Pistons: Sekou Doumbouya deserves minutes or Detroit could be sorry
Two years after being selected 15th overall in the 2019 NBA Draft, it seems like Sekou Doumbouya has been largely written off by the Detroit Pistons. This makes no sense, as he has shown some bright flashes in his short career.
The 6-foot-9 Doumbouya is a very streaky shooter from anywhere on the floor, but as a 20-year-old drafted out of Europe, without any real professional experience, that is to be expected.
He can easily be taught how to be more productive on the offensive end of the court and on defense, he has already shown what he brings to the table.
In a stint in the G-League two years ago, he was one of the league’s best defenders, able to switch out onto any position as needed.
In limited play in Detroit, his steal and blocking percentages hover just around average for the team, and his interior shot efficiency has shown a small increase.
Doumbouya is not going to be the player the Detroit Pistons rebuild around, that much is clear (see Cunningham, Cade for that). But he could eventually work his way up to play a similar role to th Atlanta Hawks’ John Collins, or other high-flyers who excel on the defensive end.
The size, length, and athleticism that Doumbouya brings to the table are absolutely phenomenal. He is also one of the youngest players on the team so, of course, he’s going to be raw and unpolished unless he gets real playing time.
The lack of the Pistons having a G-League affiliate this last season really hurt Doumbouya’s development.
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In France, he excelled at scoring on the move while driving to the hoop or from mid-distance off the dribble. Most of his early career faults can be chalked up to a low basketball IQ, which makes sense, given that up until now, he was able to dominate with just his athletic advantages.
Doumbouya doesn’t just deserve more playing time, he needs it and the Pistons organization needs him to play. After next season he could remain on the roster for another year, but the Detroit Pistons would need to boost his salary by almost two and a half million dollars.
Without seeing what he’s capable of, Detroit wouldn’t be able to justify shelling out that kind of money on someone who only plays 15 minutes a night.
There are three possible outcomes to giving him playing time.