basket-ball

After the Nickoloz Tskitishvili disaster of 2002, many NBA and draft pundits proclaimed the European invasion to be over. I think anyone involved with the Nuggets organization would admit to falling in love with the idea of the next Dirk Nowitzki. Who wouldn't want a seven footer that runs the floor like a small forward and shoots the three like a shooting guard? The thing most people failed to realize is that Dirk is a one of a kind player. How many potential MJ's have come down the pipe in the last fifteen years? I'm not saying Dirk is MJ but he is working his way into the top 25 players in NBA history. Euro's and players worldwide have been unfairly put under a microscope while their American counterparts can fail to meet expectations themselves. There are great American players and great players from outside the States too. The same can be said for players that aren't very good. While we will always produce amazing talent in the U.S., there is a new hotbed of talent starting to come out of Europe. It's not Germany, Switzerland or even the previous hotbed, Serbia. It's actually France. That's right, France.

When you think France and basketball, a few readily available names probably jump to mind in the NBA. Tony Parker has been blazing across the NBA hardword for years now with the Spurs. Boris Diaw came out of nowhere this year to become a force for the Suns. Mickael Pietrus could probably do well too if Golden State would stop playing Dunleavy as if he deserved his contract. Some other players like Johan Petro and Mickaël Gelabale may not be recognizable to few outside of my own NBA obsession but they do have the potential to do good things in Seattle. Ronny Turiaf amazingly showed signs of real potential in the postseason this year for LA despite having heart surgery earlier in the year. While these players are representing France very well in the NBA and abroad, there are some hot new prospects that will be showing up in the NBA draft in 2007 or 2008.

A lot of people may not know that there are competitions within basketball that represent respective countries for players that are 18 years of age and younger. It gives kids across the globe the chance to participate in high level competition against their peers, represent their country but also represent themselves. While the NBA scouting radar is all over the globe, no matter how big that radar is, the world is always a little bit bigger. Players can slip through the cracks and events like this can really open a lot of people's eyes. A few French prospects have done just that.

Nicolas Batum:

As with any young prospect, it's really hard to decipher who will be the best among them down the road. I list Nicolas first because he really falls in line with what people are describing as the new vogue of the NBA. Teams want players like a Josh Howard or a Boris Diaw that can play and guard multiple positions. Nicolas is 6'8 and will most likely be a two guard or small forward down the line. NBADraft.net really hit it on the head when they compared him to Joe Johnson. He can handle the ball well, shoot inside and out and also distribute. He is also showing the defensive potential that Joe is as well. The difference between the two is that Batum has to work on his body, which shouldn't be shocking since he's only 18. Athletically though, Batum is both quicker and more explosive off the ground. Come next year, don't be shocked if Nicolas is a lottery pick.

Alexis Ajinca:

It will probably be a toss up between Saer Sene and Alexis once he gets to the NBA to see who has the longer wingspan. His huge wingspan allows him to be a force on the defensive side of the ball. While some sites are comparing him to KG, his offensive skills are nowhere near that level. His shot is decent and he can definately throw down but he doesn't really have post moves or anything off the dribble. He runs very well and his real potential is as mentioned, on D. Being that big men are at a premium, Alexis may end up being the better pro down the line once he fills out.

Ludovic Vaty:

Ludovic, like Nicolas, is a great athlete. Ludovic is a power forward that lives in the paint and aggresively attacks the rim and the glass. I believe that he had a knee injury and while he was out, players like Nicolas and Alexis had an opportunity to showcase more of their skills. While Nicolas exploded at the Albert Schweitzer tournament, Ludovic cannot be forgotten. Vaty looks to have bounced back and played well at the Douai tournament. Keep an eye on him with the European U18 championships.


All of these kids have unbelieveable potential. It should be fun to watch them grow over the course of the next two years. They should all be in the NBA but they all hopefully continue to work on their games and bodies in order to maximize their talent. As you can see, while France is showing well thus far, their future is very bright.