The first half left us slightly unsatisfied, even if the immense potential of Nolan Traoré was obvious. In the second half he literally jumped on everyone, in particular Nanterre and his supporters, who were air-conditioned by the French prodigy, after extra time. What an evening!
By Simon Capelli-Welter
After a serious warm-up in the middle of a Maurice Thorez sports center in Nanterre which is slowly filling up, Nolan Traoré is already the center of all eyes. The opportunity, through this lovely match in the French championship, is perfect to “scout” the young prodigy. Announced in the top 5 or even podium of the next draft, he should soon join the increasingly large (and important) contingent of Frenchies in the Great League. In the meantime, Nolan is wearing number 2 and the blue Saint-Quentin jersey (whose logo is a bit reminiscent of that of the Dallas Wings in the WNBA, the blue, the green, the wings all that, but that's not the subject) .
Some pre-match snapshots of Nolan Traoré
Reminder: Nolan is 1m92 tall, perfect height for a leader in France as in the NBA… pic.twitter.com/ATSjHibI71
— Simon Capelli-Welter (@levraiscw)
Holder in the backcourt, Nolan shows his activity from the outset. He brings the ball up and replaces everyone after ten seconds of possession. He snatches rebounds. Facing the zone set up from Nanterre, Nolan moves the ball and circulates well. No panic, calm, reading the game seems completely natural for him. And his altruism is just as remarkable. Just like his presence and his leadership, as when he takes advantage of a throw-in to talk to his teammates before play resumes. Particularly appreciable given his young age, 18 years old as we recall.
Something very appreciable, Nolan does not hesitate to communicate with his teammates and ensure that everyone is in agreement
A rather nice quality for a playmaker and a leader who just wants to flourish at the highest level pic.twitter.com/Pu83vgLL4I
— Simon Capelli-Welter (@levraiscw)
Back to the game. Nolan has just taken his first shot, a shot taken after easily shifting (jab step) to his left, but it's a little short. Then, during a run-up where he had the ball knocked out of his hands a little, he touched his knee, no doubt embarrassed by the contact. Nothing serious or serious fortunately. The Defense of Nanterre (not the arch, we specify to avoid any confusion, especially since we left the capital letters proposed by the spell checker) is very tall and aggressive. So much the better, here is a real life-size test for the young prodigy.
After a quick trip back to the locker room, just to check this knee, Nolan returns to the bench. Barely enough time to place a towel around his neck, he is called to come back into play. And he does it again, particularly in defense, where he generally finds himself on the opposing ball carrier, here Ahmad Caver. Between his lateral speed and his wingspan, Nolan already offers a very interesting base, with intelligent and annoying defense. He follows his opponent without leaving him any space and reduces the distance with the latter as soon as he can. Nickel. Although it will obviously have to be further strengthened to absorb the fighter planes which can play in this position on the other side of the Atlantic, the tools and the efforts are already there and there.
However, in this first half in any case, Nanterre is taking the lead from Nolan's team. The Greens (whose members of the press team wear a jacket that Marine Tondelier would not deny) have led by around ten points since the start of the second quarter. Nanterre plays well, perfectly attacks close-outs and other gaps created in the opposing defense, finds good shots and makes most of them. The recipe is nothing new but it has proven itself on floors around the world. At 3 minutes 28 of the half, Nolan does not come back into play. We will have to wait until the second half to see him again. Spoiler: we hadn’t seen anything yet!
Start of the second half of this Nanterre – St Quentin.
Nolan Traoré at the helm ???????????? pic.twitter.com/5EXcbIShLX
— Simon Capelli-Welter (@levraiscw)
Third quarter then. Nolan continues to recite his scales. The test is real, the opposing defense leaves nothing to him or to his teammates. The losses of ball (but not from Nolan) are – for the moment – too numerous to hope to recover but Saint Quentin is not completely off the hook either.
Thus, we clearly see Nolan taking more initiatives, attempting (and succeeding) in advanced passes, especially in the corners after having manipulated (and read) the defense. Used both as a leader but also as a back, his size allows him to calmly tease positions 2 or even 3. Nolan impresses with his ability to keep up the pace, multiply efforts and make good decisions. And above all, it is slowly starting to gain momentum…
Here a missed 3-pointer (the outside address being the downside of his evening, 1/6 to three points at the end of regulation time), there a nice and one to finish a counterattack. His speed and length are clearly a major asset. The icing on his ultra-complete package is that the throw is converted. Then, Nolan released a drive kick out sequence for a friend well placed behind the 3-point line, but the shot missed. No problem, we feel that Nolan has understood the opposing defensive coverages and movements. It's good, he now has a head start: the chess game can begin.
Snatched rebound
provoked foul
Nolan Traore pic.twitter.com/m7DINYBpKr
— Simon Capelli-Welter (@levraiscw)
Start of the fourth and final quarter. Nolan starts on the bench. But Saint Quentin continued his effort and was rewarded: the Blues came back to within one point of Nanterre. 70-69, 8 minutes to play. All eyes are focused on the kop of Saint Quentin who is making a pretty mess at the top of his stand. The Nanterre supporters are starting to doubt. And it's not over yet. Return of Nolan Traoré to the floor. Who gets noticed from the start. A well-earned snatched rebound then a well-caused foul. Then a magnificent right hand drive. Then provoked throws such James Harden, a veteran throwing his arms out to show the referees that he was going to shoot, despite the protests of his defender, a certain Paul Lacombe.
Overall, we are seeing a real rise in power from the young French rear. Money time doesn't seem to bother him, quite the contrary. He takes charge of the match and more and more initiatives, most of the time paying off. And presto, a new super drive with the fault as a bonus. “Nolan Nolan” sounds are heard from the overexcited (and elevated) kop of Saint-Quentin. 81-80 2 minutes 45 from the end, The visitors went in front under the impetus of 10 points for Nolan in the fourth quarter (or 8 to be honest, we have a slight doubt), which also equalized at 86 everywhere on yet another sharp penetration.
Nolan Traoré who equalizes at 86 everywhere
22.7 seconds left
(Sorry for the guy who gets up, it's hot here, there's atmosphere and everything) pic.twitter.com/GUIRgUt7g0
— Simon Capelli-Welter (@levraiscw)
Really, the young back is fundamental in the run of his team, who snatch the extension in a breathtaking suspense and a supercharged room. In this additional period, Saint-Quentin will finish on its momentum, definitively winning over Nanterre, which had nevertheless led the majority of the meeting, without however definitively putting itself away from a possible comeback…
Nolan, for his part, will continue to dissect the opposing defense, finding the right angles of penetration, the right passes, the right choices. Super impressive in accuracy and talent. Especially in cold blood. Boss of a tight end to the match at 18 in a very tough French championship, it is not given to everyone.
Great match and great victory for @SQBB_Official has @Nanterre92
20 points for Nolan Traoré, fundamental in his team's success in overtime pic.twitter.com/temeJwmMZZ
— Simon Capelli-Welter (@levraiscw)
While waiting for what comes next, Nolan and his team have air-conditioned Nanterre. One more step, and not the least, in a career already well underway. And just waiting to take off towards the highest peaks.
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