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          NBA draft scouting: Doumbouya could develop into an Al-Farouq Aminu type of starter

          • Mike Schmitz, ESPNFeb 19, 2019, 02:00 PM

          Mike Schmitz spent 19 days in Europe evaluating NBA draft prospects in Germany, France, Italy, Lithuania, Slovenia, Spain, Denmark and Montenegro. Here are his big takeaways, starting with ESPN's top-ranked international prospect for 2019.

          About a year ago in Blois, France, 17-year-old Sekou Doumbouya turned in an uninspiring 23-minute performance with his mother, his agent, the coach who discovered him and an NBA scout all in the stands. Less than an hour from his hometown of Orleans, France, Doumbouya finished the game shooting 0-for-3, walking around on the defensive end and displaying poor body language.

          "Tonight I feel bad, I feel sick," Doumbouya told ESPN after the game. "But it's not a reason for this."

          Playing for Poitiers in the French second division, Doumbouya showed all the signs of a young prospect not close to maximizing his sky-high potential. The 6-9 forward -- dubbed the next great prospect out of France as a young teen -- weighed more than 230 pounds, still donning baby fat while battling an ankle issue that hampered his agility. His pregame routine was loose and casual, as was his play. Doumbouya and his club eventually finished that season 11-23, and questions about how seriously he took his development swirled among international scouts.

          A year later, Doumbouya -- now sporting a green and white No. 45 jersey in Limoges -- made a statement during his first game back from thumb surgery that had sidelined him for six weeks. On his first touch of the game, he electrified a sold-out 6,500-person crowd by taking a defensive rebound coast-to-coast for an emphatic one-handed slam. After the highlight, Doumbouya flexed his lean 222-pound frame. It was just the beginning of his spirited nine-point, five-rebound outing in 17 minutes off the bench in France Pro A, the country's top league.

          "The coast-to-coast dunk in my eyes was just NBA s---, stuff you don't see a ton in Europe," said Limoges point guard and former Wisconsin standout Jordan Taylor.

          That evening Doumbouya was filled with boundless energy, looking like an entirely different prospect. He crashed the glass aggressively, flew around defensively and even knocked down a corner 3 with sound mechanics. His transformation from hyped teen into top-10 NBA draft hopeful is finally trending in the right direction.

          Although Doumbouya struggled with his feel and discipline at the Leaders Cup this past weekend, his stock had been rising before the thumb surgery. In his three games before the injury, he scored an efficient 36 points in 58 minutes. He carried that momentum into his physical and skill-development plan while on the shelf.

          "I've matured a lot -- that's the main difference between last year and this year," Doumbouya said. "I'm a better person on the court, off the court. Every day I'm with family men."

          Doumbouya's early years and move to Limoges

          It's no surprise that Doumbouya struggled during his teenage years in France, which is often criticized for its lack of basketball development infrastructure save a few major clubs. Born in Guinea before moving to France a year later, Doumbouya grew up in Orleans with mostly his mother and three sisters. His father is a soldier in the Guinea military. Doumbouya spent most of his youth as a striker on the soccer field, before he was discovered by local coach Benoist Burguet in the stands of a basketball game at age 12.

          "I played the 5," Doumbouya said. "Pretty much run, dunk and that's it."

          Doumbouya eventually landed at INSEP (Paris), then the premier development academy in France. The teenager was away from his family with grand expectations to shoulder, as he played his first pro game before turning 15. While showing some glimpses of potential, Doumbouya lasted only two years at the academy. He had trouble adjusting to the professional environment and the pairing soured for both parties.

          After two inconsistent seasons with Poitiers, Doumbouya and his camp were in dire need of rebuilding the draft stock that once had him as high as No. 4 on our 2020 mock draft. This past offseason he left Poitiers for Limoges -- a high-pressure club that competes in both Pro A and EuroCup. Limoges has the most intense atmosphere of any club in France. The fans and management expect wins.

          "It's probably the best European environment I have been in if we are talking about solely basketball," said Taylor.

          Doumbouya's camp did an excellent job putting its prized prospect in position to focus solely on basketball, competing for a team where taking plays off isn't an option. The club hired longtime mentor Benoit Gomis to coach as an assistant on the under-21 team, and he live with Doumbouya. Limoges also brought on Yacine Aouadi to work with Doumbouya individually, oftentimes twice a day -- a rarity for French clubs. It beefed up its athletic training staff, and moved Doumbouya less than a two-minute walk from the arena.

