In theory, Moussa Diabaté is exactly what the Charlotte Hornets should want in a center. With three high volume guards, the center needs to rebound effectively and score efficiently in his chances. And this has been done. Check out his last three games:
13 points and 15 boards, followed by 10-and-10 and 10-and-5.
That’s an average of 10 boards per game. As a starter, he’s averaging 8.2 PPG and 10.4 boards on 60.6% shooting. If you’re in a league that counts offensive boards as a category, 5 of his rebounds are offensive on average. The guy is a flurry of activity.
Is he actually good though? Well, advanced stats from Dunks and Threes paint a rosy picture. Both his rebounding and block rate are over the 85th percentile. True shooting is also at a similar level (86th percentile). Estimated wins is 2.1, meaning Charlotte projects to win about two more games over a season with Diabate versus a replacement-level center.
If Diabate is out there, y0u need to sprint to pick him up.
And then you might want to trade him.
The Hornets aren’t a normal team, trying to win consistently. They likely want some size to add to their three headed guard monster, and in the past have prioritized draft position over short term success. This will likely lead to more Ryan Kalkbrenner minutes even though he may be a worse player.
So Diabate is a double double waiting to happen, but might not get the opportunity depending on the Hornets’ decision making process. I’m riding him now, but will be quick to jump off.
Collin Murray-Boyles, mentioned here at Razzball in this article, is getting as many center minutes as a rookie that he can handle in Toronto. His last two games he’s played 42 and 32 minutes, averaging 11 rebounds and 14.5 points in those games. With Jacob Poetl’s injury lingering and the team’s defensive identity established, CMB may just stick in the center role this season. But will he?
He is not an efficient shooter, with a 7th percentile free throw percentage at 62%. He is a solid finisher at the rim (65th percentile) and from three (60th). Most of his baskets are assisted which fits his role as the fifth option. CMB can concentrate on what he does well and ignore the playmaking part of his game, which is good because his turnovers outpace his assists.
As the ninth overall pick, CMB is worthy of the Raptors’ investment in him as he is worthy of yours. As a starter he’s slashing 10/6/3 and can chip in a block and steal per game. He’s a good starter in any league with upside to be a prime Draymond Green clone.
Another rookie, Memphis’ Cedric Coward, is making noise as one of the lone bright spots for the Grizzlies. As a starter in 23 of his 36 games played, he’s averaging 13 points, 7 rebounds and 3 assists. Coward has started his last 15 games played, so this is the floor of the production we can expect. As with all rookies, development isn’t linear, but Coward seems like his trajectory is heading upward.
You can count on great rebounding numbers for the guard eligible youngster, as well as contributions in assists. Turnovers can be an issue, though; at 2-3 per game he’s not going to hurt you but won’t help either. But Coward’s hype was from three pointers. Is the juice worth the squeeze?
Not so much! Percentage wise, Coward’s shooting is 47% on the season, 34% from distance. His 84% free throw percentage does bode well for his form yielding increased results, though, as long as he doesn’t hit a rookie wall (only played 6 games in college, this is a huge jump) he could end up with 2-3 treys per game. Only shooting 4 three pointers isn’t sufficient, though, for that jump. We will see if Coward can add this in an impactful way.
Right now, Coward is a solid starter who is rising in importance to the Grizzlies’ future. If the rumored Ja Morant deals come to fruition, Coward will get even more on-ball reps. He’s still rosterable in all leagues going forward.
Thanks for reading and have a great week!
