By Aris Barkas/ barkas@eurohoops.net
If you are interested in young European talent, chances are that you have heard the name Alpha Kaba many times.
Born in Blois, France, and having Guinean roots, the 22-year-old center is a natural talent, and for the past few years that was the problem with him. Everyone was able to see flashes of this talent, but not consistency.
And while Kaba’s name was constantly mentioned as an NBA draft prospect, he ended up being the 60th pick of the NBA draft in 2017. One month later he signed a three-year contract with ASVEL in a move that might end up being a game changer.
As a member of a top French team with high goals, which includes a spot in the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague starting next season, Kaba was not considered a prospect anymore, but a player who could mature and be able to really help his team.
In 15 EuroCup games last season, he averaged 5.5 points and 4.9 rebounds. Not exactly stellar numbers, but he was still just 21 years old.
Then, at the end of August, just before the start of this season, it was announced that Kaba would miss three months of action due to an elbow injury.
This is the point where some might wonder if his talent might never reach its full potential, leaving another young athlete among the list of “what-ifs”.
Now, fast forward to the first game of 2019.
ASVEL is playing on the road against Lokomotiv Kuban Krasnodar in its first game for the Top 16. The Russian powerhouse has lost just 10 home games during this decade. ASVEL, on the other hand, had not won a road game beyond the regular season in eight 7DAYS EuroCup campaigns dating back to the 2005-06 season.
The situation was even weirder. ASVEL decided to travel by charter flight early on game day. They had to refuel in Bucharest and they were stuck in the air when they entered Russian airspace for some unknown reason. They finally landed just in time for getting directly to the gym for the game.
It was just the third EuroCup game this season for Kaba, who had once again has shown flashes of his talent on the road against Zenit St. Petersburg, with 12 points and 8 rebounds.
But when all was said and done against the mighty Lokomotiv, Kaba has his first double-double in the EuroCup, with 16 points and 13 rebounds. He also posted EuroCup personal bests in performance index rating (26), offensive rebounds (9) and blocks (4).
While it’s obvious that he loves to play in Russia — his EuroCup career high in points, 17, came on December 2017 on the road against Zenit — the moral of this story is different.
ASVEL remains perfect with a 3-0 record in the Top 16 and Kaba is averaging 10.3 points and 8.7 rebounds. More than half of those rebounds (4.7) have been on offense, and he blocks 2.3 shots per game, which means he ranks first in the Top 16 in both categories. He is 15th in this phase in PIR with 17.0 per game.
As he prepares to celebrate his 23rd birthday on January 29, Alpha Kaba is finally starting to demonstrate his abilities in the EuroCup. If can stay at this level of production, the sky is the limit for him and also for ambitious ASVEL.
Photo credit: EuroCup