European Prospects

In the third part of our season preview, we take a look at the French ProA today. Several of the most interesting prospects have left the league to play in the NBA or in Serbia, the number of talented prospects remains high even if it might be not that impressive than it was over the last years. Nevertheless, here we go for our five prospects that we suggest to follow this season.

Alexandre Chassang – 2m04 – PF – 1994 – ASVEL

This could be the season of the real break-out of Alexandre Chassang for ASVEL. Blocked by Livio Jean-Charles as a back up on the PF position last season, Chassang has now the opportunity to grab good minutes with the French team on a regular basis. Physically strong, the 2m04 tall prospect does not excel with huge athletic abilities but has an interesting mid-range jump shot and has developed a good percentage already from behind the arc. Chassang should be able to play in a stretch-four role for ASVEL this season and it will be interesting to see how he develops over the next years as he probably has not the biggest upside of all French prospects.

Mouhammadou Jaiteh – 2m08 – C – 1994 – JSF Nanterre

The big name to follow in the French ProA this season is of course Mouhammadou “Mam” Jaiteh. After being the biggest French hype last season when he still played in the ProB, Jaiteh made the big step this summer by moving from a mid-level second league team to the French champions and the Euroleague. This will be a great test for the French big when he can compete against the best players in Europe. That’s the perfect stage to see where his development can go in the next years and how his lack of explosiveness will go with this kind of opposition. If Jaiteh can progress in this domain of the game as well as improving his offensive arsenal, the NBA can be an option for him in the future as he has the physical tools to play on the highest level. However, his lack of size might hinder him from playing Center and he needs to develop his ballhandling to become a factor as a future PF eventually.

Damien Inglis – 2m01 – SF – 1995 – Chorale de Roanne

There are a lot of expectations on Damien Inglis after moving to the pro level this summer. The former INSEP prospect and dominator of the NIJT in Belgrade needs to show that he can compete on the pro level right now. Physically, he was more than ready to make the step but there are some question marks after he could never repeat his unreal efforts from Belgrade. With coach Luka Pavicevic, it will be interesting to see how he acts under a rigid and strict system. His ball handling and passing qualities should be an asset for Roanne right from the start. The NBA might not be for next year yet but on the long term, Inglis should be a name to follow for the scouts and he will draw certainly a lot of attention as everybody wants to see what he can do as a first year pro.

Hugo Invernizzi – 1m96 – SG – 1993 – Le Havre

After a disappointing second season with Strasbourg, Hugo Invernizzi decided to move to Le Havre to gain more playing time than with the French Euroleague team. After a good individual summer where he averaged 12.7 points per game with the French U20 National Team, Invernizzi wants to impose as one of the upcoming top guards in the French League with Le Havre where he should be able to have a very interesting offensive impact with his slash and shooting game. Additionally, he can be used as a combo guard as the 1m96 tall prospect has quite an interesting court-vision that should allow him to play some minutes on the PG position as well.

Clint Capela – 2m05 – PF – 1994 – Elan Chalon

This season could be the breakout for the Swiss prospect on the professional level. After an interesting summer with the Swiss Senior National Team averaging 12.9 points and 8.1 rebounds per game, Capela should see some minutes for Chalon under their new head coach. Gifted with incredible athletic abilities, Capela needs to translate those to the court and impose his physique against grown men. The departure of Joffrey Lauvergne during the last season might not have given the minutes to the Swiss as you could expect but the coaching change this summer might change this situation as well. The 1994 born inside force showed some promising things during the pre-season and he might be one of the biggest potentials overall in the French ProA this season.

Our wildcard will be for the 1992 born Billy Ouattara whom dominated the French Espoirs League last season and needs to see playing time right now on the pro level. He is a great athlete but lacks the experience of the highest level as he never played with the French Youth National Team either. We expect him to make a name for himself this season with Chalon