The New Orleans Pelicans decided to move up a few spots early in the second round and pick up another player from the Big 12 in Cheick Diallo.
The Pelicans traded both of their remaining picks (39 and 40) to the Los Angeles Clippers 33rd pick to pick up the freshman out of Kansas.
The former Jayhawk had a very underwhelming freshman campaign missing the first five games due to an eligibility issue and only played in 27 games last season averaging three points and 2.5 boards a game.
Strengths:
Great Size: Diallo can be a big help after a poor season last year from Omer Asik with his build. He’s a little undersized to be a great center as he’s 6’9″, but he has a ton of potential with a great wingspan and nine-foot reach. Diallo could also be a much needed boost of energy to this team’s defense as he’s shown to be a great blocker.
Put Him On the Glass: Diallo’s size could be used a number of ways and being a rebound machine could be an ideal spot for him. Despite only being in 27 games, his per-40 minutes average in rebound was over 13 in his lone year with Kansas.
Weaknesses:
Raw Talent: During his short stay with the Jayhawks, it seemed that Diallo was having a hard time learning the system. Another demerit could be that he wasn’t utilized as much because of the upperclassmen overshadowing him. This led to him not being able to learn from his mistakes as most freshmen would do.
-Clint Domingue