Get to know Neóra Francis!

Neóra Francis is special. This is the basis for everything that follows, and it's key to understand where we are. The Congolese player joined Minas Tênis Clube last season as a promising prospect, and within a few weeks, he had become a reality. Francis is a 15-year-old (2009) forward who is 6'8“ tall and has a 6'10” wingspan, constantly impacting the rim on offense and protecting the rim on defense. He is one of the players with the highest potential for saving plays on defense that I can remember seeing in Brazilian youth basketball. And has the best repertoire of dunks that I've seen in a long time.

Francis is a rare phenomenon in terms of athleticism. What he does on the court is as special as it is frightening, and guarantees, at the very least, the entertainment that makes him a star in the making before turning sixteen. That said, the teenager is naturally a prospect in development, with clear areas for improvement and positional, physical, and motor issues that inspire patience and caution in expectations.

Here are the player's full stats in this current season.

{@CBI U17 — National Club Championship}

15.0 PPG | 16.8 RPG (5.1 PFRPG) | 2.3 APG | 2.8 BPG | 1.0 SPG | 3.8 TOPG

59.3% FG | 16.6% 3PT | 36.1% FT | 63.7% 2PT | 34.3 MinPG

{@CBI U19 — National Club Championship}

6.0 PPG | 6.7 RPG (3.3 PFRPG) | 1.2 APG | 2.0 BPG | 1.3 SPG | 1.3 TOPG

51.9% FG 0.0% 3PT | 36.4% FT | 53.3% 2PT | 19.6 MinPG

{@LDB U22 — National Club Championship}

2.1 PPG | 1.9 RPG (0.6 PFRPG) | 0.7 APG | 0.4 BPG | 1.4 SPG | 0.6 TOPG

41.1% FG | 25.0% 3PT | 0.0% FT | 46.2% 2PT | 6.7 MinPG

{@Liga Ouro — Brazilian Second Professional Tier}

3.1 PPG | 3.6 RPG (1.6 OFRPG) | 0.7 APG | 1.5 BPG | 1.2 SPG | 1.2 TOPG

35.5% FG | 0.0% 3PT | 30.4% FT | 46.2% 2PT | 13.5 MinPG

With the help of numbers, everything becomes clearer. Francis is an excellent defensive playmaker, who relies on blocks, especially when chasing down the finisher, and has an impact on the passing lane with steals. This makes for an impressive number of STOCKS, which is key to explaining why Francis is a player who holds his own in X1 defense but thrives as a defensive helper. It is worth noting that in the CBI U19, the forward was deployed at various times as a stopper against the opponent's best player, and had a good performance. However, it is as a defensive helper that he shows the biggest upside.

On offense, Francis is very dependent on transition play. Today, the forward does not have a shot that warrants any defensive concern, and that's okay! At 15, he is already one of the players with the highest rim pressure ceiling on transition, even without a repertoire of layups or physicality and contact in the air. Francis' vertical explosion and acceleration are good enough for the youth level. That said, the one-dimensional nature of his offense is undeniable. When in the half court, he plays as an intelligent pick-and-roll player and connects his passes well. But he relies heavily on his 1-2 jumping footwork, backed up by his sprinting, to pressure the rim. This is virtually impossible to achieve in a tight, less spaced half-court game.

The lack of dribbling and scoring threat without the ball, besides the Dunker Spot, is an issue. But it is the low efficiency in the FT line that most hinders Francis' real impact. Without efficiency in the most important shot in basketball, defenses are encouraged to put the Congolese player on the line and take away the impact of his rim pressure. By solving this in the short term, Neóra could already make a much more realistic leap than he could with the mechanical development of dribbling and shooting. Thus, he would embrace the archetype of a rim-pressing forward, who defends at all three levels with good consistency and is a helper with a generational upside.

If the last sentence comes true, Neóra Francis is already a rare basketball player. That is why he is the highest-potential project in Brazil alongside Edu Santos, and a hot topic in every meaningful conversation. In fact, there are so many opinions about Francis that it is best to hear from him directly. Here, Neóra speaks.

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[INTERVIEW]

For those who don't know Neóra Francis, how would you describe yourself on and off the court? Who are your role models on and off the court?