          Doumbouya works with Frank Kuhn (the athletic trainer for the senior men's national team) intently on ankle mobility and glute strength, regularly going through a series of lunges and squats to untap his tremendous athletic potential. He arrived in Limoges with ankle pain and struggles with consistent mobility, which Kuhn and his staff have addressed aggressively over the last few months.

          Doumbouya's approach is also different. He starts workouts with two-ball dribbling, goes into finishing, spot-up and pull-up shooting and then off-the-dribble moves, all with intent and curiosity. Often too casual in the past, Doumbouya has turned into a team and crowd favorite by balancing his jovial nature and knowing when to compete.

          "That's my nature," Doumbouya said. "Every day I was a happy guy."

          How Doumbouya projects to the NBA

          Doumbouya is now playing a similar role to the one he'll own early in his NBA career. He's a multi-positional defender who adds value on the glass, in transition, as a cutter and occasionally in spot-up situations. He's built for a more up-and-down, free-flowing NBA game so long as his motor is revved up.

          His fundamentals, discipline and consistency can improve on the defensive end -- especially off the ball, as he's committing 6.1 fouls per 40 minutes so far -- but Doumbouya can slide with guards, body bigs or cover ground in the blink of an eye to erase shots at the rim. At 6-9, 220 pounds with an 8-11 reach, Doumbouya would have no problem holding his own physically in an NBA game today.

          "He fits into that position-less basketball mold," Taylor said. "When he's locked in defensively, he is tough."

          If he lands in the right situation, Doumbouya could develop into an Al-Farouq Aminu type of starter who defends multiple positions and plays off of creators. There's also more skill potential to Doumbouya than initially meets the eye. He shoots an extremely soft ball, even though he lacks discipline with his mechanics. While not a great ball handler in tight spaces or the most instinctual passer, Doumbouya is effective on both ends of the floor when he keeps it simple, and he can continue incrementally adding more and more to his game.

          He has quite a few traits that will help his transition to the NBA. His English is steadily improving. He's spent weeks during the summer working out with trainer Tyler Relph in Dallas, and played in Los Angeles during the 2018 Basketball Without Borders, shining as the clear-cut top prospect. Plus, he's more than aware of his draft competition.

          "Every day when I wake up and walk to the gym, after practice, I watch everything," Doumbouya said. "Zion [Williamson] is a good player. Physically, it's crazy. He's a good player ... I think I'm in a good position about other players in my class. Like Zion, RJ Barrett, Bol Bol, Cam Reddish, I think I'm in a good position."

          As has been the case in Limoges, the situation is going to be integral to the type of NBA player Doumbouya becomes. He needs veterans to look up to and structure to follow. But in the interim, Doumbouya has done an excellent job of rebuilding his body, draft stock and approach over the past year -- all of which should earn him looks in the top-10 come June.

          Bitadze's first-round case

          While Doumbouya is what most American-based executives look for in a prospect physically, ask international scouts which European prospect they'd take first and you'll get a different answer: Goga Bitadze, who brings hands, touch and feel at 6-foot-11.

          The Georgian big man is not an ideal fit in the modern NBA from a perimeter defense standpoint, but the 19-year-old has more than enough skill to warrant mid-first-round looks. We evaluated Bitadze against Olimpija Ljubljana on the road in Slovenia and against Russian club Khimki Moscow at home in Podgorica, Montenegro.

          He's regularly one of the first players on the court, going through a deliberate workout and getting shots up after practice. In an era when some prospects sit out to boost their draft stock, it's nearly impossible to keep Bitadze off the floor when he's healthy.

          That eager nature has gotten him in trouble in the past, as he was oftentimes a bit too wild on the floor. He still has issues with foul trouble and slowing down as a decision-maker, but Bitadze has put his adaptability to good use this season, adjusting admirably to yet another new situation since he joined EuroLeague team Buducnost Podgorica on loan in late December. Bitadze, who started playing basketball in his home country of Georgia at age 6, moved to Serbia by himself at age. Bitadze taught himself Serbian in four months and became a mainstay on the Georgia junior national team. Soon he started showed up at virtually every international scouting event.

          He has put up signature performances against Real Madrid, Milano and Gran Canaria, while averaging 13.1 points, 6.6 rebounds and 2.9 blocks per game in 25.3 MPG of EuroLeague action. Maybe the most experienced 19-year-old in all of Europe with 86 pro games, Bitadze deserves more mid-first-round buzz given his resume. He's a nimble roller, physical finisher and instinctual offensive rebounder. His finishing might not translate perfectly against long athletes, but his potential as a stretch big along with his feel and shot-blocking instincts make him intriguing in today's NBA.

