Zaccharie Risacher, of Bourg-en-Bresse, shoots a free throw during a Betclic Elite basketball game against Limoges in Bourg-en-Bresse, eastern France, on Oct. 31, 2023. New names will soon adorn replica NBA jerseys of French youths competing on basketball courts around Paris. Frenchmen Zaccharie Risacher, Alexandre Sarr and Tidjane Salan are among the top picks in the NBA draft, where a second straight French No. 1 pick is expected after Victor Wembanyama last year.
“Those guys start playing so young, and more importantly, they're not just playing when they're young — they're being taught when they're young,” Denver coach Michael Malone said this past season, when asked why Balkan players — like the Nuggets star, Nikola Jokic — just seem more adept at skills like passing. “There's a big difference.
“Quite frankly, if you look around, we're failing pretty badly in this country as a whole in teaching people basketball skills,” Van Gundy said. “You all notice it if who watch the NBA, because there's a huge difference in just the skill level of the players coming from Europe and what we have here in terms of their ability to pass the ball and shoot the ball.
“You are kind of scratching at something that is a conversation a lot of NBA people are having right now,” Orlando Magic President Jeff Weltman said. “I think everybody is looking at youth basketball right now. There are very different models that you can pursue. ... It is something we need to continue to analyze and measure as we go forward.