There will be 14 Habs to be under contract in the NBA from this season, which begins on October 24. But they all have very different statuses and objectives.
The NBA season returns from October 24, and this year it will have a very special flavor. For the first time in history, a Frenchman was chosen first in the last draft: Victor Wembanyama. The performances of the French interior at the San Antonio Spurs will be closely scrutinized, but there will also be 13 other French people present on the floor, between executives Rudy Gobert and Nicolas Batum, the thorny case Evan Fournier and many young people. Here are four questions before the launch of the 2023-2024 vintage.
What season for Victor Wembanyama?
A phenomenon, and “alien” selon LeBron James. Victor Wembanyama, with his never-before-seen size-mobility-technique combination, has had the entire NBA salivating for more than a year. Chosen in June by the San Antonio Spurs, the 19-year-old from Ile-de-France (2.23 m) will be responsible for gradually bringing the Texan franchise, penultimate of last season, back on track. “It’s a difficult league. Many players have tried to be champions and failed. I will try to learn as quickly as possible because I want to win the championship ring”wished the international tricolor (4 selections).
The Frenchman already seems acclimated to Texas, and claims to have taken “5-7 kilos” during the summer so that his body, still very slender, better absorbs contact. His preseason has only increased the impatience to see him start. “It looks like me the other day with my five year old son. His way of dunking. He doesn’t even jump! All the hype and stuff, it seems like it’s real.” whispered, admiringly, Miami Heat coach Erik Spoelstra, to whom Wembanyama passed 23 points in 23 minutes on October 14. A good fifteen points per game, winning the Rookie of the Year trophy and bringing the Spurs closer to qualifying for the playoffs would already be a successful first season for “Wemby”.
Can Evan Fournier make it in New York?
This is the most difficult case of the French contingent. Author of a good season in 2021-2022 for his arrival at the New York Knicks, Evan Fournier had the worst of his career last year (6.1 pts on average). Blocked on the bench voluntarily by his coach Tom Thibodeau, fan of a (very) short rotation, Fournier went from 80 matches played the previous year to 27.
And it seems difficult to see him recovering in the Big Apple if Tom Thibodeau sticks to his principles, as he recalled two weeks ago. “We want young people to bring energy. The older ones, whether it’s your first, your fifth or your 15th year in the league, you can’t miss any stage. That’s the challenge for veterans, not to get tired of the process.”had warned the coach.
Evan Fournier in the New York Knicks jersey, March 20, 2022. (AFP)
The prospect of a trade would be the best solution, but his age (30) and salary (more than $18 million per year) undoubtedly hold back many teams, particularly title contenders who might be interested in his shooter profile, but who are already well stocked in terms of salary (Milwaukee, Miami or Denver).
If he does not intend to go head-on against his management, Fournier can count on a luxury sales representative, Rudy Gobert, to plead his case. “I think he can contribute and help a lot of teams. I think everyone knows that. I know he will have the opportunity to play again and everyone will understand that he can help and win. And do it at a high level and every night. […] And if it’s not (in New York), it will be elsewhere. If they don’t value him, I know a lot of other teams would bet on him.”recalled the Wolves pivot in the New York Post on October 15.
What to expect from captains Rudy Gobert and Nicolas Batum?
Rudy Gobert will begin his second season with Minnesota. His acclimation has left mixed feelings, and his pairing with another interior star, Karl-Anthony Towns, has yet to prove it could work. “Rudy and I needed more time. Obviously my injury didn’t help, so it’ll be good to be on the field with him, get healthy and get to work.” Towns said in late September. This season will therefore be a test for him and for the Timberwolves, who have not made it through the playoffs for 20 years.
At almost 35 years old, Nicolas Batum is close to leaving. He has already announced that he will definitely hang up with the selection after the 2024 Paris Olympics, but what about his future in the NBA? A linking player par excellence, dubbed by all his teammates, Batum, under contract with the Los Angeles Clippers until the end of the season, will once again try to put oil in the cogs of a team whose stars are very fragile (Kawhi Leonard, Paul George). Starting with a first title, for him and for his club, is enough to give him the ultimate motivation for this season.
Hayes, Ntilikina, Malédon: is their place in the NBA in danger?
These are the three players who were expected to take up the torch of French leaders in the NBA after the retirement of Tony Parker. But neither Frank Ntilikina (25 years old), who will begin his seventh season by joining the Charlotte collective, nor Killian Hayes and Théo Malédon (22 years old), who will begin their fourth, have yet managed to establish themselves in the NBA .
Frank Ntilikina, whose defensive potential is proven, has never reached the milestone offensively (4.8 points on average). Killian Hayes was unable to fully utilize his additional playing time at the Detroit Pistons following the injury to Cade Cunningham (10.3 points at 37.7% success) last year. Finally, Théo Malédon had shown good things in his rookie season in Oklahoma City, but he has since fallen into line, before being sent to Houston to play a single match then signing for Charlotte.
This season feels like one of the last opportunities for all three players to have a role on an NBA team, where competition increases every year. Frank Ntilikina, presented as the “best defender” of the Hornets by his coach Sunday October 15 [en anglais]has a chance to play in a defensively weak team, but unfortunately he has already injured his left shin in preseason and will be re-evaluated in a month.
In Detroit, Killian Hayes is in a more complicated situation: very clumsy last season, he will have to assert himself against the return of Cade Cunningham and the promising Jaden Ivey in his position. Without forgetting another young Habs, Malcolm Cazalon, not selected during the draft but recruited at the beginning of July by the Pistons.
2023-10-24 04:00:01
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