Ismaël Kamagate had a kind of false start this summer. During the Finals against the Heat, Mike Malone hoped that the French would join the now 2023 champions next season. Then, finally, two days after this statement from the coach, the player took the direction of Milan.
The pivot will therefore not go to Denver for the 2023/24 financial year. But for the Nuggets, his departure to Italy to be coached by Ettore Messina remains excellent news.
“He is a player that we really like”delivers the franchise’s assistant GM, Tommy Balcetis, for DNVR Nuggets. “He has great potential to become a modern interior in the NBA. He is excellent at closing near the circle, he shot 70% (74 precisely) success this season. He just needs more playing time, and I mean Euroleague minutes. The G-League is good because you can follow the players closely, but the Euroleague is the second best level in the world, so it’s not nothing. He will play at this level, in a great team, with the great Messina and he will be trained by the latter. »
The Nuggets are certainly patient with Ismaël Kamagate, but they obviously have great ambitions for the 22-year-old, who averaged 9.9 points and 7.5 rebounds this season with Paris.
“We don’t know how long he will stay there, but he has the tools, the mentality, the qualities and the physique”, believes Tommy Balcetis. “We follow his progress and we hope that, when the time comes, he will come to us. We want him to get to a point where he can be Nikola Jokic’s replacement. We know that’s a lot to ask. »
