The French basketball team finished with its first round of the Euro. She succeeded since she accomplished her first mission: to qualify for the 8th finals. It avoids a first pitfall: premature elimination that would have been called fiasco and which would have permanently marked the new generation in charge of building the foundations which must lead this young tricolor team to Los Angeles Games in 3 years, and beyond.
Now this euro has not yet been successful either. An outing of road in the 8th finals (against Georgia or Greece), as in 2017, will remain a failure. We will start to talk about a start of success from the quarterfinals and surely not before. And at this hour, it’s still far away.
While waiting to take up an overall assessment, the Blues played 5 games in Katowice in Poland. They only lost one in a tournament at 24 teams where only Germany and Turkey remain undefeated. And, thanks to the victory of Slovenia against Israel, they finish first in group D.
“Four victories and a defeat, it’s not nothing,” pleads the coach Freddy Faith after the broad victory (114-74) against Iceland. It is rather a good assessment especially with the preparation that we know, from the initial group to the injury of Alex (Sarr) three days ago ”.
Before taking the plane this Friday in the direction of Latvia and Riga where the continuation and the end of the euro are held, we draw up for these new generation bruises, a first crossing assessment.
We liked … the collective, the captain and his lieutenants
1. On its networks, the Federation often legend its posts behind the scenes by this passout phrase “The group lives well”. Without its large NBA stars, without Wembanyama who would have magnetized attention, the coach built a homogeneous collective, certainly small in size but endowed with a dense physical intensity in which everyone finds their place, plays and mark.
“We trained a real team,” continues Felie. We see it against Iceland: when you finish with eight players at 10 points or more, it proves the investment of each other. I find that we have really progressed in our basketball. »»
2. In a commando, you need a captain and in the person of Guerschon Yabusele, France found it. Discreet on the first three games, the future New York Knicks player released one of the best games in the history of the Blues against Poland with his 36 points. Without a large Yabusele, the Blues will not go far in the tournament. And he’s there.
3. A captain also needs dedicated soldiers and there too, there is no shortage of the France. Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot, Élie Okobo, Mam Jaiteh, who do not play in the NBA, were not at the games, and that the general public knows less, were essential each time. Let us forget in these praise, Isaïa Cordinier who has not yet sounded revolt as he had done at the Olympic Games but who is constant and awaits his time.
4. Number 1 of the Draft NBA 2024, Zaccharie Risacher is gaining momentum. He was excellent against Iceland. He is only 20 years old and only 10 selections behind him. He will prove even more in the clearance matches.
Until now, the blue revelation is called Jaylen Hoard. The interior of the Maccabi Tel Aviv succeeds in a brilliant euro with spectacular actions. Against Poland and Slovenia, the two harsher games, it was perfect and precious. Already essential.
We did not like … the missed against Israel, the lack of pivots and leaders
1. This New-Look French team is in line with its predecessors: it is able to cut the current when it is not expected. The defeat against Israel (82-69), ultimately without accounting consequence, remains the task of his euro. The basketball porridge offered that day suggests that it can pass through at any time. This is a problem for the rest of his adventures.
2. Alexandre Sarr’s calf injury is the (very) bad news of the week. The highest tower (2m13) of the workforce is forfeited until the end of the tournament. There are only 3 interiors and a single pivot (Jaiteh) by 2m10 in a group in size. If ever you have to cross in the quarter -finals with Nikola Jokic Serbia (2m11), it may be lacking and getting stuck.
3. Even if Sylvain Francisco has put Slovenia above with its 32 points, the performance of the leaders remains at the moment below expectations. The scandalous racist insults whose Kaunas player was the victim after Slovenia touched him. He has trouble recovering and it is unfair.
At his side, Théo Maledon has not yet fully entered his tournament even if the match of the future Real Madrid player against Iceland was better. Nadir Hifi who makes hifi with spectacular and successful shots can always tip a match as with he succeeds with Paris. But so far only one (good) spare solution that comes into play with sparingly.
