cgf wrote:Knickstape1214 wrote:cgf wrote:
I've only seen him play a couple of times, so my opinion isn't exactly hard set yet lol; though my french friend who I usually talk to about soccer...he works for one of the academies in france & a lot of my friends back in germany work in PR for german football clubs...was gushing about Sekou when basketball came up. Though he loves him some france, he's good about being critical of young french talents & the way he described Sekou jived with the player I saw Doumbouya have the foundation to become. Namely a combo forward who's jumper has made great strides, who can create with the ball in his hands, has huge upside defensively, and the powerful frame to be able to deputize as a smallball 5 down the line.
What are the big question marks with Doumbouya that I haven't noticed yet?
Loose handle, step(s) slow on defense, poor finisher, and shooting isn’t there yet (form looks WAY better in a clip I saw a couple days ago, which is good). As for playmaking - I don’t think he has that at all. Didn’t show it at the U18s either.
Upside for sure, but that’s really it.
Is his handle significantly looser than Knox's? That's an aspect of the game I'm not great unless a kid has an obvious issue...dribbling too high / avoiding his off hand / dribbling off his foot often.
His shot isn't there yet, but that form has me believing it'll start dropping regularly...like I feel about Frank & Knox. Sure there's always McLemore's out there who has the prettiest shot that never goes in; but I generally give kids with good form the benefit of the doubt.
From what I remember he spent some time initiating the offense & I liked the way he delivered kickouts or swung it around the perimeter...again in a very limited sample. I guess I let Kentucky-Knox affect my perception too much when I said Sekou's more advanced as a playmaker, but it felt like a more natural part of his game than Knox's when I watched him...granted I never watched Knox in HS, and he showed a lot more potential as a passer in SL than I was expecting.
And slow on defense in what sense? Reading the action / reacting around the rim / staying in front of dudes on the perimeter? Like I said I see more a stretch 4 / smallball 5 in him, so he doesn't need to be as quick on the perimeter as someone like Little.
Handle is looser than Knox's IMO. Last year's form was not good, IMO. It looks like he's made a few changes and looks way better. His offense, in general, is very very raw. 24th percentile overall, 26th on jumpers, 32nd around rim (does not take contact well, left hand looks bad, right hand limited touch). 18% turnover rate for someone who had his role is bad, and 9% FT rate is bad as well. 9 total possessions creating in the PnR last year...that's nothing. If he was ever used as a creator, and I don't think he ever really was, it was just a simple drive/kick. His best offensive skill was cutting (on film and Synergy wise), but because of his finishing, even that was mediocre. 37th percentile there. His U18s weren't all that great, either. I thought Frank definitely looked better, and Mokoka showed more skill as well (he's actually someone I really like as a 3/D guy long term - reminds me of Kelenna Azubuike).
As for his defense, slow reacting. He moves his feet fine, but he does not have the awareness - like I said, he seemed a step or more slow on rotations. I started watching him because I thought if he had anything going for him, it'd be his defense. I came away pretty disappointed off of what I saw with him playing with Poitiers last year. Maybe that's an age thing and he looks better this year playing with a new team (Limoges), but he's raw.
His athleticism doesn't even pop either...
As for position, he's a 4 - especially in today's NBA. I can definitely see some small ball 5 in the future, as you said, but he has a ways to go to reach his full potential. As of right now, I see a better Al Farouq Aminu more than any other player - those Giannis comparisons which people were throwing out last year were wayyyyyy off base. Another year of experience, a tighter shot, tighter handle, and a year of defensive improvement could do wonders and change that projection, but I think people generally have the wrong idea about what he is now. Potential is there, though...as it is with every player his age.
