Nolan Traoré, the future Tony Parker

The sound of the net being shaken by the ball mixes with those of the hip-hop playlist. The speaker was placed at the foot of the basket, but Nolan Traoré willingly moved away from it: that day, his individual work session focused on three-point shooting. Not his specialty, at least not yet. We are in Pierre-Ratte, a shabby Sports Palace a stone’s throw from the basilica, but full and bustling as soon as the Saint-Quentin Basket-Ball (SQBB) takes place there.

The leader-gunner came “ on foot, unfortunately “. Unfortunately ? “ I don’t have a license yet. he bellows. But maybe it’s not worth mentioning since it’s coming soon. » Little coquetry of the youngster in a hurry to be seen as a full-fledged adult. Or the habit of progressing one class higher.

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Nolan Traoré played in the U18 Euro at 16, obtained his baccalaureate a year early and beat, at the beginning of May, the record for points scored by a minor in the elite (25), held since 1989 by Antoine Rigaudeau. A medical freelancer, he had arrived five matches earlier from Pôle France and Nationale 1 (3rd level). At the origin of the big leap, the injury of the American leader, the difficulty in finding a replacement for him and, ultimately, the desire to trust a young French talent.

Traoré arrived at the promoted side on a Tuesday. On Friday, he beat Monaco, the reigning champion. And the first boxes followed. “I was surprised to have such an impact so quickly,” admits Julien Mahé, the Picards coach, who had “no vision at all to bring him in over the long term”.

Because the feat was to keep the kid (18 years old, 1.91 meters), courted in all latitudes – US universities, Australian league, Euroleague, etc. -, sometimes with a buy out behind the head. This compensation is therefore the modest SQBB, the penultimate budget of Betclic Élite, which will recover it once Traoré is chosen in the 2025 NBA draft. Predictions hold him to the top 5 as his reading of the game and his soles are appreciated. wind ; winning combo to facilitate access to the circle.

Any resemblance to Tony Parker, another former Pôle France employee, is obviously not accidental. “ He has the same passion, it’s true », attests Rudy Gobert, who saw him at work this summer, as a training partner for the Blues. And who, as a good guy from Saint-Quentin, would have “ given all the interesting addresses for partying in the city ».

Phone call

The parallel with Parker, the only French playmaker to have made an impact in the NBA, Nolan Traoré is of course a takeaway. “ I’m happy when people compare me to him. It’s an honor. » President of Lyon-Villeurbanne, “TP” was also one of those who gave him a call in the off-season. “ But we didn’t get very far in the discussion. I already had in mind to stay. I have everything I need here and I already knew the staff and the environment. »

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NBA recruiters know the way well now. Including that of training, where they are accepted. “ The vast majority of scouts are respectful and arrive on tiptoe, explains Julien Mahé. They have specific questions, we take time for them. And so for Nolan, whose project we want to succeed. We just warn him of this presence, without telling him which team it is. »

It doesn’t matter after all since all the franchises have an eye on him. On November 2, during the trip to Nanterre, 22 out of 30 were represented. Probably they appreciated his decisive arrows (20 points). They also know his inconsistency (1 out of 11 shooting eight days later against Paris). He tells himself that he must “ gain wisdom, have the mentality of an old man “. Mahé speaks of a player “ rather easy to navigate, close to the text, intelligent “. In short, a “ good challenge for a coach, because you can’t tell him bullshit ».

It is now up to Frédéric Fauthoux to make up his mind. The new coach included him in his first list for the diptych against Cyprus, Thursday and Sunday. A qualifying window for Euro 2025 devoid of NBA and Euroleague players. “ Even if it’s not the real French team, we’re with the big guys now », Appreciates Nolan Traoré, who dreams of one day rubbing shoulders with his older brother Armel, 21, a winger looking for a folding seat with the Lakers. The position of leader having become a very fragile thing among the Blues, many of them promise him, in not so long, to take up residence there.