          "I think I can become a great shooter from outside the line," Bitadze said.

          He can pop to 3 and the midrange or facilitate out of short rolls. He's not the most polished post scorer or vertical finisher, but he's improved his conditioning. He's quick off his feet for his size and should continue adding more touch shots and craft to his game.

          On the other end of the floor, Bitadze doesn't project as a switch defender in the NBA. Jordan Mickey roasted him time and time again on the perimeter in the matchup we saw. Bitadze's perimeter defense is where he's going to frustrate more small-ball-oriented coaches. He's not always the most assertive defensive rebounder, either, but he has developed into an excellent rim protector -- something most of the Enes Kanter-type bigs who are getting run off the floor don't have as a skill.

          While he shares a physical profile similar to that of Kanter and Willy Hernangomez, Bitadze has instincts and an ability to get off the floor quickly. Dropping deep into the paint every pick-and-roll possession is less than ideal, but if teams can funnel the ball handler to the rim, Bitadze is more than capable of deterring shots.

          So long as his medical tests check out, Bitadze has a chance to hear his name called as high as the mid-first round come June, especially if he performs well in workouts and interviews. Given his EuroLeague production and consistent improvement, Bitadze has as high of a floor as any international prospect in the draft in what's looking like a two-player race with Doumbouya.

          Mikhailovskii's confident offense

          We traveled to Aarhus, Denmark, to get eyes on 6-8 Russian guard Nikita Mikhailovskii as his club, Saratov, took on the Bakken Bears in FIBA Europe Cup competition. With four NBA scouts on hand, Mikhailovskii posted a season-high 25 points in just 27 minutes of an overtime victory while knocking down 6 of 7 3s. Over his past five games, Mikhailovskii is averaging 15.2 points in 23.3 minutes while shooting 66.7 percent from deep. He has improved his draft stock as much as any other international prospect over the past month.

          The 18-year-old doesn't stand out physically, with an average frame and a 6-7½ wingspan. He's foul-prone and gets taken advantage of by more physical wings on defense. But he has quick feet in tight spaces and makes competitive plays, regularly blowing up dribble handoffs, jumping the passing lanes for steals or getting skinny over screens, which suggests he may be able to become an average defender even at the highest level as his frame fills out.

          Offensively, Mikhailovskii is oozing with confidence. He has settled into an off-ball role with Saratov, playing out of quick actions and getting out in transition, drawing some comparisons to Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk with his physical profile and style of play at the same age. He has made tremendous strides as a shooter since we first evaluated him last April, and he appears to have on-the-move shooting potential given his footwork. He can stand to become more dynamic with the ball and improve as a facilitator and finisher, but when you couple his shot-making ability with the shot creation he has shown in the past, there's a lot to like.

          Mikhailovskii has draft intrigue in 2019 and beyond, but he has questions to answer about how he'll fit in a new environment. Mikhailovskii speaks no English at the moment, and doesn't have the best reputation for accepting coaching or overall intangibles. Major Russian clubs CSKA Moscow and Khimki are sure to come bidding for the shooting guard, who is the country's lone future prospect at the moment. Basketball is quite lucrative for even the most run-of-the-mill players in Russia, and it's often tough to justify leaving for a minimal NBA role. Mikhailovskii's camp ensures that making the NBA is the goal, and it'll make a decision on whether to fully enter the 2019 draft closer to June.

          Standout athletes Eboua and Ilic

          Far and away the most intriguing draft-eligible athletes we evaluated were Dalibor Ilic (6-9, 205 pounds, 7-0 wingspan) and Paul Eboua (6-8, 225 pounds, 7-3 wingspan).

          We traveled to Forli, Italy, to see Eboua in the Italian second division, known as LegaDue, where he plays for Roseto. Known for his outstanding frame, length and leaping ability, Eboua showed glimpses of his tremendous potential at 2018's Basketball Without Borders, prompting us to add him to our scouting calendar.

          While he battled foul trouble and finished 3-for-8 in the game we attended, his long-term intrigue was clear as a versatile defender who is slowly but surely making strides as a perimeter shooter. Defensively and physically, Eboua resembles a young De'Andre Hunter with his ability to sit down and slide on the perimeter, as he regularly checks point guards or chases shooters around the 3-point line. He can switch onto bigs with ease, using his shredded 225-pound frame to battle in the post. He's strong and long enough to slide all the way up to the 5 for stretches as well.

          "I like Kawhi [Leonard] -- I try to play like him," Eboua said.

