By Kostas Giataganas / info@eurohoops.net
We’re still at the beginning of the summer transfer period and there is already a big bang sounding from Istanbul! After four consecutive Final Fours, three finals and coming off the defeat in Belgrade by Real that forced them to hand over the reigns, Fenerbahce have already made their statement for the new season: they want to return to the top.
After three years in the NBA, Joffrey Lauvergne returns to Europe, this time determined to settle in Istanbul and win titles, with Zeljko Obradovic intending to turn him into a great weapon for his team.
A child of INSEP and a… basketball player father
The French forward/center – he will be 27 years old in two months (30/9/1991) – has gotten used to constantly changing circumstances. From 2009, when he first appeared in the spotlight, up to 2015, he has changed four teams in three countries outside of France. From 2015 until his return in Europe for Fenerbahce, there were another four teams in the NBA, as he wasn’t able to settle somewhere.
Constant changes, however, had become second nature since he was a boy. The son of the veteran French player, Stephane Lauvergne (1985-2000), little Joffrey got used to constantly moving from city to city, following his father together with the rest of the family when he changed teams/cities. By the time he was 10 years old, he had already changed four cities and as many schools.
With his father being a basketball player he could only become a player too, and he got the best credentials as he studied at INSEP, the famous French national institute of sports that “produced” Tony Parker and the entire golden generation of the Tricolores, that culminated in the 2013 EuroBasket win, where Lauvergne was also present, as he was for the bronze medals that followed in the 2014 World Cup and the 2015 EuroBasket.
Introduction through Chalon, then abroad
Lauvergne exited INSEP in 2009 and he was ready to introduce himself to basketball fans. He did so in the colors of Elan Chalon, where he made his debut in the EuroLeague in the 2012/2013 season, with good performances but then an unexpected “divorce” soon after the first month of the season had been completed due to friction with the management, which led him abroad to Valencia.
He wasn’t able to settle there either and by the end of 2012 he had changed teams and countries again, moving to Partizan, where he stayed for almost two years, and playing in the EuroLeague once again. Among his teammates there: Bogdan Bogdanovic, Nikola Milutinov, Milenko Tepic, Sasa Pavlovic, Leo Westermann and Davis Bertans, according to whose testimony, Lauvergne had dunked over the giant-like Boban Marjanovic!
In the Adriatic League with Partizan he enhanced his list of achievements with two Serbian championships – while he already had another four titles from his stint in Chalon – but, what was most important was that he looked ready for the next step, which was the biggest yet: to cross the Atlantic and head for the NBA.
At the NBA with No.55 and the Nuggets
In 2013, while Giannis Antetokounmpo was selected with the 15th pick, further down the line, with No.55 in the second round of the draft, the 2.11m-tall Frenchman was selected by the Grizzlies and traded to the Nuggets.
He spent two seasons in Denver – he had few appearances (24) in his rookie season but many more and better stats in his second – while in 2016 he moved to Oklahoma, where he spent the greatest part of the 2016-2017 season, before being traded to Chicago and playing in the playoffs.
His biggest opportunity came last summer, when Gregg Popovich brought him to the Spurs with 3.2 million dollars. This time last year, the Frenchman was saying that he hoped he would play for several years in San Antonio, however the team didn’t get what they were expecting out of the player and he didn’t find an environment that satisfied him.
That being the case, he made the big decision to turn down the possibility of a second season with the Spurs in order to return to Europe for Fenerbahce. Will he find a… home in Istanbul?
A forward in the body of a center
At first glance, since he’s 2.11m-tall, we’re talking about a big body that could be a barrier in the paint, however the reality is a bit different. Despite his size, Lauvergne is more of a forward than he is a center.
In the NBA he was only considered a 4, though in Europe he will be able to serve the team in 5 as well, but in specific situations. And this is because in defense, despite his size, he lacks athleticism and is not known for his ability in blocks.
In offense, on the other hand, while he’s not good in the post as the Americans stress, he can threaten from the perimeter, either with mid-range or three-point shooting, but also by putting the ball on the floor, thanks to his very good technique and the mental capacity to get the best position in order to make use of the pass on the weak side.
He may be fast, but defensively he can’t mark players who are as big as him close to the basket, and this is a glaring weakness when he’s not on a good day and cannot finish plays on the other side of the court, while he’s not efficient in rebounding either, despite the willingness he shows.
All this came to the surface when he went to the NBA, because in Europe he had gotten to the point of averaging 8.6 rebounds with Partizan in the 2013/2014 season.
All this, of course, are in the realm of theory, because in actuality he will be working under the instructions of Obradovic, who will definitely try to make the most of his advantages and hide his weaknesses.