How Cheick Diallo Can Learn From the Raptors’ Pascal Siakam
By Seth Nefsky
Similarities
Before going over why Siakam has been a much more serviceable NBA player than Diallo, let’s first look at just how similar these two are from a physical level, as I am not overstating it. The following statistics come from the 2016 NBA Draft Combine:
Body Fat, Weight:
- Pascal Siakam: 5.2%, 226.6 lbs.
- Cheick Diallo: 5.6%, 218.6 lbs.
As you could probably tell from pictures, both Siakam and Diallo are on the skinnier side, being two of the six power forwards lowest in body fat percentage, among the 21 who attended the combine.
Height without Shoes, Standing Reach, Standing Vert, Wingspan:
- Pascal Siakam: 6’8.25,” 8’11.5,” 30.5,” 7’3.25″”
- Cheick Diallo: 6’7.5,” 8’11.5,” 31,” 7’4.5″
The two are somewhat short big men, but their long arms and high verticals more than make up for their foot-to-head measurements.
Agility Test, Three Quarter Sprint:
- Pascal Siakam: 11.25 s, 3.41 s
- Cheick Diallo: 11.24 s, 3.26 s
Despite Siakam often being praised for his athleticism, Diallo was even faster than Siakam at the combine.
Furthermore, Diallo and Siakam have both shown the ability to be incredible
players. Siakam’s 1.27 points per possession lands him in the 83rd percentile, while Diallo’s 1.42 puts him in the 95th percentile. This is due to their quickness, and short spurts of transition ball handling ability.
Now, onto the differences.