NBA Comparison: Yakhouba Diawara
Strengths: Wingman who possesses the combination of burly strength and toughness on defense and finesse
in shooting ability...Loves to spot up for three pointers and can drill them when the team overall is on a roll...Possesses
above average athleticism and first step if he so chooses to do so to get to the basket, and strength allows him to finish...Tough
defender, has some tenacity on man-to-man defense and has the tools to lock his man down...NBA body and physical tools, probably
the most intriguing thing about him now especially considering his age...Plays with some level of emotion...Had a lot to overcome
as a child, moving constantly and shifting from Africa to Europe and leaving his parents and brothers and as a result he has
developed his mental toughness and conformed to different situations well...Very young prospect (1988 born), still has worlds
of time to develop his game...
Weaknesses: Average speed on the court, although he can certainly run on the open floor his lack
of great lateral quickness against NBA-caliber guards may present itself at times and make him less than an apt defender;
plays his best defense against players of his stature and physique...Never really seems to use his physical tools and take
advantage of them; often takes the finesse route and spots up for jumpshots...Needs others to create for him...Very subpar
ballhandling skills, seriously needs development...Like most African prospects, his offensive game is in need of refinement.
Can be prone to miss chippies due to lack of concentration around the basket, and can have very cold spells from the field
where he misses everything he throws up (including open jumpshots)...Mechanics are not the best...Pathetic rebounder given
his tools...Lacks court vision and passing tools...Sometimes fails to make an impact statistically...Free throw shooting (59%)
needs work...
Notes: Currently plays for LeSarthe Basket in Paris for France. Puts up averages of 7.2 ppg, 2.1
rpg and 0.9 apg, as well as 1.2 spg in approximately 21 minutes per contest. French coach Barthes Montussen often uses him
off the bench to bring defensive toughness and an athletic spark off the bench. Scouts have taken notice after his 16 point
explosion while playing lockdown defense on French star Augo Bercher (5 points on 2-12 shooting).
--Buthel Dunlap 9/30
