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Season Review: Axel Toupane

Axel Toupane has worked hard to get to this point.

Now 23, he started playing pro-level basketball as a teenager in 2008 in France, where he was born. He played there for a few years before setting his sights on the United States. After Summer League and one preseason game with the Toronto Raptors, he was picked up by Raptors 905 of the NBA Development League. In 32 games, Toupane averaged 14.6 points, 5.6 rebounds, 3.6 assists, and a steal per game. To cap it all off, at the end of the season, Toupane was named the 2015-16 NBA D-League Most Improved Player.

After being called up by the Nuggets and signing a pair of 10-day contracts, he was then given a two-year deal.

"Everybody did a great job to work with me on the team and make me feel part of the family," Toupane said. "I had no expectation coming here. I just wanted to, every time the coach called my name, to go out and work hard.”
Nuggets coach Michael Malone only had good things to say about his young forward.

“What stood out to me about watching Axel play is he is a very capable ball handler and playmaker,” Malone said. “That is seen in the assists per game that he has in the D-League. He is a capable shooter…He is a good defensive player. But I think he is a guy who can make plays. You can put the ball in his hands and expect good things to happen. He knows his role and he works hard."

Toupane rewarded the Nuggets’ confidence in him with a season-high 14 points and three rebounds on Apr. 2 against the Sacramento Kings. He followed that up with a 10 point, two rebound, two assists, and two three-pointer performance against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Apr. 5.

If this season was any indication, Axel will continue to work even harder and toward even greater heights.

Check out some of Axel's finest moments on and off the court in his season recap gallery!