I'm playing catchup so today we've got a two-fer. Both workouts feature players that can be described by a few of draft analysts' favorite labels: "raw," "untapped potential," and "toolsy."
Mouhamed Gueye
Gueye is a physical specimen. He's 6'10.25'' without shoes and possesses a 7'3.25'' wingspan. Even at that massive size, he's a fluid mover and has considerable burst. You may have seen a jaw dropping practice highlight of his go viral.
He has the size and he's not a stiff. So why isn't he a bigger name? Gueye didn't play organized basketball until 2019. A native of Senegal, soccer was his primary sport growing up until his size made it obvious that he needed to switch to hoops.
He came to America and played on his first organized basketball team at Prolific Prep, where Jalen Green was a teammate. Despite being so inexperienced, he reclassified and started college early at Washington State. Even as a basketball novice, Gueye started almost immediately as his athletic tools made it impossible to keep him off the court.
His biggest strength is offensive rebounding. His size and athleticism shine through when cleaning the glass as he averaged nearly 3.5 a game.
He also shows upside as a grab-and-go rebounder. His handle and passing are raw but he put glimpses of his soccer-player feel on tape. There's reason to believe that he can grow into a role as a connector with some development.
His shooting stroke isn't broken but the percentages aren't there yet. He's a career 27% three-point shooter. However, it's important to remember that he's still very green and has growth potential. For example, he increased his free throw percentage from 49% his Freshman season to 67% as a Sophomore.
He feels like the type of player the Raptors would target in the first round. If we could get him on a two-way contract I'd be thrilled about his upside.
Rayan Rupert
Rupert is another international player with great physical tools. At 6'6'' without shoes and a 7'2'' wingspan, he possesses excellent size for either wing position.
With his physical profile, it's no surprise that defense is his calling card. He's a point-of-attack specialist who uses his long arms and quick hands to torment ball handlers. He clearly takes pride on that end of the court. You won't find him dying on screens and he often picks up his assignment full-court. That tenacity put him in the good graces of his coaching staff, who started him on a talented NZ Breakers team despite Rupert only being 18 years old and having considerable offensive limitations.
Speaking of offensive limitations, Rupert lacks polish in most areas of the game when his team has the ball. One one hand he has a decent looking shooting stroke, has shown flashes of pick-and-roll creation, and can use his long strides to slalom into the lane. On the other, he shot a poor percentage from everywhere but the free throw line, doesn't have the best feel, and struggles with contact at the rim.
The inconsistency in his game is going to drive Rupert down in the draft. But, for a team willing to be patient, Rupert could be a steal. He certainly has the traits.
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