Ex-Atlanta Hawks wing Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot has not had a very good EuroBasket tournament. As a result, it is extremely unlikely that he will receive many calls from NBA front offices expressing interest in his services. That is unless he is able to produce a little more as he did in the first playoff game against the Turkish national team.
The problem for Luwawu-Cabarrot and the French national team is not that he has not been producing. In fact, when he hits the floor his per 36 numbers are reasonable. However, the problem is that he is not getting huge court time and when he is the French team tends to lose leads or go further behind.
To put it simply, Luwawu-Cabarrot has not been playing to the level expected of an NBA player in international competition. However in true TLC form, just when you think that you can write him off, he turns up and puts on a performance that leaves you wondering if he could be a solid rotation piece.
Ex-Atlanta Hawks wing Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot actually turned up.
The French team was led by superstar Rudy Gobert who had 20 points and 17 rebounds, with Evan Fournier contributing 13 points and six rebounds. Thomas Heurtel was the best player off the bench with 13 points, seven assists, and four rebounds.
However, the play of TLC cannot be underestimated. He had nine points, six rebounds, and three assists in a really good display. He still had a negative impact on the box score but as it was only minus three, he can be forgiven for that one. Most importantly the French won the game where he played his best, helping them to advance.
Part of the reason he was able to be so impactful in this game is that he hit both of the 3-point looks that he took. Defenses cannot leave a hot shooter open and this was a crucial element of being able to space the floor.
As usual, TLC missed three of his four looks from inside the arc, but if you are totally honest with yourself, would you expect anything else from this enigmatic Frenchman?