SNAPSHOT

An impressive point guard with immense speed, notable size and dangerous lateral speed, France's Nolan Traore is one of the top players at his position in the 2025 NBA Draft, and uses his strengths to his advantage whenever on the court.

Although he does have the tendency to be erratic with ball in hand, he can make a huge impact on the offensive side of the ball consistently and has strong potential if he can tidy up his shot selection when he reaches the top level after this year's draft in Chicago.

DRAFT PROFILE

Growing up in France, he is the younger brother of Armel Traore, who spent a short time on an NBA roster throughout the 2024/25 season with the Los Angeles Lakers. The younger of the two has been a highly touted prospect after joining France's National Institute of Sport, putting himself on the map as an NBA Draft prospect in the coming years.

He subsequently played for the institute's affiliated team in the Centre Federal de Basket-Ball, and was named the team's Player of the Month on multiple occasions. It was his performance in the Adidas Next Generation Tournament that truly stood out, dropping a whopping 45 points against Barcelona to lead his team to victory in a performance that was impossible to ignore.

Traore then signed with Saint Quentin BB, which plays in France's top league in LNB Pro A, and although his playing time was limited at stages, he still showcased his ceiling with a standout showing, dropping 25 points in a match to set the record for most points by a player under the age of 18.

Across his 10 appearances, Traore posted numbers of 10.3 points, 1.4 rebounds, 5.4 assists, 0.3 steals and 0.6 blocks per game, while shooting 36.8 per cent from the field, 25 per cent from behind the arc and 41.7 per cent from the charity stripe.

STRENGTHS

+ Immense speed
+ Playmaking
+ Lateral Quickness
+ Scoring off the dribble

IMPROVEMENTS

- Decision-making
- Shooting

It is hard to find a faster player in the 2025 NBA Draft crop than Traore, who can often break the game open with blistering pace with and without the ball in hand. He can create scores in transition with his pure speed and can often make his way past the defence before the opposition has time to set up.

His passes are the stuff of highlights at times, often using his speed to penetrate the defensive structures before kicking out to a wide open teammate in the corner. Traore takes advantage of the fact that the defence is forced to collapse on him due to his immense pace, and can make life easier for his more perimeter-centric teammates.

The point guard uses his speed (both straight-line and lateral) to get to the basket and create his own shot, boasting the ability to split the defence and get open at the cup. If he can add a pull-up jumper to his game, this will become an even bigger weapon.

He can be prone to poor shots and turnovers with ball in hand, often getting tunnel vision and not taking the first option. If he can learn under a veteran NBA point guard, these should be stamped out of his game in the coming years.

DRAFT PROJECTION: Top 25

One of the best pure point guards in the 2025 NBA Draft class, Traore will appeal to teams that will be looking to bolster their backcourt stocks for the future. His speed and inside finishing should translate to the top level and he could be ready to make an immediate impact.