When Detroit Pistons’ general manager Troy Weaver traded Sekou Doumbouya to the Brooklyn Nets this offseason, he officially purged the roster of all players from the previous regime. Weaver has been left with a roster that is all his own.
Doumbouya’s time in Brooklyn was short-lived. In one preseason game with the Nets, Doumbouya went perfect from the floor managing to drop his three field goals. The former lottery pick also sank all five of his free throws. The 11 point outing against the Los Angeles Lakers was Doumbouya’s only game with Brooklyn.
The Athletic‘s Shams Charania reported that the Nets sent Doumbouya to the Houston Rockets along with a 2024 second-round pick. Charania followed his report up with the news that Doumbouya’s time with the Rockets would not even manage to be a pit stop.
The Rockets will waive Sekou Doumbouya, sources said. https://t.co/eRJ6lM3tUB
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) October 6, 2021
Just two completed seasons into his career and the 20-year-old power forward has found himself without a team. Doumbouya struggled to play consistently during his time with Detroit, but he always showed flashes of potential.
It is surprising to see a team like Houston not even give the 20-year-old a chance to play. The Rockets are still deep in the rebuilding phase, and a player with raw potential like Doumbouya would seem like a good fit for them.
With Houston moving on from Doumbouya mere minutes into his tenure with the team, the 20-year-old’s NBA future is now in question. It is hard to predict what is next for the young forward.
With most NBA team’s happy with their rosters, at least for the moment, Doumbouya’s next step is likely to catch on in the G-League.
Detroit Pistons: Sekou Doumbouya has to rebuild himself in the G-League
Joining a G-League team could be the best thing to happen for Doumbouya’s career. The 20-year-old may have shown flashes of potential in Detroit, but his inconsistency came in more ways than just his on-court performances. The youngster had a hard time getting consistent playing time too.
Doumbouya would have benefitted from playing time with the G-League last season. But the power forward was stranded on the Detroit Pistons roster last season. As a result, Doumbouya managed only 15.5 minutes per game in the 2020-21 season. He did not make the most of his few opportunities to get playing time, but for a rebuilding team, Detroit really limited those opportunities.
In the G-League, Doumbouya can find consistent minutes. He would have the opportunity to develop a more consistent jump shot. Every aspect of Doumbouya’s game needs work, he is an extremely raw talent. In the G-League, he will have ample opportunity to work on everything and anything.
Doumbouya is still only 20. He has youth on his side in terms of developing into an NBA-caliber player. But up to this point, he simply has not been that.
Is it too much to say the Pistons should consider signing Doumbouya onto the Motor City Cruise? That decision would ultimately fall on Weaver. On a G-League contract, Doumbouya could develop for a season or two and Detroit could then evaluate what they may have in him.
If Doumbouya were to find himself as a member of the Cruise, Weaver and the Pistons would have essentially acquired four second-round picks from the Nets for nothing but dead money on DeAndre Jordan’s buyout.
Is it ridiculous to think Doumbouya and the Detroit Pistons could be destined for a reunion? Maybe. But the 20-year-old is familiar with the city and familiar with the team.
Wherever Doumbouya ends up this season, if he is to have any hope to reach his potential, he is going to need a team willing to provide opportunity and with a lot of patience as he continues to grow as a player.