After Ousmane Dieng, Ismaël Kamagate and Hugo Besson, will we have the right to a fourth French rookie in the NBA next year? Even if we have the impression that post 4 is not yet unanimous today, Moussa Diabaté made the choice to present himself to the Draft when he could have returned to college. Zoom on the Frenchie who could well create a surprise by infiltrating the last picks of this Draft 2022!
# ARE PROFIL GROSSO MODO
- Age: 20 years old, and he is Aquarius so according to his horoscope he has to give love a chance today.
- Position: Strong winger athletic
- Team: Michigan Wolverinesstill not the big-clawed superheroes.
- Height: 211 centimeters
- Weight: 98 kgthe weight of rookie Khris Middleton.
- Wingspan: 220 centimeterswhich is equal to one Bol Bol.
- Statistics 2021-22: 9 points at 54.2% shooting, 6 rebounds, 0.8 assists for 24.9 minutes of play on average over the season.
- Comparison : we don’t really know for the ceiling, but Ekpe Udoh for the floor?
- Prévision TrashTalk : middle of the second round, it will already be good!
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Moussa Diabaté was born and raised in Panama. After having made his ranges in U15 near Charenton-Le-Pont, like a certain Vavane Fournier, the Parisian was refused entry to the regional pole for school reasons. He therefore decided to leave for the United States at the age of 14 to train in the best American high schools possible. The “American way of life” is going rather well for the Parisian, and after having criss-crossed Florida, he finished his course at the prestigious IMG Academy in Bradenton, near Tampa Bay. The Frenchie is one of the best strong wingers in his class, and the thirteenth best prospect of 2021 according to ESPN joins the beautiful college of Michigan. Wolverines rookies like Moussa and Caleb Houstan are enticing, and the remaining major players have yet to prove themselves.
The freshman season therefore promises to be tough: Michigan is coming out of a complicated 2020-21 season, and the conference where the program is evolving, the Big Ten, is announced in pre-season as the toughest conference in the country. But in the end, the Wolverines regular season will not be very glorious, and especially marked by the boiling blood of coach Juwan Howard. Along with fellow freshman Caleb Houstan, and lined up in the racket alongside pivot Hunter Dickinson, Moussa and his teammates aren’t there to just make an appearance during March Madness. After passing the first two rounds with flying colors, Michigan will be eliminated in the round of 16 by Villanova, semi-finalist. As for the Frenchie’s individual season, it is difficult at the beginning but Moussa gains consistency as it goes. His best performance will even be achieved on the floor of one of the best teams in the country, the Iowa Hawkeyes. Last February, the Parisian planted 28 points on the head of Keegan Murray, voted best winger in the country and announced in the Top 5 of the next Draft. After announcing his candidacy while keeping his college eligibility in April, Moussa decided two months later to stay in the running for the NBA.
???????? Moussa Diabaté posted a new career-high, leading Michigan to a road win at Iowa. Impressive showing of skill and poise on the low block all night long: this performance seems to mark a real turning point for him in terms of maturity.
28 PTS • 12-15 FG • 4-7 FT • 8 REB pic.twitter.com/l9FuFkNbmH
— CBB Europe (@CBB_Europe) February 18, 2022
Moussa Diabaté is a physical beast: with 2.7% body fat, he has the lowest percentage of the Draft 2022 vintage. At the Combine in mid-May, the strong winger’s unique physical profile was a hit. . By lining up the best leap with momentum of any interior at 91.4 centimeters and the best times on the agility and sprint tests, franchise executives understood that the forecastle had to be taken notes. Position 4 has managed to stand out in its own way thanks to its athleticism and its indecent posters. Its finish near the basket is very good, whether on pure footwork or clean, clear circle destruction. On the other side of the field, the strong winger is mobile. He can defend on bigger than him thanks to his muscles, and on smaller than him thanks to his very furtive supports. The box-outs are very well executed, perfect for grabbing defensive rebounds, and in attack, Moussa knows how to stay close to the circle to put the ball in the back of the hoop.
If we return very quickly to the defensive aspect, Moussa accumulates 2.7 personal fouls on average per game in almost 25 minutes of play. That’s a lot, and they are also done very quickly. If in the NCAA, this is already a big number, in the NBA, it can escalate very quickly and faced with more physical pivots, this nasty defect will have to be corrected. In attack, he will also have to develop his outside shooting, whether on success or the volume of shots taken, so that his game becomes less predictable. On pick-and-roll or other games, Moussa Diabaté must be a racquet head threat, either on the shot or on the drive to go and slam everything. Then on this same game of picks, the Parisian must also learn to develop his passing game, know how to create for others by bringing out the ball in the right timings or by helping them thanks to very good screens.
# SO IF WE SUMMARIZE…
Points forts :
- Finish near the basket
- Defensive versatility
- Bounces
Weak points :
- Quick fouls
- outside shooting
- Creation for others
WHAT DOES IT SAY IN THE MOCK DRAFTS?
- ESPN announces Moussa Diabaté as non-drafted.
- Bleacher Report announces Moussa Diabaté as non-drafted.
- The Athletic announces Moussa Diabaté as non-drafted.
- Draft Room announces Moussa Diabaté in 46th position.
- Tankathon announces Moussa Diabaté as non-drafted.
Even if the mock drafts do not see Moussa Diabaté being part of the 58 lucky ones on Thursday, the Frenchman can create a surprise. He has qualities that can appeal to more than one franchise, and if you have to go through the G League box to find a place in the NBA, position 4 will not be reluctant to work, far from it.
