The French in the United States: Nicolas Batum’s record, questions from Rudy Gobert and Killian Hayes in all shots

Nicolas Batum, long-distance specialist, Rudy Gobert on the sly and Evan Fournier in troubled waters: third point of the season for our French expatriates in the United States.

Every week, Trash Europe offers you a complete overview of the benefits of our French citizens abroad. We also take stock of top expats in the US each month (NBA, G-League, NCAA).

Nicolas Batum gets better with time! The Los Angeles winger celebrated his 34th birthday last month, an age that doesn’t prevent him from shining on the NBA floors, on the contrary… After a tiptoe start to the season, the Normand quickly found his cruising speed with more regular Clippers. In his – almost exclusive – role of gunner behind the arc, the Frenchman is of career record efficiency (41.8% from three points). On Dec. 21, Batman also passed 21 points on 7/10 from three-point range on his former franchise the Hornets.
His rookie teammate Moussa Diabate continues his evolution process. On the NBA courts, he was able to try four times in December. But it is in the G-League that Moussa Diabate is most exposed with already nine braces in the Ontario Clippers shirt. This weekend, Inter ended their game with 16 points and 22 rebounds against the Sioux Falls Skyforce.

We stay with the young people. Killian Hayes made noteworthy outings, two of which ended in double-doubles. 17 points and 12 rebounds against the Pelicans and 18 points and 12 rebounds against the Clippers. There was also talk of the Pistons’ bad boy when he landed a headbutt on the Orlando Magic’s Moritz Wagner last week. During a fast break that ended up on the sideline, the Detroit point guard lost his temper. Directly sent off, he then received a three-match ban, which will not prevent him from coming to Paris next January to face the Bulls.
His 2020 Draft compatriot Théo Maledon doesn’t have many big adventures in Charlotte. He also lost ten days of playing time with the return of LaMelo Ball to the Hornets ranks. An arrival that had no impact on the collective record of the North Carolina franchise, the new NBA dunce.

Return of Fournier and doubts about Gobert

Since our last monthly update, Evan Fournier’s situation hasn’t improved much. The Blues captain was on the bench for the Knicks for three weeks in December before returning to action for New York’s final two games. A month before the season’s transfer deadline, Evan Fournier could already be leaving Manhattan and finding a real spot on an NBA roster. For the time being, he remains professional with random minutes given by Tom Thibodeau. He had 11 points against the Spurs when he returned after a month and a half without playing.

The situation of his friend Rudy Gobert is also worrying. While the infield could take advantage of Karl Anthony Towns’ absence to gain prominence in the Wolves’ racket, Gobert struggles to win his own. Lately, his replacement Naz Reid – a KAT profile – has even been preferred to him at the end of the game. On an ongoing streak of 6 defeats and after a setback against the last one in the NBA (Detroit), Minnesota is 11th in the West with a negative balance. “We can give up and feel sorry for ourselves or we can look ahead and understand that the season is still long and we still have a lot of time. Once you understand that, it will be a completely different team.”Gobert said this weekend.

The statistics of the French in the NBA

Rudy Gobert (Minnesota Timberwolves)
16 wins – 21 losses | 11th in the Western Conference
13.6 points on 67.4% shooting, 11.8 rebounds, 1.3 tackle, 1.7 walkaround and 0.8 assists per 22.7 rating in 31 minutes (31 games)

Eva Fournier (New York Knicks)
19 wins – 18 losses | 8th in Eastern Conference
7.3 points on 35.6% shooting, 2.0 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 0.7 steals and 1.1 steals per 6.1 rating in 20 minutes (15 games)

Nicholas Batum (Los Angeles Clippers)
21 wins – 17 losses | 5th in the Western Conference
6.3 points on 44.4% shooting, 4.3 rebounds, 1.4 assists, 0.6 steals, 0.8 against and 0.7 turnover per 9.7 rating in 21 minutes (37 games)

Killian Hayes (Detroit Pistons)
10 wins – 29 losses | 15th in the Eastern Conference
9.1 points on 38.1% shooting, 5.3 assists, 2.9 rebounds, 1.0 steals and 1.8 steals per 10.9 rating in 26 minutes (37 games)

Theo Maledon (Charlotte Calabroni)
10 wins – 27 losses | 14th in the Eastern Conference
5.5 points on 40.5% shooting, 2.5 assists, 2.4 rebounds, 1.0 turnovers and 0.8 interceptions for 7.5 rating in 16 minutes (35 games)

Frank Nilikina Dallas Maverick
21 wins – 16 losses | 4th in the Western Conference
2.9 points on 34.5% shooting, 1.6 rebounds, 1.3 assists, 0.7 passersby and 0.3 interceptions per 3.3 rating in 14 minutes (18 games)

Joel Embiid (Philadelphia Sixers)
21 wins – 14 losses | 5th in the Eastern Conference
33.2 points on 52.9% shooting, 9.7 rebounds, 4.6 assists, 3.8 turnovers and 1.7 against for 34.9 rating in 36 minutes (27 games)

The statistics of the French in the G-League

Ousmane Dieng (Oklahoma City Blue)
15.8 points on 44.9% shooting, 8.7 rebounds, 4.3 assists, 0.7 steals, 1.2 against and 3.5 turnovers for 19.8 rating in 35 minutes (11 games)

Moussa Diabate (Ontario Clippers)
19.2 points on 61.5% shooting, 11.9 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 0.5 steals per 28.0 rating in 32 minutes (12 games)

Joel Ayayi (Lakeland Magic)
10.4 points on 58.5% shooting, 5.4 rebounds, 4.1 assists, 1.3 steals and 1.9 turnovers per 15.8 rating in 30 minutes (16 games)

Sidy Cissoko (G-League Ignite)
9.5 points on 39.8% shooting, 2.9 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 0.9 steals and 1.8 steals for 9.2 rating in 29 minutes (13 games)

Save Doumbouya (Delaware Blue Coast)
4.2 points on 37.0% shooting, 2.7 rebounds, 0.9 assists, 0.2 steals and 1.2 steals per 4.3 rating in 12 minutes (13 games)

Adam Mokoka (Oklahoma City Blue)
10.8 points on 49.5% shooting, 4.7 rebounds, 1.3 assists, 0.9 steals and 1.7 steals per 12.7 rating in 28 minutes (15 games)

French NCAA statistics

Joshua Mballa (Miss Ore)
4.9 points on 56.7% shooting, 3.3 rebounds, 0.3 assists, 0.6 steals and 1.1 loss per 6.4 rating in 12 minutes (10 games)

Eddy Kayouloud (Central Arkansas)
15.0 points on 46.8% shooting, 6.5 rebounds, 1.0 assists, 1.5 steals and 1.8 turnovers per 15.4 rating in 29 minutes (11 games)

Yvan Ouedraogo (grancanyon)
4.9 points on 64.0% shooting, 5.9 rebounds, 0.4 assists, 0.8 steals and 1.0 steals per 9.6 rating in 24 minutes (9 games)

Daniel Batcho (Texas tech)
13.0 points on 65.0% shooting, 8.3 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 0.9 steals, 1.9 turnovers and 1.8 blocks per 19.4 rating in 28 minutes (8 games)