          Given his late start to playing basketball, Eboua's defensive instincts and fundamentals still have room to improve. He's committing 6.6 fouls per 40 minutes this season and has block, steal and defensive rebounding rates below average for a player with his tools. Offensively, his game is on the clunky side. He's most useful as an energetic offensive rebounder who can finish explosively around the rim or hit an occasional spot-up jumper when given time and space. He can stand to improve the speed of his release, as he takes a deep crouch before getting into his shot. Eboua is also understandably a bit robotic as a ball-handler, decision maker and finisher given his lack of experience.

          But as far as long-term fliers go, the 19-year-old Eboua is as physically intriguing as anyone in the draft, even if his stock is more likely to max out in 2020. As long as he can learn how to defend without fouling while keeping the defense honest from 3, he has a chance to find an NBA role.

          We traveled to Ljubljana, Slovenia, to see Ilic, the 6-9 Serbian forward who plays for Igokea. Ilic has a tremendous frame, an 8-11 standing reach and fluidity rare for his size. He has shown glimpses of talent at the FIBA level, where he's much more of a playmaker as a mismatch forward than we've seen in the Adriatic League.

          In 16 minutes against fellow draft prospect Luka Samanic, Ilic didn't have a major impact, as he looked indecisive on offense, was a split second-late rotating for blocks and got scored on in the post. Even so, he slid on the perimeter impressively for a player his size, moved the ball well and looked the part of a potential NBA player with his physical attributes. For teams to fully buy into Ilic, they'll have to get a better feel for his jumper, which is on the slow and mechanical side despite the sound rotation. He's hitting 43.5 percent from 3 on only 23 attempts this season.

          Ilic also can stand to get tougher and more assertive on both ends, but the 18-year-old has a lot more playmaking in his game than he's shown. He told ESPN that he's eyeing the 2020 draft, but given his murky situation in Igokea, it wouldn't be shocking for a team to try and make a play at him a year early. Ilic plays only one game per week in the Adriatic League, and Igokea is in real danger of getting relegated to the second division, which is an extremely low level. Ilic has interest from other clubs for next season, and where he ends up will play a large role in determining his long-term draft stock.

          The difficulty in evaluating Samanic

          No player in this international draft class fluctuates as wildly from game to game quite like 19-year-old Croatian forward Luka Samanic. We first saw Samanic against Buducnost (9 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists in 29 minutes) and then later against Igokea (18 points, 8 rebounds in 21 minutes). Samanic has long struggled with in-game adversity, having issues moving on to the next play after making a mistake. While he put together an even performance against Buducnost that featured sound defense and fluid straight-line drives, his showing against a subpar Igokea team captured his young career well.

          Samanic started the Igokea game off with an unforced turnover in the backcourt after collecting an impressive block, and from there the wheels came off. He coughed the ball up multiple times in the post, missed three consecutive free throws and looked frail around the rim defensively. It was a tough first half with a handful of NBA scouts on hand. With his team up big in the second half, Samanic started to pour it in with the pressure off. He hammered home two explosive dunks, cashed a catch-and-shoot 3 and even looked fairly instinctual as a playmaker, finishing the game with a hardy box score.

          Samanic has the natural ability and modern NBA fit. But he's a big-time talent who looks tremendous when things are going well and often fragile when things go wrong. If he decides to keep his name in the draft, he'd without question get selected -- even as high as the early second round. Samanic is one of the draft's most difficult prospects to evaluate given his sometimes unpredictable nature. Scouts will hope to get a better feel for him at the Nike Hoop Summit in April, if he's selected and allowed to participate.

          Deividas Sirvydis' struggles

          The 6-9 Lithuanian's hype has hit a bit of a snag, as his minutes have decreased and he's shooting just 18.8 percent from 3 over his past five games. He had an excellent start to the season and looked like he might even be able to sniff the first round if he kept up his play. But the 18-year-old lefty simply hasn't been making shots, and he's proven to be a liability on the defensive end of the floor.

          Sirvydis has a frame similar to Luke Kennard, with short strides that limit him when trying to cover ground defensively or finish in traffic on offense. He's still at an early stage of his development physically, and as his shot has abandoned him a bit, he's been tough to keep on the floor. There's still a lot to like about Sirvydis long term. He has shotmaking potential, feel and positional size, but he looks more like a mid-second-round prospect at this stage, barring improvement the rest of the way along with a strong pre-draft process.

          More draft-eligible prospects scouted

          We evaluated Henri Drell, Joshua Obiesie, Yovel Zoosman and Amine Noua (practice), and Jonathan Givony went in-depth on those players here.