Signed in a “two-way contract” last season with Memphis, Yves Pons didn’t see much of the court with the first team. Only 70 minutes of play in total spread over 12 regular season games. Too little to hope to break into a high-level roster.
Since the Grizzlies declined his $1.58 million “qualifying offer” for 2022-2023, Yves Pons has become a free agent. For lack of concrete opportunity in the NBA, the Frenchman therefore decided to join Tony Parker’s Asvel.
“I couldn’t afford to wait without the certainty that I was going to have an NBA contract. The only thing I was offered in Brooklyn was a contract that only allowed me to do training camp with the Nets before switching to reserve. I am not a G-League player. I always told my agent that I would never make old bones in this division. It’s out of the question to spend an entire year there. I prefer to play in Europe to play “real basketball”he explained to La Provence.
The NBA remains his goal
In Europe, it’s the perfect situation for him to relaunch, in particular with the prospect of playing alongside great players and showing up in the Euroleague.
“It absolutely had to be in a Euroleague club”he said about his choice to join Europe. “I had other opportunities in Australia, Spain and France. But Asvel was the perfect choice. It is the best team in France”.
Even if he has had very little opportunity to prove himself there, Yves Pons keeps the NBA as his goal for the rest of his career.
“I tasted my dream, but I’m not saying goodbye to the NBA. Europe, for me, is simply another path, the story of a few seasons to serve as a springboard. A career in the Euroleague is a lot of people’s goal, but it’s not mine. My goal is to make a career in the NBA. I signed two years at Asvel with a clause that allows me to join the NBA if a good opportunity arises.
Winger endowed with great athletic qualities, he hopes to be able to leave his mark on the Euroleague with his aggressive defense. This is also where his potential return to the NBA will pass…
“Defensively, I want to be a dog! I can’t say it any other way (laughs). I have to be one of the best defenders in the Euroleague, that’s my main goal. I want to be the guy the opponents don’t want to defend against. It was already my reputation in the French youth team and I want to find it again. In attack, I have to gain in aggressiveness, not to hesitate to make my decisions quickly”.
| Yves Pons | Percentage | Bounces | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Saison | Team | MJ | Min | Shots | 3pts | LF | Off | Def | Until | Pd | Fte | Int | Bp | Ct | Pts |
| 2021-22 | MEM | 12 | 6 | 31.3 | 33.3 | 0.0 | 0.4 | 0.6 | 1.0 | 0.1 | 0.5 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.3 | 1.1 |
| Total | 12 | 6 | 31.3 | 33.3 | 0.0 | 0.4 | 0.6 | 1.0 | 0.1 | 0.5 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.3 | 1.1 | |
