Nets: Timothé Luwawu-Cabarrot needs to show more for France

Sitting silently on the far corner of the Nets bench is a man whose future with the franchise is uncertain.

Under contract for this year, the 6-7, 3-and-D wing has the potential to bring a surprise spark when Brooklyn is down a man or two. Right now, he’s flexing on the Olympic stage, repping his country, France.

However, Timothé Luwawu-Caborot isn’t showing too much promise.

As one of the few NBA players on a very good France team, a team that beat the US in the first game of the Olympic preliminary round, you’d expect Luwawu-Cabarrot to play good minutes and show out for his country.

Yet, in the win against the US, he only played 15 minutes, logging two points during that time and going 0-3 from behind the arc. He did not start this game and was in the bottom five on his team in minutes played, not something you’d expect from an NBA player.

Especially when playing against the stars — like Brooklyn’s star forward Kevin Durant — Luwawu-Cabarrot needed to show that he can defend and score against the league’s elite. Without these opportunities, France has given TLC the right to play for his country, but not the ability to prove himself against NBA (or near NBA) talent.

In the second game against the Czech Republic, TLC had a small bounce back, tallying nine points, two assists, and three steals in 21 minutes of action. France won this game 97-77. This small burst, though, was not enough to show the Nets they should keep him long-term — or even to for 2021-22.

Luwawu-Cabarrot’s lack of shine on the international stage could foreshadow the end of his time in Brooklyn. Approaching the draft and free agency, Sean Marks could be willing to move on from the TLC reclamation project to make room to re-sign Blake Griffin or Jeff Green.

https://twitter.com/frabasketball/status/1418129740846837762?s=21

Although his time might be up in Brooklyn, TLC isn’t a lost cause. At the age of 26, NBA teams can still find use for Luwawu-Cabarrot’s talents. Players like Nerlens Noel, Montrezl Harrell, and Cam Payne were able to prove their worth later on in their 20s, and Luwawu-Cabarrot has the ability to similarly improve and become a valuable role player.

France is a solid team that consistently makes deep runs in the FIBA World Cup and the Olympics, so Luwawu-Caborot will have plenty more opportunities to prove his worth to NBA teams and fans around the world.

However, with one year left on his contract in Brooklyn, Sean Marks should be TLC’s biggest supporter for two reasons: he might show the ability to improve and become a key bench player for the Nets, or he could become valuable enough to move for assets that help win the Nets a championship now.

The Nets currently own lots of draft capital with picks at 27, 44, 49, and 59 in the upcoming NBA Draft. TLC, alongside the rumored-to-be-available Landry Shamet, could be enticing for some teams looking to move around and gain more picks in the draft.

Yet I also understand the need to hold onto players that were around while the Nets were at their lowest points, and nobody will ever forget TLC’s incredible bubble performance.

For now, Marks and the Nets will do whatever they feel is right to help win the Nets a championship in 2022.

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