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Par Pierre-Andréa Fraile | Journaliste sportif
Noa Essengue and Nolan Traoré, the poster boys of the new French generation about to enter the NBA, will soon be heading to New York to attend the Draft. And they’ll be doing so under very special conditions.
It’s almost become commonplace. Seeing several French players drafted into the NBA now seems commonplace, such have been the cases in recent years. What’s more, a good number of young French talents arrive in the league as first-round picks, which generally guarantees them at least a few months in the league. This trend is set to continue in 2025.
Failing a similar fate to Victor Wembanyama or Zaccharie Risacher, who were selected with the first pick, several prospects from the Hexagone are claiming a fine place in the Draft. Among them are Noa Essengue and Nolan Traoré, who have long been the highest-ranked players in the various expert projections. This justifies the rather flattering treatment they have just received.
Big honor for Noa Essengue and Nolan Traoré
With just one week to go before the big ceremony, Essengue and Traoré must above all hope to avoid any unpleasant surprises. Both are hoping not to fall beyond the first round, which would seriously jeopardize their future in the NBA. However, they can take some comfort in the fact that the league has given them a sign that usually doesn’t deceive, as reported by ESPN’s Jonathan Givony:
Jonathan Givony: According to ESPN sources, France’s Noa Essengue and Nolan Traoré have received invitations to the Green Room to experience the NBA Draft with their families.
The invitation to the Green Room is reserved for the best prospects of each vintage, and is only sent to twenty of them each year.
As a result, the lucky few can not only watch the evening unfold right in front of the stage at the Barclays Center, but can also look forward to hearing their names among the first mentioned. This would seem to be a positive sign for the two Frenchies, whose ratings in the USA have been on the opposite track in recent months.
So, while Essengue continues to climb in the mock drafts – he features in 9th position in the latest one offered by ESPN – Traoré has tended to fall. Jonathan Givony only predicts him as the 26th choice in his recent predictions, behind compatriots such as Joan Beringer and even Maxime Raynaud.
