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France has always produced NBA talent and are currently relying on their nation's stars to transfer that knowledge of playing in basketball's top league to the gold medal matchup against Team USA on Saturday.
The French national side were able to overcome their American opponents in the two sides' group opener at the Tokyo Olympics. They will meet again after Nicolas Batum secured the game-winning block to propel France past a valiant Slovenian team.
Five of the French roster currently play in the NBA, headlined by defensive stopper Rudy Gobert and lead scorer Evan Fournier. However, there are eight other players from France that currently star in the league, totalling 13 overall.
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In this article, we will take a look at who the country's top five talents are.
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Who are the best French players in the NBA?
#5 Killian Hayes
Despite not being selected to represent France at the Olympics, Killian Hayes is still one of the country's top talents competing in the NBA. Selected 7th overall by the Detroit Pistons in last year's draft, Hayes was unable to make the kind of impact he had hoped for when he suffered a hip injury in January that ruled him out for over ten weeks.
Towards the end of the NBA campaign, though, Pistons fans were able to see how Hayes would perform in the future as a starter and he particularly impressed in their last five games when he averaged 11.2 points and 6.4 assists. Playing in the Summer League alongside this year's No.1 overall pick Cade Cunningham, Hayes will be able to get ready for a full season of playing time.
#4 Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot
Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot will be looking forward to another matchup against Brooklyn Nets teammate Kevin Durant when they face off on Saturday. The small forward has provided valuable minutes as a role player for France at the Olympics and has put up 8.6 points and 3.4 rebounds, along with 1.6 steals, per game.
The 26-year-old's career in the NBA, however, has been disjointed due to injuries and is yet to compete in more than 69 games in one season. This year, behind the aforementioned Durant in their frontcourt, Cabarrot averaged 6.4 points and 2.2 rebounds on 18 minutes per contest.
He shot the ball poorly but showed glimpses of what he could provide to the Nets' depth going forward. Nevertheless, he is still one of the top 5 French players in the NBA and could become the only one on this list to win a championship next year.
#3 Nicolas Batum
Nicolas Batum has been one of the most consistent players in the NBA for the past 13 seasons. Although he has had a few injury-affected campaigns, he has proven himself with reliable knockdown scoring and solid perimeter defense. After playing in just 22 games in the 2019-20 campaign, Batum was able to rekindle his love of the game in LA playing for the Clippers and was one of the side's best players all year.
In the Clippers' deep playoff run, Batum averaged eight points, 5.5 rebounds, 1.3 steals and shot at 39% from deep. Therefore, it is no surprise that the organization extended his stay with a new two-year deal this week. At the Olympics, the 32-year-old has been crucial to France's success and came up with the game-winning block against Slovenia to take them through to the final.
#2 Evan Fournier
Evan Fournier has been France's most influential player in Tokyo, which bodes well for fans of his new team in the NBA, the New York Knicks. The versatile guard has averaged 19.2 points per game in his national side's run to the gold medal match and has shot at 54% from the field and 41% from deep.
Fournier has been in the NBA for ten seasons after being drafted in the first round by the Denver Nuggets in 2012. He played his best basketball while with the Orlando Magic for seven years, averaging 16 points per game and became known for his reliable shot-making from across the floor.
Although the Boston Celtics would have liked to have kept Fournier this summer, they were reportedly unwilling to offer him the kind of deal the Knicks could make (4-years, $78m).
#1 Rudy Gobert
Rudy Gobert is one of the most-decorated French players in NBA history. The 'Stifle Tower', as he is popularly known, has been the league's Defensive Player of the Year on three occasions, including this season. Gobert is also a two-time All-Star. He has made four All-NBA teams and has been influential to the Utah Jazz' re-emergence as a serious power in the West.
Gobert will be crucial to France's hopes of bringing home the gold medal. His presence in the paint and shot-blocking abilities make him a nightmare to opponents who want to drive into the lane. In their semi-final contest against Slovenia, Luka Doncic was continually put off by the center's ability to switch and his positioning under the basket.
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