Assessing Noah Penda in a French Basketball Cup Game

December 27th, 2024

This time around, I decided to take the time to watch Le Mans Sarthe’s 6-7 forward, Noah Penda play in an October 15th French Basketball Cup game against Rouen, with thanks to YouTube via Rouen Métropole Basket. Noah Penda is a skilled, versatile forward that has been playing well in France’s top league overseas, so I wanted to take the time to analyze his game. Here are my thoughts on how he fared in this game, as well as how his skills may translate to the NBA. Also, for those that are interested in the box score of this game, here is the link, courtesy of RealGM.

Le Man’s 6-7 forward, Noah Penda scored 10 points, made 2 threes, and dished out 5 assists in his team’s 94-91 over Rouen in this game. (Photo: N. Luttiau/L’Équipe)

Noah Penda quietly had a solid showing in his team’s win over Rouen. Though he’s not an explosive athlete, he is a smart, skilled forward that shot the ball well, showcased a solid basketball IQ, and he could project well into a complementary role at the NBA level.

Penda is a good shooter, especially from beyond the arc. He showed the knack for making open, spot-up threes off the catch, as he particularly thrived at knocking them down off of kick outs. He also excelled at scoring on hustle plays. He was able to score on a put back off of a goaltend, and Penda also managed to run the floor to get the ball on the move to score at the rim. On the other hand, he struggled to score off the dribble, as his lack of a quick burst combined with his struggles to finish plays around the basket made it tough for him to score on drives to the basket.

He also showcased solid playmaking skills. Penda is a good secondary ball mover, and despite not really having elite ball-handling skills, he would continually make good reads, as he would consistently kick balls out to corner shooters to rack up assists. He does a good job of reading the play and kicking it out to the open man, and he also can make passes off the dribble, as well as on the move. On the downside, he isn’t especially fast or quick, and sometimes when he would drive to the hoop, he would over-dribble and commit ball-handling turnovers.

On the other hand, Penda didn’t rebound the ball very well, but he was able to leap up high to get an offensive board early on. On the downside, he’s not an explosive leaper, and he had trouble coming away with rebounds in this game. Defensively, he looked to be about average at best. For the positives, he will use his length and positioning to defend opposing ball handlers to cut off penetration, as he can contest shots to force misses, or speed up opponents to get them to rush their decision-making to commit turnovers. On the downside, his lack of foot speed or agility made it tough for him to defend opposing ball handlers, as he would tend to get beat off the dribble on quick dribble moves, and he would sometimes try to go for steals and miss, which would lead him to be out of position.

Overall, Noah Penda had a solid showing in his team’s close win over Rouen. He is a smart, skilled forward that has been productive overseas. He may not have enormous upside, but he looks to be a fairly polished player that could contribute right away on the offensive end at the NBA level. If he reaches his full potential, he could be a skilled, versatile high-end role player similar to Chandler Parsons in the NBA. On the other hand, Penda will need to improve his defense and mobility. Even if he doesn’t quite reach his ceiling, Penda should be able to carve out a fairly solid career in the NBA with the skills he has, and he could be a solid pick for an NBA team in the late first round range of the 2025 draft.

Francois Wibaut had his ups and downs in his team’s loss to Le Mans. He is an agile, energetic 6-6 swingman that can score out of the post, and he would make hustle plays defensively. On the other hand, he’ll need to improve his jump shot and playmaking skills on offense.

Wibaut showed an adequate ability to score out of the post. Early on, he used a spin move to score on a smooth, turnaround jumper from the baseline. Late in the game though, he took a contested turnaround jumper that missed completely. He also showed a decent ability to score off the dribble. Despite lacking an elite burst to the hoop, Wibaut is a crafty scorer that can make shots around the basket due to possessing fairly solid strength, shooting touch, and finishing ability. He was able to drive in from the baseline and utilize a pump fake to score while getting fouled. Another time though, he missed on an off-balanced, contested running layup.

On the downside, he didn’t shoot well from the outside. He missed his lone three-point attempt despite being open to shoot it. After running quickly off of a ball screen, he missed on a quick baseline mid-range jumper off the glass, as he seemed to kick his legs out in the process.

He also showcased adequate playmaking skills. Despite having a fairly heavy score-first mindset, Wibaut was able to throw an accurate skip pass in this game. He also was able to quickly bring the ball up off of a defensive board another time.

Also, Wibaut did a tremendous job of rebounding the basketball. He would frequently swoop in to get boards, as he excelled at getting them on both ends of the floor due to possessing solid athleticism, motor, and instincts. He also played adequate defense. Wibaut is an athletic, rangy defender that would use his quickness, anticipation skills, and instincts to jump passes in order to get steals. He also was able to cut off penetration when defending in the post, as he was able to force his opponent to go baseline and he then deflected the pass out of bounds. On the downside, sometimes Wibaut would have lapses defensively, as he lost track of his man on a cut once to allow a score, and he also committed a silly reach-in foul another time from behind. He also would sometimes get beat off the dribble by opponents who shouldn’t get past him, which would lead him to commit fouls and allow scores.

Overall, Francois Wibaut is an athletic, energetic swingman who will still need to add a reliable jump shot to his game, but he has promising skills, as he can score out of the post, and can defend. He’ll need to continue to hone and improve his game, but with his athleticism, motor, and defensive skills, he could be a promising prospect in the future, as he may have a similar game to former Chicago Bulls’ guard, Rawle Alkins in the NBA.

Rouen’s 6-10 center, Narcisse N’Goy also had his ups and downs in his team’s loss to Le Mans. He is an athletic, high-motor big man that looked to be the most athletic draft-eligible prospect in this game, and he runs the floor very well. On the other hand, he still may have ways to go as a prospect for the NBA.

N’Goy showed off adequate low post scoring skills. Early on, he set an on-ball screen and received the ball on a short roll, and after struggling to control the ball, N’Goy was able to score on a left-handed, jump hook. He also scored another time after being left open near the basket. He missed on a sweeping hook another time, as well as on a rushed tip-in attempt. He didn’t look to take many shots though, and he will need to be more assertive on offense.

He also looked to be fairly average as a playmaker. On one play, he seemed to make a quick pass out of the post to find an open shooter, but he had drawn a non-shooting foul earlier. He also would set fairly firm screens to help get his teammates open driving lanes, even though it seemed like he would sometimes get away with setting moving screens. On one play though, he received the ball in the post but struggled to corral the pass, and it led him to commit a traveling violation.

Also, N’Goy did a great job of rebounding the basketball, and he was very active at crashing the glass to haul in boards on both ends of the floor. Defensively, he looked to be about average at best. For the positives, he was able to deflect a pass once. He also contested a shot using his length when defending in the post to force a miss. However, he would sometimes take bad gambles, as he was called for an unsportsmanlike foul when trying to block a shot from behind, which gave the opponent additional free throws. Other times, he would struggle to defend out on the perimeter, and his team would ten to struggle to defend in screen situations when he was on the floor.

Overall, Narcisse N’Goy is an athletic, energetic big man that may have the potential to make it to the NBA, but he will need to improve his skill set and feel for the game in the meantime. Currently, he may have a similar game to former Miami Heat forward Chris Silva. N’Goy will need to continue to hone his game, but if he continues to progress over time, it’s possible that he could make it to the NBA one day.

All in all, those are my thoughts on how Noah Penda and other various prospects fared in this game. Thanks for reading.