The Persistent Point Guard Prospect: Assémian Moularé
Scouting the little-known long shot project
The hype over the sensational Victor Wembanyama has brought a renewed global focus on France and put every talented young player in the country under an intense microscope. Look no further than wing and big prospects Alexandre Sarr, Zaccharie Risacher, Tidjane Salaün and Melvin Ajinça — all projected first-round NBA draft picks. More attention has put added pressure on these prospects but you know what they say about pressure: it busts pipes or it makes diamonds. It’s clear the increased scrutiny has also motivated many NBA hopefuls.
A potential diamond in the rough is 6’2” 20-year-old Ivoirian combo guard, Assémian Moularé — who coincidentally was a teammate of Wembanyama’s just two seasons ago. At the age where most of his classmates are learning the game in the LNB Espoirs league, Moularé is on the second year of his first professional contract with JA Vichy-Clermont and contributing meaningful minutes. His shooting touch, defensive instincts and knack for knowing where to be are skills that should translate to the next level.
He is fighting an uphill battle as French point guards haven’t historically fared well in the NBA and while ambitious, his club is currently in France’s second division. Despite these obstacles, Moularé’s mindset and impressive flashes are encouraging signs for his future. Read on to learn what makes him an intriguing prospect.
OFFENSE
Assémian Moularé is bolder than most young players and that shows in his shot selection, command over his teammates and the calculated risks he takes. Moularé has good shot mechanics and isn’t shy about letting long-range shots fly. In just 18 minutes per game, the sniper is averaging 10.5 points per game on a 62% two-point field goal percentage and a 38% three-point percentage. These numbers plus the degree of difficulty on most of these shots indicates he can be a big shot maker.
The youngster’s minutes have increased and his scoring production has more than doubled from last year thanks to efficient scoring flashes. Moularé sometimes gets tunnel vision and makes up his mind about shooting instead of reading the defense. This decision-making is beginning to improve as he gets more reps. His three-point volume should be monitored as a shooter of his caliber and confidence needs opportunities to put up more than 3.2 three-point attempts per game, which is what he currently averages.
Moularé thrives in transition due to his incredible speed and ballhandling. He attacks relentlessly, which can sometimes backfire as he makes up his mind too early. When he learns to change speeds, he’ll be able to create for others and convert more for himself.
The biggest area of opportunity for Moularé is playmaking. He makes the logical pass in the halfcourt, but very rarely gets adventurous when looking for others, as he only averages 1.6 assists per game to this point. His low turnover rate and proven creativity when he wants to attack for himself indicate that there’s room to improve in creating for others. Moularé should be given space to make mistakes as he improves this skill since he currently boasts a 2.67 assist to turnover ratio.
An underrated skill of his is crashing the offensive glass. Overall, Moularé averages a solid 3.2 total rebounds per game, with an offensive rebounding rate of 7.6%, which is uncommon for guards of his stature. A significant portion of his shots at the rim thus far come after he has crashed the glass.
DEFENSE
Flashy offense will open the door for Assémian Moularé, but his defensive fundamentals, pressure and intensity will be what lengthen his career. He takes full advantage of his long wingspan, quick feet and underrated strength. Moularé is aggressive at the point of attack and applies pesky pressure. He’s already shown improvement at maneuvering screens from his summer at the World Cup and is rarely out of position.
Moularé seems to never run out of energy as his defensive assignment is usually the opposition’s best perimeter player. He tends to pick them up full court with intense pressure from the backcourt to the frontcourt. It’s not uncommon to see him harass a steady point guard into a turnover.
Moularé understands defensive principles and is rarely out of position. He averages a steal per game, but the possessions where he doesn’t turn someone over are even more impressive, as he routinely contains opposing perimeter players and forces tough, contested shots.
Defensively, Moularé plays much bigger than his height and has no problem switching onto bigger players or battling for position down low if he has to cover a post player.
Having watched him compete in limited minutes in the World Cup, it was refreshing to see the tremendous strides made in screen navigation in such a short period of time. He easily got pushed around and sometimes looked lost in ball screen action this summer but today he seems much more comfortable and easily gets back in front of the ball handler whether he’s going over or under.
Ultimately, Assémian Moularé does not project to be a legitimate NBA prospect for this cycle. He may be a slightly longer term project that could benefit from stepping up to a first division team in France or elsewhere that preferably plays in European competitions too. From there, if he can consistently produce, he will gain traction among league decision-makers ahead of his final draft-eligible year. If his next team is not up to those standards, he will need to show that he can dominate whatever level he is on.
Ironically, the most accurate player comparison for Moularé is Euroleague rookie and fellow Frenchman, Sylvain Francisco — a speedy lead guard who can play an NBA style in the second-best league in the world.