I wonder what you see in Diallo, @pgab
I don't buy his stock based on the highlights/mixtapes I've seen.
I see someone whose ceiling is Nerlens Noel. I don't see him adding significant weight on his lean frame to become a Dwight Howard mobility Center. I don't see much upside when it comes to becoming a skilled player.
He's old for a freshman(Older than Devin Booker), he's lived in Mali for his first 16 years(So there's a higher possibility of a Shabazz situation compared to other countries)
I'm sceptical.
Well I've been following Diallo's story for some time, he played HS ball like 10 minutes away from my hometown(NY High Schools haven't been a part of the national rankings for quite some time - Cheick had them safely in the top-10), at a school that plays a schedule of all out of state games.. I think Nerlens Noel is clearly a better prospect, probably just on the strength of his hands defensively.. If Nerlens is his ceiling I certainly think he will go top-10.. That HS(OSNA) produced another Mali native that's going to St. Johns, Kassoum Yakwe, whos a freakishly athletic defensive player, OSNA also has a 3rd player from Mali, who will be replacing Cheick this year, 6'10" Mamadou Doucore, might be a name to keep an eye on(looks pretty athletic/coordinated)
One thing with a player like Diallo is his ability to defend scoring Bigs, long ago Cheick DESTROYED Thon Maker in a HS game, I showed up here and posted the footage right away. It was one of those 'no doubt about it' performances that just really left an impression, Thon couldn't even secure rebounds when Cheick was near him.. I concluded Thon was overrated after watching it - since Thon has re-established his rep, so I've kinda moved Diallo up too.
Cheick couldn't have shown any better during those HS all-star games like the McDonalds game and Jordan brand classic.. I also just think he will look so much better at Kansas than Cliff Alexander last year, he should have no problem building hype..
As for how limited he is.. this is of course the $1,000,000 question, that all the NBA teams will be super concerned about.. Thing is, like I've said before, I don't think he will fall in the same pitfalls and Biyombo and Tyrus Thomas, He has better timing than those players(who both displayed great timing getting blocks - Cheick is more of a natural in other areas though), Cheick shows the ability to handle the ball a bit, he's clearly more advanced than lets say Marcus Lee when he first showed up at UK.
I'm sticking with somewhere between Faried and Clint Capela, I think that comp might stand the test of time.