Before I get into the actual analysis, I’m not saying Sekou Doumbouya is guaranteed to be the next GOAT or anything, however, the last 15th overall pick out of Europe from parents who originally were from Africa who was a raw prospect and a project with extremely difficult last names to pronounce was Giannis Antetokounmpo, coincidence? Personally, I think not. While obviously I’m joking (kind of), evaluating seriously raw prospects such as Doumbouya or Giannis come with heavy room for error on both their floor and their eventual ceiling. Prior to being selected 15th by the Detroit Pistons in this past year he hailed from France were he played in the top professional league in France, the LNB Pro A. In 35 games Doumbouya averaged 7.6 points and 3.2 rebounds on 50% shooting from the field in 18 minutes a night. Although these numbers don’t jump off the page it’s more than respectable for a 17-18 year old in a league full of grown men and ex-NBA players, but Sekou wasn’t drafted solely on his play in the French League.
Born on December 23, 2000, Sekou came into the league at just 18 years old as the youngest player in the draft. Unfortunately for me, it’s gotten to that time for me when prospects are just as old as me and while Sekou is posting double-doubles against Kawhi Leonard I’m out here getting 3% tips each night from 65+ year olds, but you win some you lose some. No doubt it’s intriguing that Sekou is the youngest player in the league but even crazier Doumbouya has only been playing basketball for only 6 years. Pairing his physical tools with his years to learn the game Doumbouya has as much untapped potential as anyone in the NBA, let alone the 2019 draft. After an up-and-down rookie campaign shut down early by Covid, did Doumbouya show flashes of being a potential impact player? Today I want to look at The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly of Sekou Doumbouya.
THE GOOD:
Frame/Athleticism:
As stated the most intriguing aspect of Doumbouya is his potential and what he can be and that first step to achieving that potential is with his frame and physical tools. At 6’8 209 he comes with the Giannis-Esque trait being way too athletic for his size. Not only does he possess the strength to finish over defenders but the lateral quickness, speed, and agility to maneuver in the paint and finish around. Given his natural athletic ability he has the potential to be able to create mismatches regardless of the forward spot he’s thrown at. Many of the opposing taller forwards will have a difficult time being able to stay in front of him with his speed but smaller forwards pose the same risk of being exposed due to his own size and strength. Although he has been poor in most facets of offense this year these tools and traits are there for him to develop and there’s a clear avenue for his weaknesses to become strengths. Much like his offensive ability his defensive ability is lacking as of now but has the potential to grow into strengths, particularly his on-ball defense. If he can hone in and focus on the defensive end he has the potential to be able to switch onto and guard 2-4 and with serious work 1-4.
Work Ethic:
By no means is it set in stone he’ll hit his potential but his work ethic gives him every bit of a chance to constantly improve as a basketball player. Although seemingly every prospect these days gets reported to have an insane work ethic it’s undoubtedly true in the case of Doumbouya as not only do reports detail it but you don’t go from never picking up a basketball to practical lottery pick in six years by playing the normal amount of basketball. Coming into this year it was unsure if Doumbouya would play in the NBA or spend his time with the Grand Rapids Drive but by the end of the year he became a real contributor to the team. There’s no arguing that he was a poor shooter this year but he does have some great mechanics and if he can either speed up the shot or restrain some arc on the shot he should be able to become a decent shooter in the NBA.
THE BAD:
Lack of consistency and inexperience:
Many of Sekou’s flaws stem from the root of simply not having enough experience either leading to often defensive lapses on the court each game or an overall lack of consistency on the offensive end. For instance, starting Jan 2. where he got his first start against the Clippers he posted 10 and 11 followed by 16 and 10 in the very next game versus the Warriors which kicked off a streak of 7/8 games capped off by a 24 point 77% shooting night against the Celtics in TD Garden. While these string of games showcased what he could potentially post when he put it altogether in the next 17 games he posted double figures just once and only eclipsed 7 points 5 times. Using that lateral quickness and speed mentioned he has the ability to blow by these slower 4s put on him but a lot of the time the end product isn’t always there whether it be because of him being too out of control or a lack of touch around the rim. On offense he was reduced to standing in the corner most possessions but the same exact corner 3 could be an air-ball followed by a clean swish in back to back plays. As of now the tools are there to be able to get to the rim or develop a jump shot but as of now it’s far too inconsistent to rely on him to do anything on offense.
Fundamentals/IQ:
Stemming from the same issue of lack of experience his basketball IQ isn’t all the way there just yet. Specifically, on the defensive end he’s shown to be a capable on-ball defender but often is caught out of position on things like motion, screens, set plays, or help defense that leads to easy baskets. It seems he understands his assignment on the defensive end but just a split second too late which proves costly in the NBA. As he gets more playing time and more meaningful minutes that reaction time should improve and eventually translate to the defensive end. Much like the defensive end on the offensive end he has the right idea but it’s sometimes seconds too late which results in either a poor shot selection or an avoidable turnover.
THE UGLY:
Offensive Ability/No Playmaking Ability:
While Sekou did a great job of converting on his wide-open three point attempts and backdoor cuts to the rim, everything else on the offensive end was not so pretty. A staggering 60% of his shots came off 0 dribbles and another 11.5% off 1 dribble as well as 67.1% of his shots coming after 2 or less seconds of touching the basketball. To put it lightly Sekou has little to no offensive ability to create for himself in the slightest. When it comes to finishing around the rim he only converts 54% of shots at the rim. Even slightly more concerning is his finishing around the rim, with his left-hand finishing needs a lot of improvement as most attempts are out of control or bad misses. While he has the keys to be 3&D Wing right now with his skill set, if he wants to be a plus on the offensive end he has to improve his handle. If he wants to progress out of being relegated to standing in the corner he needs consistent moves to get by defenders and create for at least himself.
Realistic Comparison/Highest Potential Comparison:
Even though Sekou has more to improve upon throughout his career than your average top 15 pick it’s more than feasible for him to improve upon all of these weaknesses. Personally, I think the biggest thing holding Sekou back is that lack of basketball experience and the only way to improve upon that is of course actual NBA gametime. Although this results in more growing pains in his first couple seasons . A lot of this is banking on him being able to put it together. While Pascal Siakam is the obvious comparison everyone jumps to due to his size, raw ability, and lack of experience Sekou reminds me of a taller, slightly less athletic Jaylen Brown prior to his development of his handle this past season. Both were good on-ball defenders but weak team defenders with no real ability to create for himself and a mediocre shooter with a strong slashing ability.
The Closeout 