Another young star from France is ready to rock the NBA next season. Nolan Traore, who experts believe will be a top-20 pick in June, has decided to enter the draft. The 18-year-old confirmed the news to ESPN on Thursday, and couldn’t hide his excitement to take this next step.
“I’m excited to take the next step in my career and declare for the NBA draft,” he started out. “I still have many goals with my team, to finish the regular season strong, make the playoffs and then have a great draft process. I want to be drafted to the best situation with a pathway to earn playing time right away.”
As Nolan sits as ESPN’s No. 18 draft prospect, he’s produced averages of 11.5 points and 4.9 assists in 23 minutes per match after 35 games this past season. “I’m ready for that challenge.” said the six-foot-four point guard who plays for Saint-Quentin in France.
“It has been a challenging year in France that has made me a much better and tougher player,” Traore shared during Thursday’s announcement. “The NBA is not going to be easy, and I think that this season will help me a lot in that regard.”
The young star started to make a name for himself in the United States when he played in last year’s Nike Hoop Summit. Back then, he dropped 18 points and handed out four assists against other projected top five picks like Dylan Harper, Ace Bailey and of course, Cooper Flagg.
The 18-year-old is coming off from breaking the ANGT Finals scoring record at the Euroleague Final Four with an outstanding 45-point performance during an overtime victory over European giants Barcelona.
Apart from compatriot Victor Wembanyama, no other French tanager has handled such a heavy offensive responsibility as Traore this past campaign, playing a huge role ranking No. 2 in the league with a 29% usage rate. The next NBA draft combine will occur on May 11-18 in Chicago, while the draft will be June 25-26 in New York.
