2025 NBA Draft scouting report: Nolan Traore's jump to 2nd, why he is the next French Star
Behind Cooper Flagg, the race for the 2025 draft number two pick is wide open. If the draft was today, I’d have French point guard Nolan Traore as my second-overall prospect in this stacked class. The 6’4 guard boasts true lead guard upside, headling an elite guard class.
He adds to the list of star French prospects to enter the NBA, headlined by the likes of Victor Wembanyama. Bilal Coulibaly, Zaccharie Risacher and Alex Sarr. Traore’s early production in the French league rivals any of his countrymen who entered the draft recently outside of Wembanyama.
Nolan Traore's recent game-analyzed
In his recent French league game against La Rochelle, Traore finished with 16 points (7/12 shooting), seven assists, two rebounds, one steal and two turnovers. Let’s break Traore’s performance down, analyzing the good and the bad and how it could translate to the NBA.
Traore’s first step might be the best in the entire class, fueling his star-slashing upside. Even against grown men in a strong pro league, Traore has no problems touching the paint at will. He dominated youth competition in this way and it’s encouraging to see him look similar against professional players.
He’s an excellent ball screen operator, learning to manipulate angles and timing to create driving windows. And when Traore finds a crease, few defenders can stop him from exploding downhill and into the paint. This next play is another example of Traore’s ability to turn the corner and finish with a touch:
Despite his propensity for rim attempts, Traore’s finishing has been a problem early in the season. Without great vertical explosion, strength or consistent footwork, Traore can struggle to finish in traffic. On the season, Traore has finished a poor 50% (12/24) of his shots at the hoop, many of them looking like this miss in transition where Traore can’t generate enough lift:
Traore counters his threatening driving with confident pull-up shooting. This season, Traore has been more confident than ever in pulling up off of the dribble when defenses give him space. Traore can’t nail this off-dribble three, but his willingness to fire when defenses let him will be critical for his shooting growth.
Note the defensive coverage here: Traore’s defender fights over the screen, showing respect for his three-point threat. And that respect is warranted thus far. Through seven games, Traore has shot 35.7% (10/28) on off-dribble threes. He’s an effective shooter off of the catch as well (38.5%, 5/13) despite low volume. Traore looks awfully comfortable on this standstill three-point make:
He’s been a willing and effective pull-up shooter from the mid-range, sinking 42.6% (6/13) of those shots so far. Young initiators often lag behind in the intermediate area, so developing that will be key for Traore. He hits a smooth, in-rhythm jumper at the end of the shot clock here:
Traore has solid touch and expanding his confidence in these shots will help him counter defenses who take away the three and the rim. This next clip showcases Traore’s ability to create space with the spin move, slow down, and float in the teardrop:
He’s still a fairly raw decision maker as is common for 18-year-old guards, especially playing in professional leagues. Traore’s assist-to-turnover numbers (1.9) are excellent, but he still has moments of poor decision-making, like this next play. It ends in an assist, but Traore nearly tossed a turnover here. He often makes passes without reading the full floor:
Traore’s elite burst opens up huge passing windows for him to feed teammates. Saint Quentin’s offense does well to move Traore off of the ball and manufacture space for Traore to pass into. Plays like this wide-open pocket pass are rudimentary but important for any guard to make routinely:
On this next possession, Traore weaponizes his speed with off-ball movement to create an advantage before firing a tight window bounce pass to his big. These flashes help contribute to Traore’s primary projection, compromising defenses as a scorer and a passer:
Defensively, Traore wasn’t involved much in his win over La Rochelle. He’s been excellent on defense early in the season, though, winning at the point of attack and as a smart, well-positioned off-ball defender. On this possession, Traore digs out this ball for a steal. His technique isn’t always sharp, but Traore’s size, speed and agility suggest a high defensive upside.
Nolan Traore’s two-way play early in this season has been highly impressive. There’s still plenty of basketball to play and time for his shooting numbers to regress back to what they’ve been in the past. If Traore can continue to hit off-dribble threes at an efficient clip, it’s easy to imagine him as a primary option at the next level.
At some level, Traore’s production in one of the world’s best basketball leagues as a teenager shouldn’t be ignored. He’s dominated at every level, eviscerating defenses at the youth club and international levels. Other young players simply can’t contain a player with Traore’s speed and horizontal explosion downhill.
He must improve as a finisher and continue to make better, sounder decisions. Traore’s physical tools, shooting upside and defensive chops make him a possible star lead guard at the NBA level, worthy of a high pick in a stacked draft class. We’ll continue to monitor Traore as his season continues to progress.