NBA Comparison: Hamidou Diallo

Strengths: Explosive athlete who commonly rocks the rim with electrifying dunks in the open floor … High-flying wing with elite bounce and power, particularly effective in transition … A good scorer who utilizes both exceptional speed and body control to attack the basket and finishes at all three levels …  Is more than just a powerful finisher with impressive ball-handling ability, showing acrobatic body control and a layup package that allows him to score over taller and stronger defenders … Projects as a high ceiling prospect that should translate well with the shift to a more physical game in the NBA … A 37-inch max vertical  at the NBA Combine supports the levitating act that jumps off the screen on his film, and in fact, it seems like he may have left a few inches on the table … Possesses a decently filled out NBA frame at 6-5 barefoot with a 6-9 wingspan … Comfortable in isolations or as a secondary ball-handler on the wing … Confident attacking the basket and finishing in the paint with either hand … Reads drop coverage effectively with a sound mid-range jumper and decent vision as the PnR ball-handler … His incredible production alongside two lottery prospects in Anthony Black and Nick Smith says everything about how talented he is offensively … Lengthy defender who plays with a relentless motor on and off the ball … Can elevate well above the rim to block shots as a help side defender … Switchable, active defender on the perimeter … Unsurprisingly, gets to the line at will with his speed and strength on the drive … Solid when he gets to the line at 81% over the last two seasons, showing intriguing upside as a shooter if he can effectively rework his form …

Weaknesses: Inefficient 3-point shooter (27% as a junior) with a shooting motion that needs some fine-tuning. .. Shot selection must improve … Settling for poor shots is what doomed Arkansas for much of the season and that was apparent with Council. He is a tremendous tough-shot maker, but the lack of separation he creates and the questionable shots he hoists up are concerning … An awkward hitch at the top of his release can be an eye-sore, but a decent FT% and efficient mid-range jumper suggest that with the right tweaks, he can be a reliable outside shooter in the near future … Would like to see more production from a rebounding and blocked shots standpoint for a player of his size with his kind of leaping ability (just 3.6 REB and 0.3 BLK with Arkansas) … Inconsistency could plague him … Learning to contribute when his shots aren’t falling will make him a more effective contributor … Will turn 22 in August so he’s slightly older than your average junior …

Notes: Measured 6′ 5.00” barefoot, 8′ 7.00” standing reach, 208.0 lbs, 6′ 9.00” wingspan with a 37 inch vert at the 2023 NBA Draft Combine … AAC All-Freshman Team in 2021 … 2022 AAC 6th Man of the Year at Wichita State … Transferred to Arkansas for his junior season after two seasons with the Shockers … All-SEC Second Team … Ranked first in SEC in free throws made … Ricky Council IV is the youngest of three brothers who are all named after their father …

Derek Bast 6/2/23