[Editorial] France – Israel: a necessary wake-up call for Les Bleus?

The French team fell for the first time in this EuroBasket 2025, Sunday evening in Katowice, against Israel (82-69). After a good start (20-10 after eight minutes), Les Bleus gradually faded, culminating in a catastrophic final quarter. Several lessons emerge from this poor performance.

Rethinking the hierarchy?

By quickly opening his bench, Frédéric Fauthoux wanted to give playing time to some previously underused players, like Nadir Hifi or Timothé Luwawu-Cabarrot. But the gamble didn’t pay off. Kept on the court despite their struggles, they watched the Israelis come back and gain confidence. Moreover, during this time the key players cooled off and returned to the court with reversed momentum. This defeat could push the staff to tighten their rotation and clarify the hierarchy.

Overconfidence punished

In the first two matches, Les Bleus shone offensively (92 points against Belgium, 103 against Slovenia). But against Israel, they settled for taking what the opposing defense gave them. They got stuck in static play and taking rhythmless 3-point shots. Ball movement and alternating plays, though effective early in the game, disappeared when they were most needed against the zone defense. After this reminder, players will certainly be driven to push harder to keep executing the game plan.

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Small-ball strategy costly this Sunday?

Without Alex Sarr, the French team still had interior options with the starting pair Jaiteh – Yabusele and substitute Jaylen Hoard. The latter, very good early in the game, only played seven minutes before halftime. Les Bleus ended up struggling with rebounds (42 to 33). This lack of interior presence also contributed to difficulties against Israel’s zone defense with too much perimeter play.

A blessing in disguise?

With this defeat, France complicates its path to the quarterfinals, but regardless of their pool ranking – assuming qualification – a tough opponent from Group C (Greece, Spain, Italy, Bosnia-Herzegovina or Georgia) awaits on Sunday in Riga. However, this wake-up call could serve as a shock treatment. Against undefeated Poland on Tuesday, Les Bleus will have a chance to show character. A response is expected. As for the potential quarter-final, while Serbia was expected to be in the path of Group D’s second place, it’s not certain anymore. Indeed, Serbia has shown some concerning signs in the group stage, and Bogdan Bogdanovic is out for the Euro. Moreover, it’s not guaranteed that Thursday’s final group match against Turkey will be played at 100% by either team. So finishing first in Group D might not be as decisive as expected to avoid the team that was designated as favorite before the competition.