Nicolas Batum critiques French prospects: 'We didn't even think about it before' / News - Basketnews.com

Nicolas Batum criticized young French talents for going into the NBA too early without establishing their names in the French League first.

Credit: FIBA Credit FIBA

While Victor Wembanyama is being touted as the next great prospect from overseas, Nicolas Batum will start his 15th NBA season this week. At 33 years old, the Los Angeles Clippers forward has seen many young French players try to establish their names in the NBA. However, only a bunch of them play longer than just a couple of years.

Nicolas Batum

Team:Los Angeles ClippersPosition:SFAge:33Height:203 cmWeight:91 kgBirth place:Lisieux, FranceProfileNewsStatistics

French news outlet L'Equipe talked with Batum about young prospects from his home country and their journey to the NBA. The players wanted to bring attention to how he and other French basketball greats carved themselves out a role in the strongest league in the world.

"It's always been more complicated for foreigners. The real difference is that when we used to arrive in the United States, even if there were questions about our ability to succeed in the United States, we had nothing more to prove in France," Batum told. "We had pushed to prove ourselves, and gain credibility and respect, and we were ready for what awaited us."

"Vincent [Collet] gave me the keys to a EuroLeague team at 18, Tony [Parker] dominated with PSG, Boris [Diaw] and the Pietrus brothers were champions and major elements in Pau[-Orthez], Rudy [Gobert] was the best defender in the Elite (French Basketball League)," he provided examples. "If Evan [Fournier] stayed one more year, he would have ended up with [an average of] more than 20 points per game."

There are currently four French players in the NBA under the age of 22 with Moussa Diabate and Ousmane Dieng being the two youngest at 20 and 19 years old respectively. Diabate only has one NCAA season under his belt, while Dieng has spent only a single year in Australia playing professional basketball.

"You didn't even dare to think about signing up for the draft if you weren't dominating in the first division before," Batum said. "Today, it's almost like everyone puts their name [on the draft list]."

"My first week in Portland in 2008, then-assistant Monty Williams told me: "Being drafted in the NBA is easy. To play [there]? it's hard. But stay? It's very complicated." He warned me that in five years, there would be a new Nic Batum who would land [in the league] and want to make his place and play just like me," the forward shared. "It allowed me to put things into perspective of what awaited me."

The Clippers will start their 2022-23 NBA season on Thursday night against the Los Angeles Lakers.

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