French point guard Nolan Traore entered the 2025 NBA Draft cycle firmly in most experts’ top 10s, but some underwhelming production this season saw him tumble down boards and into the Phoenix Suns’ draft range.
If you haven’t heard by now, Phoenix is set to pick 29th in the first round and 52nd in the second.
Given its payroll situation, it’d be smart to maximize both picks and find controllable assets who can contribute, rather than parlaying them for established players as has been the habit at times in recent memory.
The 6-foot-5 Traore could be a perfect example of that, given that if he can be a point guard of the future, suddenly Devin Booker has his backcourt mate under team control for potentially the rest of his NBA career.
Playing for Saint-Quentin in the French LNB Pro A — the same league Victor Wembanyama played in his final year before getting drafted — Traore averaged 11.6 points, 1.7 rebounds, and 5.1 assists in 22.6 minutes per game.
nolan traore did a good job in this game of weathering a rocky start that included some poor shot selection for him and a 15-0 deficit to start for the team.
settled the offense down, competed defensively and turned things around for a 16-point win. pic.twitter.com/Xrfy11b7uG
— Damon Allred (@iamdamonallred) June 6, 2025
The assists were the only stat that didn’t see an uptick from his first season in France’s top division in 2023-24 (5.4 assists per game), but his turnovers did come down from 3.1 to 2.5 turnovers.
His 3-point shooting also jumped to a career-high 30.4% this season, including 43% over his last 10 games. He was below 30% each of his prior four seasons, including three in France’s third division before making the jump.
In total, he’s played 158 games of international or professional basketball, offering a wealth of experience that most others in the class, let alone domestically, just can’t. Most of that time was spent as the engine of his team’s offense, too.
So what kind of initiator is Traore?
You know how annoying it would get when the Suns brought the ball across halfcourt much too close to 16 seconds on the shot clock much too often? That doesn’t happen with Traore, as he’s far more interested in keeping the defense on its heels.
He’s crafty enough to capitalize by utilizing every inch and degree of an angle to his advantage. Sometimes that leads to plays on the weirder side, and other times he’s happy to take the easy opportunity.
think the two biggest things that stand out for me with french point guard nolan traore are his pace of play (usually fast) and his understanding of angles, whether they be of the passing or handling variety pic.twitter.com/Qc9BiEaOZO
— Damon Allred (@iamdamonallred) June 6, 2025
While it’s hard to know exactly what the Jordan Ott offense will look like in Phoenix, there may be indicators in the Cleveland Cavaliers leading the league in offensive rating (121.0) and being top 10 in pace (100.31 possessions per game).
Traore fits the billing for that kind of offense not only with how he pushes the pace, but also with how he takes care of the ball. He’s carried an assist-to-turnover ratio of roughly 2-1 dating back to his final season in France’s third division, three years ago.
It’s easy to imagine him as a transition running mate for Devin Booker, similar to how transition looked at times with Mikal Bridges.
However, Traore has boxes to check first.
Yes, the deep shot is trending up, but a hot streak to end the campaign is the only reason he’s above 30% for a season for the first time in his career. That career sample is a big reason why he would be in Phoenix’s range at all.
He needs to put on some muscle mass, especially on his upper body. This is, of course, true for any teenager in the draft, but it’s become even more true with where the NBA is trending in recent years. Not to mention how much he loves to attack the paint, so he needs the power to hold up.
Saint-Quentin’s Nolan Traoré’s anthro measurements + athletic testing results from the 2025 NBA Draft Combine activities in Treviso:
6’3" barefoot, 175 lbs, 6’8” wingspan, 8’5 ½" reach, 7 ¾" x 9 ¼" hands
Sprint: 3.26
Pro Lane: 10.75
Shuttle: 2.85
No-Step Vert: 28”
Max Vert: 34” pic.twitter.com/9gTACGO9IS
— Jon Chepkevich (@JonChep) June 5, 2025
Lastly — and this is another one that’s true for 99% of teenage prospects — his processing can get a few steps quicker. He’s already ahead of defenses, but if his reaction time was even quicker, he could prove lethal for years to come.
Bottom line: There won’t be many talents like Traore as far back as the Suns are slated to, and if he’s there, he’s worth the chance.
A rookie campaign with usage similar to, or even higher than, Ryan Dunn could be enough to set him on the right path, should he come in with a similar approach.
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