creation ability with those specific tools are what makes Traore an intriguing prospect and a candidate for the No. 2 pick in next year's draft.

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