Age: 18
Height, Weight: 6-foot-9, 210 pounds
Slash Line (LNB Pro A): .522/.295/.696
Season Averages: 6.5 PPG, 3.0 RPG, 0.5 APG, 0.6 SPG, 0.6 BPG, 0.6 3PM
The international man of mystery for this draft, Sekou Doumbouya, arrives at No. 16 to the Detroit Pistons. At least one pops up each year, with Kristaps Porzingis and Frank Ntilikina as two over the past four drafts.
Doumbouya sits between them, at 6-foot-9 and a few shades over 200 pounds. He’s light for his size and probably needs to bulk up in the NBA or with a stint in the G League.
Defensively, this Frenchman’s wingspan of seven-plus feet, coupled with his aforementioned frame, provides intriguing upside at this end of the court. He’s versatile enough to play either forward position and maybe center down the road, when he adds strength to work against the NBA’s larger big men.
This past EuroLeague run, Doumbouya only had 6.5 points, which adjusted to 14.9 Per 36 Minutes. With limited impact rebounding and shooting the ball, his offensive skills are raw and will need multiple years to develop. That turns his lottery-esque potential into someone that may slip into the mid-teens and further.
The Pistons have money tied up in their frontcourt, but Doumbouya offers a long-term project for them to work behind Andre Drummond and Blake Griffin, given the lack of a depth chart there, aside from Thon Maker‘s recent arrival and Zaza Pachulia.
Doumbouya has potential, but probably not within the New York Knicks’ range at this point of the draft.