Nathan Soliman

PROFILE

FIBA U17 World Cup - June 2026
By Albert Juncà

The French forward looks stronger than he did at previous events this season. Despite this, he still has room to add muscles. The combination of his frame, skill set, and athleticism gives him great versatility to impact the game on both ends of the floor. He can bring the ball up the floor and consistently attack in face-up situations, while also having enough skill and coordination to play with his back to the basket and display fluid, coordinated moves. Compared to previous tournaments, his shot selection has also improved, as he doesn’t force things as much when attacking the rim. As a perimeter shooter, he shows a consistent release both off the catch and off the dribble. Defensively, his mobility allows him to stay in front of forwards with some ability to operate with the ball. He also uses his body well, getting physical with his chest to absorb contact and deny his opponent.

ANGE Stage 4: Belgrade - March 2026
By Albert Juncà

Forward with broad shoulders who looks more physically developed compared to the NBA Academy in Abu Dhabi. Offensively, he is the main reference on his team. Playing in transition is where he uses his length and ability to absorb contact to attack all the way to the rim. He can also find other scoring windows, such as playing with his back to the basket, showing a balanced release on post-up fadeaways or acting as a screener, diving at the correct angle to dunk. Otherwise, operating with the ball, he struggles in half-court situations to gain space off the dribble against smaller forwards. Defensively, Soliman shows a solid ability to turn his hips and stay in front of similar profiles, using his chest to crash and deny the basket. At this level, he can switch onto bigger players, playing through contact and not letting them finish easily in the paint.

NBA Academy Showcase - Abu Dhabi - September 2025
By Albert Juncà

Soliman is a versatile forward standing at 6’8”, with significant room to add muscle to his frame. Offensively, he impacts the game in multiple ways, both on and off the ball. His off-ball movement and timing on cuts to the basket are highly accurate, showing good feel for the game. With the ball in his hands, he often takes advantage of slower defenders, using his agility and first step to attack from the perimeter. Although he struggled to find shooting consistency during the tournament, his solid fundamentals and smooth, balanced release gives him clear room for improvement. Defensively, Soliman is capable of switching from positions 3 to 5, effectively using his length and maintaining strong positional awareness both on and off the ball.

FIBA U16 - European Championship Division A 2025
By Pietro Cristofori 

Soliman has proved why he has been the most highly touted prospect of his generation for the last few years. Despite being eliminated by Italy in the quarter-finals, the 6’10” power forward was dominant for large parts of the event and averaged 20.0 points and 10.0 rebounds per game. 

What impresses the most about his game is his decision-making and poise, which are very uncommon for a player of his age. His athleticism is not flashy, but it’s good enough to compete at the highest level. His skill and basketball IQ are off the charts. He can operate as an initiator on offense or just be a complementary guy.

He’s versatile and brings many valuable skills to the table for the next level. Soliman has been playing against older competition in INSEP’s youth system for three seasons now, after joining the program in 2022.

ANGE Belgrade - March 2025
By Luka Drca

He has an impressive body with a wide frame and long, muscular arms. Skilled, athletic, and powerful. One of the most talented in this tournament. His game has improved significantly, especially with the ball in his hands. He’s more comfortable running the offense, showing creativity and the ability to make plays on the perimeter. Not overly explosive, but he's a skilled player who reads the game well. He can drive both ways, find open teammates, and finish on his own with decent touch around the rim. In the open floor, he’s good, able to change direction and finish above the rim. His shooting mechanics are solid, with smooth ball release and good touch. Defensively, he can guard multiple positions, using his size and
length. He has a lot of potential.

U17 FIBA World Cup- July 2024
By Artau Pascual

Good athlete with solid positional size and core strength. Didn’t look like an underage player despite being two years younger than the competition. Used mainly as a stretch frontcourt player rather than as a go-to guy, and so has been for the last few events under the same coaching. His cadence off pump fake is great: he can get his shots off one or two dribbles attacking closeout. Sometimes he passes the outside shot when he could get it straight up. Shooting mechanics off the catch are OK, although he could speed them up. Smart player against zone defenses: he already feels comfortable from the mid-range and he has already stored some automatic, memory passes well-implemented in his game. Efficient cutter, although he didn’t get many paint touches with this team. On the defensive end, he’s switchable 3-5 and shows a solid level of engagement and awareness off-the-ball. Because of his length he can match up with guards in ball screens. Needs to keep working on his hip fluidity.


ANGT Berlin- May 2024
By Artau Pascual

Insane body and in-game maturity for a 2009-born player. Muscular, athletic and strong. Always under control of his efforts and doesn’t struggle to compete against older opponents. The ceiling is sky-high, but INSEP used him as a trouble-solver instead of building around his game: he was the go-to guy to attack zone defenses as a passer from the free-throw line and was used as a screener for Nolan Traore. Produced well with cuts and offensive boards and has excellent feel about where his space is. Touch around the rim is a work in progress, as well as self-creation when he can’t go straight line. OK spot-up shooter with translatable shooting mechanics. Made an impact at the 4 as a defender by rotating, anticipating and turning defense into offense. 

ANGT Paris- April 2024
By Pietro Cristofori

Soliman projects as a Top 5 pick in the 2028 Draft, and this event stated this. Despite being three years younger, he made the All-Tournament. Impressive size and poise for a guy of that age. Impressive ability to play over the rim. Shot looked ok. Quick finisher. Soft. Dominant: just too good for this level. All-around defender: the best defender in the competition. On defense, he will be a difference-maker in the NBA. Switched from 1 to 4. 

NBA Academy Games France- January 2024
By Pietro Cristofori

Soliman's mix of size and handles are extremely intriguing for a 14-year-old. Over the last months he has added a couple of centimeters: he's 6'8 now. His shoulders are wide, his hands and feet are big: he might grow up to 6'10 in the upcoming years. He had some on-ball reps in the game, not confident still, but he has playmaking upside. Impressive mobility and change of direction ability for his age and size. The shooting  mechanics look promising. Fluid execution. Extremely versatile on defense, he's already able to guard wings and forwards at the highest European youth level. My main concern with him now is his laziness. Looks soft when he finishes at the rim and makes some unforced turnovers. The motor looks low. His defensive game already projects to the NBA level, his overall strength suggests he might turn into a point forward at the NBA level in best-case scenario.

U16 European Championship- August 2023
By Artau Pascual

Outstanding frame and size. He’s naturally strong, although he still has to muscle up. Has a lot of margin to improve his athleticism, but he meets all the requirements to do so. Really lengthy: plays with long strides and covers an insane amount of ground. He played many minutes as a 5-man and did an impressive job filling the lanes and working from the baseline. He was also able to put the ball on the floor and attack closeouts and didn’t hesitate to shoot some spot-up threes. On the defensive end, he collected deflections and showed maturity rotating. Didn’t look like a 2-year younger player for most of the competition from a physical standpoint.

First impression- June 2023

Impressive athlete with outstanding tools for a player of his age. Long and aggressive first step, remarkable vertical leap and high-level contact absorption ability. He's able to put rim pressure both attacking off the dribble or cutting. If he keeps polishing his ball-handling ability he'll reach easily the next stages of his development. Needs to keep improving his outside shooting ability, but he meets the requirements to turn into a reliable spot up shooter and has the potential to create shots for himself. On the defensive end, as of right now, he's switchy on the ball and disruptive off the ball. Solid and committed defensive rebounder.