Potential Player for our 1st Round Draft Pick: Keita Bates-Diop

Who is Keita Bates-Diop?

Keita Bates-Diop is a 6'7" forward with a 7'1" wingspan, good athleticism, some scoring ability, and an ability to rebound and protect the basket like a 4. A tweener in a good way. He's 22 years old and a junior.

Where's he from?

Bates-Diop is from Bloomington, Illinois and plays his college ball at Ohio State University. (I'm being told it's THE Ohio State University.) Some pretty good 6'5" combo guard came from there.

What makes him worth our first round pick?

Bates-Diop is a mismatch at the 3 and 4 offensively and has the overall game to play both positions effectively. At 235 pounds, he's got a grown man body and enough strength to hold his own against bigs and physical wings both on the block and the perimeter. He's a strong rebounder on the defensive end (7.4 drpg, slightly below Mo Bamba and Marvin Bagley) and capable shot blocker (1.6 bpg), giving us the ability to play small ball with him at the 4 without completely giving up size. He's also got enough athleticism and length (7'1" wingspan) to guard 3s and contest shots. He projects as a pretty good defender in the NBA.

Bates-Diop is a scorer who can shoot. He's a good athlete and can finish above the rim in traffic. He's got a back to the basket game to punish guards and smaller wings and a mid-post game where he can use the threat of a jumper or drive to keep bigs on their heels. He's a good shooter (37% from 3, 79% from FT) and comfortable working off the ball as a spot up shooter. His athleticism and shooting make him dangerous filling the wing in transition. He's also capable of grabbing some offensive rebounds (1.4 a game) and scrapping for second chance points.

He can walk in and score from day one. Fills a big need at backup SF.

Final notes:

Bates-Diop will need to shore up his ball handling and playmaking skills in order to play small forward on the offensive end. But that shouldn't (and probably won't) stop us from picking him. He won't be asked to do that often with Lonzo, Ingram, and Randle on the roster and his unique skill set allows him to work alongside Kuzma in lineups with a traditional center and Randle when we go small ball. He's a perfect fit for modern day NBA and has the tools to be an effective 3 and D player.