Thread by @SpursReporter

I can't begin to imagine the type of pressure and excitement members of the #Spurs front office must be feeling as we head closer to the #NBADraft. Big, eventful, course-changing things are about to happen.

The organization has been built from top to bottom by visionaries who will one day be recognized by the Hoops Hall of Fame for laying the groundwork now clearly imitated by other pro organizations around the league.

One of the most important and key components that sets the organization apart is its scouting department. Like an octopus with many tentacles that spreads across the entire world, the Spurs have eyes and intelligence-gathering staffers, scouts, coaches, and others who feed the team with critical information that has kept them ahead of the basketball world when it comes to trends and talents for decades.

The Spurs were among the first to tap international talent which propelled them to win championships and become a dynasty. They were among the first to tap into talent from the hoops hotspot that was Argentina in the 2000s and thanks to their selection and willingness to hand over the keys to a young French player (no not Wemby), the entire country of France now has young up and coming talent who grew up admiring, mimicking him— wanting to “win NBA Titles just like Tony Parker did in San Antonio.”

One of those French players himself grew to become a generational talent who was also lucky enough to land in San Antonio and who the Spurs have handed the keys to as well. Still, what’s more intriguing is that there may be others. During the past few weeks, we’ve been watching an almost inexplicable infatuation with French players who, one by one, have been climbing up mock draft boards ahead of the upcoming draft.

Do players that we never heard of like Alexander Sarr or Saccarie Rishacher truly have a shot at making an impact in the world’s best professional league or is this year’s draft just that weak?

I reached out and asked the opinion of a passionate basketball mind from Reims, the unofficial capital of the Champagne wine-growing region, who often travels around the country to watch and observe these young ballers who are leading this French Revolution firsthand.

He asked only to remain anonymous as he continues to do the type of work he has been doing for the past two decades- watching with trained eyes the development and growth of prospects from that part of the world.

“I follow PRO A, PRO B, juniors teams, and the French National teams in summer competitions for U15 (under 15), U16, U17, U18, U19, U20, etc,” he explained. “I have known Risacher, Salaun, and Sarr since they were fifteen years old.”

“I think France has one of the best systems to find the best prospects of the country as early as 13 or 15 years old with régional tournaments that send them to Pôle France which has become an NBA prospect factory.”

In this first part of our series, he shared with me some of his notes and insight on this year’s top five draft prospects who should be drafted by NBA teams: (1/2) 🧵

Alexander Sarr: “This is a guy who has more upside. He’s a French Unicorn- a baby Wemby. A seven-footer who can run, dribble, shoot the 3, block, and dunk.”

“The biggest concern is whether he will be able to guard NBA centers. It’s unclear to me whether he would be more effective as a power forward or as a center himself. Perhaps he would do well to play in a paired-up situation like Jaren Jackson Jr and Steven Adams or something like Evan Mobley and Jarret Allen. He has work to do on his post-up game.”

Zaccharie Risacher: “He had a very good at the first half of the season with an amazing shooting percentage. He had some bad outings after he got hurt with the national team but managed to come back and look good in the playoffs, where he punched up his stats with nice scoring. His defense is good and he played more games than any other prospect this year- something like 70 games.”
“My biggest concern is that he lacks that Mamba Mentality. He’s a nice guy who tends to disappear like he did in the Eurocup, WC Under 19. He needs to add muscle and do more catch-and-shoot work. I’d love to see him play with the ball more in his hands. He has a very poor usage rating.”

Tidjane Salaun: “He is my favorite prospect given his combination of size and killer mentality. I think he’s the new Bilal Coulibaly. He has only been playing professionally one year but he’s getting a lot of attention because he has a huge upside. He has a big body and can attack the rim for dunks and shoot threes. He looked very good at the Euro under 18 and he seems to be a leader. He has that Mamba Mentality and is unafraid of taking the money shot during crunch time. He showed that during the playoffs and BCL. On the flip side, he’s still young and needs to work on his defense because given his physical tools, he should be blocking more shots.”

We will continue our closer look at the French prospects tomorrow- when we will find out who “the next Tony Parker” is and what other players may be available when the Spurs draft in the second-round. If you like this content please FOLLOW ME and share it with others. Also, join our community of tens of thousands of fans as we discuss NBA Hoops and Spurs Basketball at SpursReport on Facebook: facebook.com/groups/spursre…

Here is what the ESPN Insiders are saying about these three French Draft Candidates:

Anything can happen, but lots will change between now and the draft. There will be changes and moves. Let's see what happens.

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