Nolan Traoré: The French Guard with High-Ceiling Potential in the 2025 NBA Draft

Nolan Traoré, a 6-4 guard from Saint-Quentin, France, is a player with immense potential and a high ceiling in the NBA. With his blazing speed, shiftiness, and impressive size, he has the tools to be a game-changer at the next level. However, he also has some areas where he needs to improve to prove he's worth the big swing.

• Speed: Traoré is the fastest player in this draft class, with acceleration like a Bugatti. He can go coast-to-coast with ease and could thrive in the NBA getting downhill in the pick-and-roll to draw defenses and activate his playmaking.
• Shot Creation: Traoré isn't just a speed demon. He keeps the ball on a string with crossovers, hesitations, and improvisation. If he can develop a knockdown jumper, he could be tough to stop because of his ways to create separation. For now, he's at his best when he's attacking the basket to score acrobatically.
• Playmaking: He makes some beautiful passes, driving into the paint then casually flipping a bullseye to the corner, or splitting a pick-and-roll, drawing a help defender, and then kicking it out to a shooter on the wing. He clearly knows how to use his speed to manipulate defenders. And if he can cut down on some of his careless turnovers, there's some serious playmaking potential within.
• Shooting Upside: He's making 75.6% of his free throws in his professional career overseas. Even though it hasn't translated to consistent success in other areas on the floor, it's at least a sign that there's something there.

Concerns:

• Decision-making: He gets blinders on when he drives to the rim and ends up forcing away too many tough shot attempts.
• Shooting Consistency: He goes through stretches where he gets hot, then others where he barely skims the rim. His mechanics don't seem to be an issue, but per Synergy, he's making only 30.6% of catch-and-shoot 3s, 22.6% of dribble-jumper 3s, and 28.6% of dribble-jumper 2s. He also takes a ton of floaters and makes only 33.3% of those.
• Defense: He lacks focus, intensity, awareness, and strength. Basically anything that a coach would look for. He has a lot of learning to do to take advantage of his athletic gifts.

Overall, Nolan Traoré is a player with immense potential but also some areas where he needs to improve. If he can develop his shot consistency and decision-making while continuing to showcase his speed and playmaking abilities, he could be a steal in the NBA draft. For more in-depth scouting reports and mock drafts, check out my NBA Draft Guide.