Sekou Doumbouya: The future is bright for the Detroit Pistons

The Detroit Pistons got their man at #15 overall in Thursday night’s NBA Draft. Sekou Doumbouya is a Detroit Piston!

It was the least expected move that most Detroit PIstons’ fans could conceive. There were a handful of prospects that felt like the option Detroit would likely pull the trigger on. But when Sekou Doumbouya fell into Detroit’s lap. How do you say no?

It almost felt as if Gonzaga product Rui Hachimura and Sekou had flipped. Most projected Sekou being selected inside of the top ten, and Rui falling into the late-teens.

But, as Senior Adviser Ed Stefanski put it in Friday’s press conference: “I’d rather be lucky than good.”

What some need to learn about Sekou’s game is that he has a remarkable ability to run the floor in transition. Once in the open court, his athleticism is on full display with his quickness and ball handling.

Mechanically he possesses one of the purest jump shots in this year’s draft. Last year he made the jump to EuroCup club Limoges in France’s First Division, and ended the season on .482/.343/.793 shooting splits.

On May 18th of this year in a game against Paris-Levallois, Sekou finished the game with 34 points and nine rebounds. While shooting 72.2% from the field and 71.4% from three, he maintained on offense everything that Detroit needs. Constant movement without the ball, knocking down open shots in the corners on kick-outs, attacking the basket with explosiveness as well as soft touches.

He was doing it all, including that aforementioned transition dominance that Detroit values.

On the defensive end he kept active hands at all times, and protected the paint. Sekou is capable of arguably guarding one through five, so there will seldom be a defensive match up he backs down from.

Standing at six feet nine inches tall, weighing in at 230 pounds, Sekou immediately brings to the table an assortment of things Detroit will be able to utilize.

He will be attending the Pistons Summer League coming up in July.

The immediate comparison Sekou has drawn is to Pascal Siakam, a product of Dwane Casey’s development.

In Friday’s introductory press conference, Dwane agreed with the comparison, citing Sekou’s ability to “run the floor” then adding; “I mean he’s a jet when he’s out there.”

Make no mistake about it, Sekou Doumbouya is not a project. There is a legitimate chance he will see consistent minutes in this upcoming season.

Sekou has been playing professional basketball in Europe since he was just 15 years old. He’s been highly touted for several years now.

The Pistons are slowly refining their wing rotation, and with the recent acquisition of Tony Snell, Sekou will have some sharp basketball minds to take pointers from. However, he was playing in a league as a teenager that consists of grown men. That’s a step above any college team he could have played for. He possesses attributes that a considerable amount of current NBA players do not have.

“A project” is an inherently flawed label for Sekou. There was a slim to none chance that he fell to Detroit, but he did. The fan base had been saying Detroit doesn’t take risks, but they did. The Pistons wanted to draft the best player available, and they did.

A label one could place on Sekou Doumbouya?

Diamond in the rough.