“Basically, I'm always called a loner. At ground level, I am a very focused and determined person. I don't talk much, but I prefer to let my actions speak for me - whether by my intensity or by my defense. I bring energy, and I always try to push my teammates up, but it's hard because I have a big communication problem, but I always try to do my best. Off the court, as I said, I am rather lonely and reserved. I like to take a step back to focus only on myself, stay in my corner, but always with the goal of progressing. I focus on work, discipline, and especially family. Family is the most important thing for me. Giannis inspires me with his history and everything he has overcome. His journey shows that dreams can come true if we give ourselves the means. Kobe Bryant inspires me in my mentality about basketball: it is through him that I build my way of playing and training, the fact of always wanting to be the best, always wanting to overcome all challenges.”

What got you into basketball?

“Through the manga Kuroko's Basketball, which my uncle frequently watched, I first learned about basketball. The thing that made me like basketball was the dunks in the manga. It was from there that I started looking for basketball videos, and instead of coming across game tape, it was the slam dunk videos that I started watching first. That was all I was interested in. I started watching videos on Dunkacademics I was dazzled. That's when I started to be more and more interested in basketball. Basically I loved boxing; my uncle was an amateur boxer, and as a child it was boxing that inspired me. So with my uncle, I trained every morning before going to school. He didn't take me back to his club until my individual training was over. I watched videos on his phone when I became interested in dunks. I started talking to him all the time about basketball, and that I wanted to start jumping very high to dunk. Since his boxing club trained in a public school with a basketball court, he started taking me with him to his training, and while he was boxing, I played basketball next to him. That's how it all started.”

How did the call from Minas materialize? What was it like arriving in Brazil and adapting to basketball here?

“It was thanks to my agent that the club spotted me. When I arrived in Brazil, I received a warm welcome. Communication was very difficult at first because, basically, my English was very bad, so I really had trouble communicating. The team had provided a translator to help me, a person who spoke quite well French. It was thanks to him that I quickly integrated; he helped me a lot. The hardest thing was the food. I had trouble eating well at first because the food here in Brazil is different from what I'm used to in my home country. I gradually assimilated into Brazilian culture. At first, we had a hard time communicating on the court, and I had a hard time following the coaches' instructions. The hardest thing was to play with the older players; the game was faster, more intense, and more physical. But then, with the support of the teammates and with the patience of the coaches, I began to adapt. I started doing extra workouts to help me adjust faster. I trained before and after classes, excluding team training, which helped me adjust. Emotionally, it is always hard being away from my family. But the coaches are consistently present to provide me with the assurance that I possess all the necessary resources.”

What makes you different?

“I dream of one day being remembered among the legends of this sport. I want to be different, to be unique. I use my explosiveness to always be impactful during games; whether in defense or with dunks, I always put intensity into everything I do to make a difference. Blocks and dunks aren't just flashy moves; they can also change the pace of the game or give my team energy. That's why I always try to give my moves intensity and energy; I think that's what makes them powerful.”

What's it like to play against older players?

“When I played in Liga Ouro, I really felt like I was arriving in another world. I was a young player against already experienced athletes, more physical, more accustomed to big games. The level of basketball dispute was much higher than what I played in my category. But instead of being afraid, it gave me strength. I learned from each action, and it helped me grow faster mentally, and it pushed me to work even more on my body. Today, I think this experience forged my character; it helped me to have an impact during CBI U17, and it helped me to have confidence in myself and to express myself during CBI U19 too. I've always put in more work when playing defense. A good offensive player is easy to find, but players who are great on both sides are rare. Playing with more physical and more experienced players helped me develop my reading of the game and develop my defense even more.”

What are the biggest areas for development for the future?

“Today, my strengths are my explosiveness and defense, but I want to continue to develop my outside shooting, my ability to read the game, and my consistency. My goal is to be a complete player who can impact at all levels.”

Do you dream of playing basketball for a national team? Is the Brazilian national team a possibility, or would you prioritize the Congolese national team?

“Representing a national team is a dream for any player. For me, what matters is to develop at the highest level. If I could represent the colors of the country that made me feel welcome and helped me grow as a player, that would make me very proud.”

Where do you want to be in five years?

“Playing in the NBA is a dream for me. But I know it takes work and progress one step at a time. As a result, I work hard to improve myself both on and off the court. In five years, I want to be at my maximum potential, developing at the highest level, and getting closer to this goal.”