France-Spain: Time for Fauthoux's final choices before EuroBasket

To choose is to renounce. And that's the responsibility that falls entirely on Freddy Fauthoux, who has been asked to cut two more players before EuroBasket, from August 27 to September 14 (Latvia, Cyprus, Finland, Poland). The French squad currently consists of 14 players, compared to the initial 18 .

Vincent Collet 's successor has already cut Yoan Makoundou ( who was last called up after Mathias Lessort withdrew ), before the first preparation match against Montenegro (81-75) , then a trio composed of Olympic vice-champion Frank Ntilikina and NBAers Moussa Diabaté and Ousmane Dieng, before the victory over Great Britain (74-67) . It was with a group of 14 players that the Blues therefore disposed of Spain (75-67) , Thursday, in Badalone. Or rather 13, with Isaïa Cordinier (wrist) spared.

Also read : Basketball: Solid, the Blues gain strength and tame Spain for the first time since 2014

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A match in which the Tricolores, who hadn't beaten Spain in 11 years and had lost five times against this opponent, showed real progress defensively. It's worth noting that Sergio Scariolo's team had lost some of its former glory and was without its only NBA player, Santi Aldama. Moreover, the result might have been different if the 2022 European champions hadn't been so clumsy with their shots (15/29). Speaking of shooting, the Blues only made 5 of their 29 three-pointers on Thursday night. This has been a constant since the start of the preseason, with a dismal 21% from three-point range. " I'm not worried about those shots," Fauthoux swears.

Still, the goal will be to confirm this rise in power this Saturday (9:15 p.m.), against this same Roja, at the Accor Arena, where the Tricolores shook Team USA almost a year ago to the day, in the Olympic final . An evening in the form of a tribute to Nicolas Batum and Nando De Colo, who drew a line under the French team last summer , after Paris 2024. " Bercy is already a special place, but it's true that the Olympics have made it even more special," breathes Guerschon Yabusele, one of the four Olympic vice-champions of the current French group, made up of 14 players.

It will also, and above all, be an opportunity for Fauthoux to refine his choices. " Every player deserves to go all the way, but that won't be the case, and we'll choose the best complementarities ," the coach recently indicated. He already seems to have defined the contours of his interior sector, with captain Guerschon Yabusele and Jaylen Hoard at 4 and Vincent Poirier and Mam Jaiteh at 5, as well as Alex Sarr to navigate between the two positions.

Also read : Basketball: Les Bleus without Risacher or Poirier for the second duel against Spain

For the rest, it's all very unclear. Olympic runners-up Matthew Strazel, Isaïa Cordinier (who missed two warm-up matches), and Bilal Coulibaly should all be in Katowice for the first round of the Euro. NBA player Zaccharie Risacher too. Incidentally, the latter will be in street clothes this Saturday, resting due to a muscle contusion in his right elbow . Vincent Poirier, meanwhile, is scheduled to undergo tests on his right knee.

All players take turns performing.

Freddy Fauthoux

Still, if our prediction turns out to be correct, and therefore assuming that Poirier can hold his place in Poland and Latvia, there would be five players left for three places: point guards Sylvain Francisco (Kaunas) and Théo Malédon (Real Madrid), guards Élie Okobo (Monaco) and Nadir Hifi (Paris) and winger Timothé Luwawu-Cabarrot (Vitoria). The latter only had 5 minutes and 32 seconds of action on Thursday in Badalone, which is not reassuring for him.

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All the others, in their own specific register, scored points in Spain. Francisco in particular, with his impressive burst of five assists at the end of the first half. Not used in the first half, Malédon and Hifi took over after the break. Okobo also contributed on both sides of the field. Obviously, this is coaching that is only valid in preparation. " We try combinations, we rotate," explains the coach, assuring that he warned the players about this before the match. Considering that it is " a good problem ," Fauthoux notes that " all the players perform in turn ," believing that the good news is that " no matter who is chosen, they will have confidence ."

Let's remember that Freddy Fauthoux justified the dismissal of Frank Ntilikina by the need to " create a little more danger on the outside " . He added: " We are more looking for players who can create and score points. That is not Frank's strong point today ." On the other hand, it is the strong point of Hifi, Francisco, Okobo and Malédon, in obviously very different styles.

Also read : Basketball: "We are more looking for players who can create and score," Fauthoux justifies the sidelining of Ntilikina

The question is whether the former Pau player (17 seasons at Elan Béarnais, 47 caps for the French national team) will choose to bring three pure point guards to EuroBasket or whether he will decide to prioritize size, knowing that Okobo or Hifi can also help out at number one. A selection process and individual competition that should not, however, make us lose sight of the collective objectives and the desire to advance the French team.

All of this will be at stake this Saturday at the Accor Arena, for the penultimate test run for EuroBasket. Les Bleus will face Giannis Antetokounmpo's Greece in Athens on August 24, four days before their European Championship debut in Katowice against Belgium. Tick-tock...